The holidays are all about the colors red and green but what’s wrong with adding a little yellow or orange to the mix? Poinsettia’s and Christmas Cactus are the more popular holiday flowers but a lesser-known “relative” might be a plant you want to add this year. Like the aforementioned plants, Kalanchoe requires a reduction of light for about 6 weeks to produce flower buds but when this plant blooms it is a real powerhouse.
Kalanchoe is a tropical succulent native to East Africa, Madagascar, and Southern Asia. The name is a variation of a Chinese word whose meaning has never really been defined. There are several annunciations as well including kal-un-KOH-ee, or kal-un-kee. In its native environment it is a perennial shrub but starting in the 1980’s compact variations of the plant were developed and it started to be sold as an ornamental houseplant. While there are 125 varieties of Kalanchoe the Blossfeldiana variety is the one that we find in the stores and florist shops.
Like its cousin the Jade plant it has fleshy leaves which are indicative of the fact that this plant does not require a great deal of water. As an indoor plant, it is highly resistant to diseases and insects but if you put the plant outdoors for the summer keep an eye out for spider mites and aphids. The soil needs to drain well and when it is setting flower buds and in bloom, it can benefit from a little fertilizer but otherwise, it does not need regular feeding. While it is a “Window Thriller” when perched on a windowsill this plant is very sensitive to the cold and will drop its leaves and flowers if temperatures fall below 50 degrees.
It is easy to find Kalanchoe at the stores during this time of year and every year it seems you can find this plant in new flower color. In addition to the colors mentioned previously, it comes in purple, pink, white, and even bi-colored combinations. The colors are often very intense and can brighten up any room that you put this plant in. These flowers also last for quite a long time. It is not unusual for the plant to bloom into February and March as its blooming cycle coincides with the shorter days of the year. This is a nice feature when you are looking for something colorful during the winter months.
If you are like many people who toss their holiday plants after the season is over you may want to think twice about discarding your Kalanchoe. If you remove the spent blooms you might get additional flowers and this plant can be coaxed into blooming again next year. Keep the plant in a sunny window and water it sparingly. Around the middle of October, you can start to put the plant in the closet during the late afternoon and overnight hours and in 6 to 8 weeks it should start to form flower buds. Finally, if you would like to add more of these plants to your collection you can take several of the leaves and place them on top of the pot filled with good draining soil. A new plant will eventually form at the edge of the leaf and you’ll have a new plant for your windowsill!
Photo courtesy of Jill Mazur
