Kalanchoe
Hello hello!
I went to the Botanical Bazaar down the Gold Coast this weekend. I was volunteering on the plant clinic to answer peoples planty questions but sadly no-one had any while I was there. Good networking with other horticulturists though aaaaand I must admit I did come home with a couple of plants. A vireya (tropical rhododendron) that I’m VERY excited about. I will write a blog on them soon but my small plant has no flowers so I have to go snaffle some good photos of my mum’s (because what’s a blog without good pics). I also got a punnet of sea holly (Eryngium Planum), Scabiosa and a tall flowering dianthus/sweet william which I’ve already planted! How’s that for organised. Fingers crossed I’ll have flowers soon!
Hope you have a good week coming up!
xx Kat
It’s kalanchoe blooms a-plenty here! I have quite a collection and there are lots and lots of species - mostly small shrubby herbaceous plants, but some are vining and trailing plants and there is even the large felt plant (Kalanchoe beharensis) which can grow up to 6m tall! If you’re not fully up on your taxonomy you might be surprised to know how many of your succulents are Kalanchoes. Most people know the winter pots of colour - Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, but also in the genus are silver spoons (K. bracteata), panda plant (K. tomentosa), flapjacks (K. thyrsiflora), the weedy lavender scallops (K. fedtschenkoi syn. Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi) and even more weedy and invasive mother of millions! (K delagoensis syn. Bryophyllum delagoense)*.
Kalanchoe’s are in the Crassulaceae family and mainly native to tropical regions of Africa and Madagascar. They are ‘short day’ plants, meaning they flower in response to long dark periods (and hence short days!). Their succulent leaves make them easy care as they have their own store of water and can be left to dry out a little. I’ve found they grow best in a part shade area, with protection from the drying western sun, although they are fairly adaptable.
Fun fact - as testament to how happy plants and flowers make us, a mature Kalanchoe plant was sent up to the Soviet Salyut 6 space station in the 1970’s to boost crew morale!
*As sometimes happens in plant taxonomy world, the distinction between Bryophyllum and Kalanchoe is a little messy. Bryophyllum could be seen as a subset of Kalanchoe.
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