Kalanchoes brighten the sill outside the breakfast room. Next year I'll plant them in all three succulent baskets for winter blooms. These are covered when we get a cold snap.
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Showing posts with label kalanchoe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kalanchoe. Show all posts
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Garden Blogger's Bloom Day February 2013
It's Garden Blogger's Bloom Day (GBBD) and my garden has a few blooms to show for February. It's been a mild winter so far and we've got about a month to go.
Kalanchoes brighten the sill outside the breakfast room. Next year I'll plant them in all three succulent baskets for winter blooms. These are covered when we get a cold snap.
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Kalanchoes brighten the sill outside the breakfast room. Next year I'll plant them in all three succulent baskets for winter blooms. These are covered when we get a cold snap.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Warm and Fuzzy Plants
What's softer than a Teddy Bear and sticks around longer than candy and cut flowers? Kalanchoes! It was plants again this year for Valentine's Day. Fuzzy ones.
Kalanchoe Tomentosa, those dark leaf edges are so distinctive.
Kalanchoe Tomentosa, those dark leaf edges are so distinctive.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Plant ABCs: K is for Kalanchoe
The next letter in my series called The ABCs of Plants in My Garden is K. K is for Kalanchoe, which is a succulent native to southern Africa.
While researching these, I was surprised to find I had a total of six different varieties of kalanchoe as opposed to the two I already was aware of.
They are so easy to grow and propagate that other gardeners share them generously. They are monocarpic, blooming just once and then producing offsets. As with most succulents around here I keep these on the deck and away from the hungry herd of deer that regularly browse my yard.
Let's meet them one by one. The names on this list are based on labels or my own research so feel free to point out corrections as needed.
K. blossfeldiana: The kalanchoe most familiar to me, and I call this one "supermarket" kalanchoe since that's where we often see them for sale. This yellow bloomer fits nicely in the top of a strawberry pot.
K. diagremontiana: Mother of Thousands or Alligator Plant, a commonly shared plant in among gardeners in this area. The long pointed leaves with the little plants growing along the edge does look a bit like an alligator and the only one we'll see this far inland except at the zoo. I like the structure and this one will survive a mild winter in the warmer parts of town where it can also be somewhat invasive.
K. gastonis-bonnieri: Donkey Ears, the mottled pattern and soft texture of these leaves makes it a favorite. Look closely to see new plants forming at the end of the very long leaves. The leaf in front is 18"/7cm. Long floppy ears work well in this wire basket.
K. laetivirens: Called 'Big Momma' and it is similar in structure to the K. diagremontiana with larger, greener leaves. It also produces new plants along the edges of the leaves.
Most of these can be propagated by pushing a broken piece of leaf in soil, such as this one in the pocket of a strawberry jar. The new plant popped up within a couple weeks.
K. luciae: Paddle shaped kalanchoe, This is a pretty little plant is in the new succulent window boxes I'm trying out this year.
K. pumila 'Frosty Pink': This is a tiny one that can fill in the window boxes like a ground cover.
Kalanchoe are all frost-tender and will need to come indoors during the winter. I'm getting so many plants needing winter protection now it's a good thing we are adding a screen room to the deck which I will convert to a winter greenhouse for our few months of cold weather we have each year.
While researching these, I was surprised to find I had a total of six different varieties of kalanchoe as opposed to the two I already was aware of.
They are so easy to grow and propagate that other gardeners share them generously. They are monocarpic, blooming just once and then producing offsets. As with most succulents around here I keep these on the deck and away from the hungry herd of deer that regularly browse my yard.
Let's meet them one by one. The names on this list are based on labels or my own research so feel free to point out corrections as needed.
K. blossfeldiana: The kalanchoe most familiar to me, and I call this one "supermarket" kalanchoe since that's where we often see them for sale. This yellow bloomer fits nicely in the top of a strawberry pot.
K. diagremontiana: Mother of Thousands or Alligator Plant, a commonly shared plant in among gardeners in this area. The long pointed leaves with the little plants growing along the edge does look a bit like an alligator and the only one we'll see this far inland except at the zoo. I like the structure and this one will survive a mild winter in the warmer parts of town where it can also be somewhat invasive.
K. gastonis-bonnieri: Donkey Ears, the mottled pattern and soft texture of these leaves makes it a favorite. Look closely to see new plants forming at the end of the very long leaves. The leaf in front is 18"/7cm. Long floppy ears work well in this wire basket.
K. laetivirens: Called 'Big Momma' and it is similar in structure to the K. diagremontiana with larger, greener leaves. It also produces new plants along the edges of the leaves.
Most of these can be propagated by pushing a broken piece of leaf in soil, such as this one in the pocket of a strawberry jar. The new plant popped up within a couple weeks.
K. luciae: Paddle shaped kalanchoe, This is a pretty little plant is in the new succulent window boxes I'm trying out this year.
K. pumila 'Frosty Pink': This is a tiny one that can fill in the window boxes like a ground cover.
Kalanchoe are all frost-tender and will need to come indoors during the winter. I'm getting so many plants needing winter protection now it's a good thing we are adding a screen room to the deck which I will convert to a winter greenhouse for our few months of cold weather we have each year.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Foliage Follow-up July 2012: Succulents as Problem Solvers
Using succulents is a great way to grow plants where others struggle. These problem solving plants are the focus for today's Foliage Follow Up sponsored by Pam Penick at Digging.
These cradle style planters worked out well at the breakfast room windows because the feet sit securely in the window frames and drilling into the stone for standard window boxes was out of the question.
The last two years I tried annuals here but there's not enough room for soil to keep annuals watered. It's no problem for succulents with their small root system and limited water needs. We enjoy seeing these green plants from inside and most of these will eventually bloom as well.
Strawberry jars with their interesting little planting pockets are a favorite of mine. The problem is it's especially difficult in our hot, dry climate to keep many types of plants growing in them. That may be why I find so many at garage sales around here. I picked up these two in April for just $2 each.
This year when I planted strawberry jars, I took inspiration from my friend Ragna and went with succulents all around. Succulents work so much better than annuals and I don't have to worry about the plants drying out. I like mixing varieties of plants, mostly from plant swaps.
A welcoming grouping works at the top of the deck stairs where it's been difficult to keep plants growing. These are planted with Aloe 'Blue Elf', Kalanchoe, and Portulaca. Deer love these so all succulent planters stay on the deck,
I enjoy making my own pots from concrete and hypertufa mixes. Concrete will dry out plants and soil quickly, so succulents are the answer here too.
Three planting problems solved with succulents and I'm still looking for opportunities around here.
Head on over to Digging to see how other garden bloggers celebrate the importance of foliage in their gardens in July 2012.
These cradle style planters worked out well at the breakfast room windows because the feet sit securely in the window frames and drilling into the stone for standard window boxes was out of the question.
The last two years I tried annuals here but there's not enough room for soil to keep annuals watered. It's no problem for succulents with their small root system and limited water needs. We enjoy seeing these green plants from inside and most of these will eventually bloom as well.
Strawberry jars with their interesting little planting pockets are a favorite of mine. The problem is it's especially difficult in our hot, dry climate to keep many types of plants growing in them. That may be why I find so many at garage sales around here. I picked up these two in April for just $2 each.
This year when I planted strawberry jars, I took inspiration from my friend Ragna and went with succulents all around. Succulents work so much better than annuals and I don't have to worry about the plants drying out. I like mixing varieties of plants, mostly from plant swaps.
A welcoming grouping works at the top of the deck stairs where it's been difficult to keep plants growing. These are planted with Aloe 'Blue Elf', Kalanchoe, and Portulaca. Deer love these so all succulent planters stay on the deck,
I enjoy making my own pots from concrete and hypertufa mixes. Concrete will dry out plants and soil quickly, so succulents are the answer here too.
Three planting problems solved with succulents and I'm still looking for opportunities around here.
Head on over to Digging to see how other garden bloggers celebrate the importance of foliage in their gardens in July 2012.
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