Senecio macroglossus does well in sun or shade. It requires a neutral to slightly alkaline loamy soil that is well-drained. It grows best in fertile soil to which well-rotted compost is added regularly as a mulch, and it responds fast to foliar feeding. Senecio macroglossus is not hardy to frost although established plants in a protected position should be able to survive the odd cold snap to -1oC / 30oF but it is best suited to frost free gardens (zone 11 above 4oC / 40oF). It is very drought and heat tolerant. Senecio macroglossus is not as fast growing as its relative Senecio tamoides, the canary creeper, and it is much neater and longer lived. It is relatively easy to control and can be pruned when necessary to keep tidy or in late winter just before the new spring growth commences. Senecio macroglossus is relatively pest free, but aphids may sometimes be found on flower buds or on the young growing tips.

Flowering ivy makes an excellent hanging basket subject. At Kirstenbosch we have them growing in the large permanent hanging baskets in the Visitor Centre and outside the Restaurant. It is also a good trellis plant against a wall, even a west-facing wall, and is suitable for balconies and roof gardens where it will grow nearly 3m downwards if allowed to hang, or upwards if encouraged to climb up a trellis. It can also be used as a ground cover and is suitable for indoor cultivation. It mixes well with Aloe ciliaris and other climbing aloes where they can be grown together on a wire fence to create a living fence.

Senecio macroglossus can be propagated by cuttings or seed. Cuttings root easily in well-drained medium, like washed river sand, and placed in a cold frame or under intermittent mist. Seed can be sown in spring or during summer, in well-drained soil, but seedlings are prone to damping off and should therefore be sown thinly and treated with an appropriate fungicide.

Although Senecio macroglossus is not particularly well known or widely grown in South Africa, a silver variegated form has been grown in the United Kingdom, where it is a favourite conservatory subject, since the early 1900's. This variegated form is now also available from some South African nurseries.