String of Pearls (Curio rowleyanus, sold as Senecio rowleyanus) in a 4 inch Nursery Pot
Curio rowleyanus (sold as Senecio rowleyanus) · String of pearls
- 30-day returnsNot happy with your plant? Bring it back within 30 days for an exchange or a refund.
- Pick up any time we're openOpen 11:00 am to 6:30 pm, seven days a week, at 3742 West 10th Avenue, Kitsilano. You can come in right after you order. Pickup is always free. For delivery, add it to your cart: $35 plus GST and PST, or free on orders of $98 or more.
Round green pearls on thin strings, with the first few strands just starting to spill over the edge of the pot. A young string of pearls for your brightest window.
- Small, round green leaves that look like pearls on a string. On this young plant most of them sit in a mound on top, and a few strands trail a few inches over the edge.
- It needs a lot of light. Darrell grew one in a south-facing spot in full sun, and in his words, “it actually trailed quite well.”
- Water only when the soil is almost dry. The pearls help you tell: once they start to wrinkle and the soil is dry, it's time to water.
- Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten. Hang it or put it up high where pets can't reach, and read the pet note below.
- Round green pearls
- Small, 4 in nursery pot
- Toxic to cats and dogs
- Lots of bright light
Sending it as a gift?
- Add it to your cart and choose delivery at checkout: $35 plus GST and PST, or free when the order is $98 or more.
- Enter their address in Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond or Burnaby as the delivery address. You can place the order from anywhere. We deliver only to these five cities.
- The receipt comes to your email only, and we email you when it has been delivered.
- After you pay, we email you, not them, to confirm the delivery day. Write your gift message, and whether it is a surprise, in the notes at checkout.
- Not sure which plant suits them? Send a gift card and let them choose at our Kitsilano shop.
- Not for a home with cats or dogs that chew plants. For a home with cats or dogs, see our Money Tree.
Our shop is at 3742 West 10th Avenue in Kitsilano. Pick it up any time we're open, 11:00 am to 6:30 pm, seven days a week, even right after you order.
What you get
- One string of pearls (Curio rowleyanus) growing in a 4 in (10 cm) green plastic nursery pot.
- It's a young plant. The pearls fill the top of the pot and a few strands trail a few inches over the edge. It isn't a long trailing plant yet.
- No decorative pot is included, so you choose the pot yourself. You can set it inside a cover pot or a hanging pot as it is.
- Every plant is at our shop. When you come in to pick up your order, choose the one you like.
Size and details
| Plant | String of pearls, Curio rowleyanus (sold as Senecio rowleyanus) |
|---|---|
| Container | Green plastic nursery pot (no decorative pot) |
| Pot size | 4 in (10 cm) nursery pot |
| Trailing | A few short strands, a few inches over the edge of the pot. Not a long trailing plant yet |
| Light | Lots of bright light, like a south or west window |
| Water | Let the soil dry almost completely between waterings |
| Pets | Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA) |
| Pick up | 3742 West 10th Avenue, Kitsilano. Any time we're open, even right after you order |
About this plant
This is a string of pearls, a succulent from the dry parts of South Africa. Its leaves are small, round and green, like peas or beads, and they grow along thin stems that hang down as they get longer. Botanists now call it Curio rowleyanus, but many growers still sell it as Senecio rowleyanus, and that's the name on its grower tag. It grows in a 4 in (10 cm) green plastic nursery pot and costs $8.99 before tax.
To be clear about size, this is a young plant. Most of the pearls sit in a mound on top of the soil, and so far only a few strands trail a few inches over the edge. With enough light, the strands can keep growing longer. If you want a long curtain of pearls right away, this one isn't there yet.
Darrell, who has more than 25 years of growing behind him, says plainly that “a lot of people struggle with these.” His own string of pearls grew in a south-facing spot in full sun, and he let it dry “like bone dry between the watering.” In his words, “it actually trailed quite well.”
The plant also tells you when to water. Darrell's tip: “the pearls will start to kind of shrivel up a little bit. Or they get wrinkly. And that's a sign they need water.” After a good watering they should firm up again within a few days. Pearls that go soft, yellow or mushy are often the opposite sign, too much water. Check the soil and the roots before you decide.
If you have a cat or a dog, please read the pet note below. String of pearls is toxic to them if eaten, so this one belongs in a hanging pot or up high, in a spot pets can't reach. It's also not a plant for a dim room. We have a few of these at our shop, and when you come in to pick up your order, you can choose the one you like.
Want more trailing green while this one grows? Our Neon pothos hanging basket already spills over the sides, and our trailing peperomia basket has stems about 19 in long. Not sure which window to use? Ask us at the counter.
Care in a Vancouver home
Light
This plant needs a lot of light. A south or west window is a good spot. Darrell's own string of pearls grew in a south-facing spot in full sun. If you look closely, each pearl has a thin, see-through line along one side. It's a small window that lets light into the leaf. In December Vancouver gets only about eight hours of daylight, and a lot of it is grey. So in winter, give it the brightest window you have, close to the glass but not touching it. In summer, hours of hot afternoon sun through glass can scorch the pearls, so pull it back a little from the window on the hottest days.
Water
Darrell's advice for string of pearls: “So let them dry out. Almost bone dry between their watering.” Push a finger into the soil. If it is dry almost all the way down, water at the sink until water runs out the bottom, and let it drain. If it still feels damp, wait. If it sits in a cover pot or a hanging pot with no hole, tip out any water left in the bottom. Soggy soil rots the roots, and the plant won't survive that for long. In winter it needs water much less often, because the soil dries slowly. Go by the soil, not the calendar.
Reading the pearls
The pearls tell you what the plant needs. Darrell's tip: “the pearls will start to kind of shrivel up a little bit. Or they get wrinkly. And that's a sign they need water.” If the soil is dry, water it well, and they should firm up again within a few days. Pearls that turn soft, yellow or mushy are often the opposite sign, too much water. Check the soil and the roots before you decide. Check the soil, and let it dry out more before the next watering.
Hanging it
Because the strands hang down, it looks best in a hanging pot or on a high shelf, where the pearls can trail freely. Up high is also where it belongs if you have pets. A hanging pot near the ceiling can dry at a different rate from one lower down, so check the soil rather than counting days. Check the soil up there a little more often, but still let it dry almost completely before you water.
Temperature
A normal room is fine, and it doesn't mind a cooler room in winter. Keep it away from heater vents, and off cold window glass at night. It can't take frost, so if it spends the summer outside, bring it in before the first frost in fall.
Feeding
Spring and summer only, and not much. Weak houseplant food a couple of times in the season is plenty. Nothing from November to February.
Repotting
Not often. It's fine in a snug pot. When it needs a bigger one, go up one pot size and no more. When Darrell repots any plant, he keeps to one size up: “Nothing too big right away. Just to get a good one size up.” Use a mix that drains fast, like a cactus mix or potting soil with sand or perlite mixed in, in a pot with a drainage hole.
Strands that break off
The stems are thin, so carry the plant by the pot, not by the strands. If a strand breaks off, you can grow a new plant from it. Take a piece about 3 to 5 in (8 to 13 cm) long, lay it on the soil, and cover a few of the joints on the stem lightly with soil so new roots can form there.
Pets and kids
Please keep this one out of reach of pets. The ASPCA lists string of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus) among the toxic succulents. If a pet eats it, it can cause stomach upset, mostly vomiting, and lethargy. NC State Extension also lists it as a problem for cats and dogs, says the sap can irritate skin, and lists it as mildly poisonous to people, so keep it away from small children who put leaves in their mouths. If your pet has eaten some, call your vet.
As the ASPCA points out, it works well as a hanging plant, which makes it easier to keep away from pets. Hang it, or put it up high where pets can't reach. Cats climb, so a room your pets stay out of is safest. Pick up any pearls or strands that fall. If you'd rather not take the chance, ask us at the counter about plants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic.
Sources: ASPCA, Are Succulents Safe to Have Around Pets? · NC State Extension, Curio rowleyanus
Not sure it suits your spot?
Send a photo of the corner you have in mind. Darrell, who has grown plants for more than 25 years, will tell you honestly if this plant will be happy there.
Goes well with
Trailing peperomia hanging basketCream and green leaves on stems about 19 in long, in an 8 in basket ready to hang. It likes bright light too, but not hours of hot afternoon sun, so give it a spot a little back from the window.
Neon pothos hanging basketBright lime-green vines that already spill over an 8 in basket. It wants water more often than a string of pearls, and it's toxic to cats and dogs too, so hang it well out of reach.
Moonshine snake plantA small silvery snake plant in a 4 in pot. Like string of pearls, it likes its soil on the dry side, about halfway down the pot. Toxic to cats and dogs if chewed.
Questions people ask
How do I care for a string of pearls?
Lots of bright light, like a south or west window. Let the soil dry almost completely, then water at the sink and let it drain. Keep it in a pot with a drainage hole, water much less often in winter, and hang it or keep it up high if you have pets.
How often should I water a string of pearls?
Go by the soil and the pearls, not the calendar. Darrell lets it get almost bone dry between waterings. When the soil is dry almost all the way down, or the pearls start to wrinkle, water until it runs out the bottom and let it drain. In a Vancouver winter that can be a lot less often than in summer.
Why is my string of pearls wrinkly or shrivelled?
Usually it's thirsty. Darrell's tip is that pearls that shrivel up or get wrinkly are a sign the plant needs water. Check that the soil is dry, water it well, and the pearls should firm up again within a few days.
Why are the pearls turning soft, yellow or mushy?
That is often too much water. Check the soil and the roots before you decide, and look for pests. Check the soil, and if it's still damp, let it dry out more before the next watering. Tip out any water sitting in a cover pot, and make sure the pot can drain. Soggy soil rots the roots.
How much light does a string of pearls need?
A lot. A south or west window is a good spot. Darrell grew his in a south-facing spot in full sun. In a Vancouver winter, give it the brightest window you have.
Is string of pearls toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes. The ASPCA lists string of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus) as a toxic succulent. If a pet eats it, it can cause stomach upset, mostly vomiting, and lethargy. Hang it or put it up high where pets can't reach, and call your vet if your pet has eaten some.
How long are the strands on this plant?
Still short. This is a young plant. Most of the pearls sit in a mound on top of the soil, and a few strands trail a few inches over the edge of the pot. With enough light, the strands can keep growing longer.
Is Curio rowleyanus the same as Senecio rowleyanus?
Yes, it's the same plant. Botanists moved it from Senecio to Curio, but many growers still sell it as Senecio rowleyanus, and that's the name on this one's grower tag.
Does it come in a decorative pot?
No, it comes in its 4 in green plastic nursery pot. You can set it inside a cover pot or a hanging pot as it is. If you repot it later, go one size up, into a pot with a drainage hole.
Do you deliver this plant?
Yes, to Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond and Burnaby. Add it to your cart (shop.dhgardencentre.com/cart) and choose delivery at checkout: $35 plus GST and PST, or free when the order is $98 or more. Pickup at our Kitsilano store is always free. After you pay, we email you to confirm the delivery day.
What if my plant doesn't do well?
Not happy with your plant? Bring it back within 30 days for an exchange or a refund.
Where can I buy a string of pearls in Vancouver?
At DH Garden Centre, 3742 West 10th Avenue in Kitsilano. We're open 11:00 am to 6:30 pm, seven days a week, and you can pick this one up in store any time we're open, even right after you order online.
See it before you buy
Every plant on this page is in our shop right now. Come and pick the one you like best, or let us choose a healthy one for you.
DH Garden Centre
3742 West 10th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6R 2G4
Open 7 days, 11:00 AM to 6:30 PM