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Description
succulents sunshine coast Senecio serpens Blue Chalksticks (mandraliscae) – Sunshine Coast Nursery & Garden CentreDescription: Senecio serpens, commonly known as Blue Chalksticks, is a striking evergreen succulent prized for its powdery blue foliage and low growing, spreading habit. This hardy plant is particularly valued for its drought tolerance and ability to thrive in various conditions, making it an excellent choice for rock gardens, ground covers, and container plantings. Flowers: Blooms: The plant produces small, white to pale yellow flowers in mid summer.
Description: Senecio serpens, commonly known as Blue Chalksticks, is a striking evergreen succulent prized for its powdery blue foliage and low-growing, spreading habit. This hardy plant is particularly valued for its drought tolerance and ability to thrive in various conditions, making it an excellent choice for rock gardens, ground covers, and container plantings.
Flowers:
- Blooms: The plant produces small, white to pale yellow flowers in mid-summer. The flowers are relatively insignificant compared to the foliage and appear in clusters on short stalks.
- Fragrance: The flowers have no notable fragrance.
Foliage:
- Leaves: The leaves are cylindrical, fleshy, and powdery blue, resembling pieces of chalk. The foliage forms dense mats, providing a striking color contrast in the garden.
- Seasonal Color: The foliage maintains its blue color throughout the year, adding continuous visual interest.
Fruit:
- Fruit: The plant produces small, seed-like fruits after flowering. These are generally not significant for ornamental value.
Form and Size:
- Size: Typically grows 15-30 cm tall and 60-90 cm wide, forming a low, spreading mat.
- Habit: Low-growing and spreading, making it suitable for various landscape uses as a ground cover or in mixed succulent plantings.
Growing Conditions:
- Climate: Thrives in temperate to subtropical climates and is suitable for various regions in Australia. It can tolerate light frosts but prefers warmer conditions.
- Soil: Prefers well-draining, sandy or loamy soils but can adapt to poor, rocky soils. Avoid waterlogged conditions.
- Sunlight: Best grown in full sun to partial shade. Full sun promotes the best foliage color and compact growth, while partial shade is tolerated.
- Watering: Requires minimal watering once established. Water sparingly, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. Overwatering can lead to root rot.
Uses:
- Groundcover: Highly valued as a groundcover for its low, spreading habit and striking foliage.
- Rock Gardens: Ideal for rock gardens and xeriscaping due to its drought tolerance and low maintenance requirements.
- Containers: Perfect for pots and containers, adding a splash of color to patios, balconies, and small gardens.
- Borders and Edging: Suitable for creating colorful borders and edging in garden beds.
Maintenance:
- Pruning: Trim back occasionally to maintain shape and remove any dead or damaged leaves. Pruning can also help encourage denser growth.
- Fertilizing: Apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer sparingly in early spring to promote healthy growth. Too much fertilizer can reduce the plant's compact form.
- Pests and Diseases: Generally pest and disease-resistant. Monitor for common pests such as aphids and mealybugs. Ensure good air circulation and proper watering practices to prevent fungal diseases.
Notes:
- Hardiness: Hardy in USDA zones 9-11. In cooler regions of Australia, provide protection from severe frost to prevent damage to the foliage.
- Companion Plants: Pair with other drought-tolerant succulents and perennials such as Echeveria, Agave, and Sedum to create a harmonious and visually appealing garden display.
- Propagation: Propagate by stem cuttings or division in spring or summer. Allow cuttings to callous over before planting to prevent rot.
Senecio serpens
Common Name: Blue Chalksticks, Blue Fingers, Blue Senecio
Botanical Name: Senecio serpens
Family: Asteraceae
Origin: Native to South Africa
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4.2 ★★★★★
Based on 16 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Well-told, fascinating history of an important event.
Format: Hardcover
There are many books available about the D-Day Invasion of World War II. But because so many people were involved, there are endless ways for the story to be told. In addition, for the same reason, authors have to pick and choose what information to share, there is simply too much to share in any one book. Plus, no two authors tell the story in the same way. Thus, there is a place for Hopkinson's book on the subject. And she's done a fabulous job in sharing the information in a way that works for adolescent readers.
The book starts with the experience of a young man flying over France as one of the thousands of paratroopers proceeding the sea-based invasion. This makes for a great beginning as it pulls the reader right into the story. Following a brief description of what D-Day was and how the U.S. Army was organized (helpful for those with little military or World War II background), Hopkinson goes back and tells the story of the major events that led up to the invasion itself. The book is divided up into 7 parts as follows: The Plan, The Gods of War, Night Into Day, Utah, Omaha, Aftermath: More than Courage, Quartermaster's Department. Each section includes important information related to the general plans and some of the individuals involved in creating those plans. As this book is written for American youth, it focuses on the two invasion sites that the Americans helped invade, the beaches code named Utah and Omaha. I especially appreciated the widespread use of quotes and experiences from individuals who were there. The story feels more real when one reads the words of an actual person. The inclusion of 'dispatches' and 'Reader's Invasion Briefings' helped create context in relation to specific issues that came up during the invasion.
All in all Hopkinson has created a compelling account of a day that changed the world forever. A day that young history buffs will want to know about. This is a book that would be easy to recommend to young readers who want a glimpse into the experiences of those involved in both the planning and executing of D-Day.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2018
★★★★★ 5
Read for yourself. Then book talk and get in the hands of students.
Format: Hardcover, Format: Hardcover
The kind of book you don’t want to put down. For sophisticated YA and adult readers. I thought I knew about D-Day, but as I began to read this book, I realized I had no idea what a complex operation this was--the covert planning and the freaking size of this plan. 13,000 U.S. paratroopers jumped out of planes. Some 57,000 stormed the beaches at Normandy. Others were brought in on "horsas" --airplane "gliders" made of balsa wood that were pulled by bigger planes and then let go to glide into enemy territory - with hundreds of men and equipment including jeeps aboard. Even though they'd planned and planned, the implementation was a debacle. Paratroopers and gliders landed off course. Amphibious vehicles, loaded with men, beached in the wrong spot or were hit by German weaponry and sank, leaving soldiers to drown or swim to shore, loaded down with 75 pounds of equipment. The Germans had lined the coast with explosives and were nested in to bunkers, ready to attack. The U.S. attempted to destroy some of this before men landed but were not successful. The men landing did not know this until they came upon well-fortified, heavily armored and waiting Germans (especially at Omaha Beach). It was a mess. And yet, they got a "toehold" onto the German occupied territory. A toehold that allowed the Allied forces to start moving against Hitler's army.
I’m writing all of this to say that Hopkinson expertly conveys the gravity and enormity of the situation. She does not pretend to know the feelings or thoughts of individuals involved in this experience. Instead she uses well-established facts and primary sources including many quotes from oral histories to tell the story of this day. Honestly, I finished this book thinking, “OMG” and feeling incredibly indebted to these soldiers and any other person who has served our country.
IN A CLASSROOM – My first thought is “Why do we still rely on textbooks in any kind of high school history class?” Book talk this. And then recruit a group of students to read, engage in student-led conversations, learn from additional sources, and then share their learning (and even their gratitude). Questions that might serve as a guide:
• “What made this endeavor enormous?” This kind of question includes the literal numbers, but also thinking critically about the emotional and mental weight of this plan on key individuals that Hopkinson alludes to and thinking beyond the text to the planning that Hopkinson does not describe, but that must have had to happen to get the troops ready.
• “How does Hopkinson weave complex details together in a way that makes the enormity of what happened accessible to the reader?” This could include a discussion of how she includes statistics, but also oral histories. What is the role of each of these types of details?
• “What does Hopkinson leave out?” or “What choices did Hopkinson clearly make about what to include and what not to include?” or “How does Hopkinson establish accuracy and authority throughout the text?”
IF YOU BOOK TALK THIS, a couple of tips:
• I would not take for granted the value of students previewing this text before reading, of students thinking through the design of the text (looking carefully at the table of contents) and the PURPOSE of special features (e.g., sidebars like “reader’s invasion briefing” and “dispatch”). This will help them navigate and make sense of the information. Even sophisticated readers could benefit from this.
• Also, for me, the narrative really picked up in Part 2 after Hopkinson develops the context for D-Day and describes initial planning. Keep an eye on (striving) readers during Part 1 or until you feel like they are on a roll. It wouldn't hurt to provide extra scaffolds like a current map of Europe, readers can reference as they move through the book or a chance to explore the topic (with video, etc) before they read.
• The technical language that Hopkinson includes early on related to service members' rank, division, etc. may bog some readers down. Do not let this deter them. You may need to think aloud in front of students about how you make sense of these terms as a reader and continue moving forward. This lightens up and becomes easier to navigate a little bit into the book.
The courage it took to face that day (and many others that we have asked service members to face since then) is stunning. As a reader of this book, YOU FEEL THIS. Towards the end of reading this book, I went to lunch with family and as we entered the restaurant, I saw a group of service members eating at a table nearby. I couldn't help it...I quietly paid for their lunch. I asked to be anonymous, but the wait staff gave me away. When the service members came over to say thank you and shake my hand, I nearly wept. I live in a freaking silo—I know no one serving in the military. This book strengthened by gratitude to anyone who has served our country. Thank you, Deborah Hopkinson.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2018
★★★★★ 5
Good read for young history lover
Format: Hardcover
My 10 year old WWII buff loved this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020
★★★★★ 5
Good Book
Format: Hardcover
A good book and great shipping!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2020
★★★★★ 5
Multiple perspectives and fascinating battle plans
Format: Hardcover
D-Day: The World War II Invasion that Changed History by Deborah Hopkinson is a non-fiction book about the events of D-Day. This was an invasion of allied troops onto four German occupied beaches. It took months of painstaking planning and coordinated efforts of multiple nations to pull of this heroic feat. D-Day is widely considered one of the most important military efforts in history.
This book does an amazing job of bringing a pivotal point in human history to life. It shows the perspectives of military commanders, journalists, world leaders and soldiers, which allows the reader to become immersed in the story of D-Day. The book was divided into 6 main parts that covered events before, during, and after D-Day. Within these parts, there was numerous other sections, like “Invasion Briefings” and “Reporter’s Notebook.” This broke up the information and made it easier to understand.
My favorite aspect of the book was the invasion briefings. As a World War II buff, it was fascinating to see the intricate maneuvers involved with each invasion, and how different units worked in unison. The labeled maps, captions, and diagrams made the information very accessible. Each of the four beaches (Sword, Juno, Omaha, and Utah) had separate invasions that defied the tremendous odds against them. The Allied troops braved beach obstacles, enemy fire and terrible weather, sacrificing everything for a common goal.
I also loved how this book displayed the bravery of those behind the scenes during D-Day. Though they were not present on the battlefield, thousands of people worked to build machinery, predict the weather, and plan the invasion. If President Roosevelt had picked the wrong day to invade, the entire D-Day operation may have been for nothing. But under extreme pressure, Roosevelt rose to the occasion and picked the right date. I think he said it best: “I thank the gods of war we went when we did.”
I would recommend this book to any reader over the age of ten who enjoys history and reading about World War II. I believe that the best and worst of humanity can be witnessed in wartime situations, and reading about prolific wars is very important. Such a momentous event like D-Day should be appreciated by readers old and young.
I give this book five out of five stars because of the multiple perspectives and fascinating battle plans. This book did justice to the importance of such a pivotal point in our history, and was simply a great read.
Review by Anya A, age 14, Metropolitan Washington Mensa
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Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2018