Monday, February 2, 2009

Kalanchoe in bloom

My Granddad gave me a Kalanchoe last fall.  He had been growing it for quite a while and it was pretty large and very healthy.  My Granddad has always had a greenthumb and is one of my family members (including my mother and grandmother) who inspired my interest in plants.

I have seen some small Kalanchoe in bloom before and I am vaguely familiar with them, although I have never had one before myself.  Initially, when I received the plant I mistook it as a member of the Crassula genus - some sort of Jade plant, I thought.  I did some searching and couldn't find a species that looked like my plant.  It was a couple of months later before it dawned on me that the plant was actually a Kalanchoe, which is, admittedly, at least in the same family as the Jade plant (Crassula genus).

At least a month ago my Kalanchoe started producing buds - a lot of them.  At this time, I still didn't know the identity of my plant.

Now, the identity is certain and the buds have opened.  It might be a little hard to tell by the picture, but this is a pretty large plant.  The pot is 12 or 14 inches in diameter.

kalanchoe
My Kalanchoe in bloom
My Kalanchoe has been extremely easy to care for.  It is one of those plants that thrives in neglect.  I haven't neglected it in a negligent manner, though.  :) I have simply left it alone, knowing that it didn't need a lot of care.  I look forward to seeing this plant bloom on a yearly basis now.

6 comments:

  1. I swear they thrive on neglect! I have one that has been flowering for months, even though I only remember to water it occasionally and pay more attention to the fsuier houseplants in the office. I love the yellow ones because they're so cheery, but my hot pink one is pretty happy too.

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  2. Just found you here on Blotanical. That's a really nice Kalanchoe! I'm afraid I've neglected mine a bit, although it wouldn't take much to get them back in tip-top shape. Your post has inspired me to do just that! Thanks!

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  3. A very pretty plant. My grandmother was my gardening mentor too.

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  4. Oh my! That is beautiful!
    I found that you can root them very easily and also if a piece breaks off, it does well just stuck in the soil. Good job! :-)

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  5. Hey Zach did ya know that Succulents blooms on shorter
    day light seasons? Just wait til your Jade becomes mature
    you'll notice in the Winter season, most blooming succulents
    starts to bloom. It's kind of strange, but that is nature for ya.

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  6. Wow, your kalanchoe is really something! So many blooms, looks beautiful. I recently got one from a nursery (same colour as yours) with a few blooms. Till then I'd thought that kalanchoes came in reds only!

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