The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be holding their next meeting on Wednesday, March 18, 7 p.m. at SIGN on North Street. It will be nice to get together and “talk gardening” again as we look forward to the new gardening year! Our special guest will be Maira Waelchli from Florissima, showing us how to make a beautiful spring flower arrangement! Hope you can join us! New members are always welcome, and you don’t have to be a member to come to the meeting.
Succulents have become so popular, haven’t they, for both indoor planters, and outdoor containers in the summer. For many succulents, their beauty lies in the colors and shapes of their leaves. But one cheery succulent has bright and beautiful blooms, and that’s the kalanchoe.
A very dear friend gave us a lovely kalanchoe, blooming in a cheery cerise pink. Everyone says that they are so easy to look after; but I wanted to find out for sure what the plants want and need, so, time for some homework!
Kalanchoes come from a big family of succulents originating in the tropical areas of Africa. They’re a very popular plant because of their colorful range of blooms which last a long time, and because they are easy to grow. They like lots of light, regular potting soil, and we should water them when they are dry: no wet feet for these plants! They don’t care for a cold room, preferring something bright and cozy instead. Doesn’t sound difficult so far!
When the blooms are done, just pinch them off, and in time the plant will flower again.
When spring comes and all danger of frost is past, we can take our kalanchoes outside for a summer vacation. Care remains the same, but we can add one thing: they might like a treat of fertilizer every couple weeks. Also be careful of the sun, the heat of the mid-day sun might be too much heat.
And here’s an interesting little factoid: when I was reading about kalanchoes, they were described as “short-day” plants. What does that mean? Certain plants, like the kalanchoe, bloom according to the amount of light they have. If they have less light, that is what gets their plant juices going to start blooming. That’s why they’re such a favorite for a winter plant!
To propagate this plant, we can either tuck a leaf into moist soil, or pinch off the little plantlets that grow at the stem junctions. We would treat them as we do any slip, making sure they stay moist, and away they go!
Wouldn’t a collection of kalanchoes make a beautiful succulent bowl for our patios or decks?
Succulent bowls are beautiful, not the traditional type of planter, but lovely and interesting because of their amazing textures. I’m always in favor of trying something new in our yards or gardens, at least one new thing. Maybe a succulent bowl will be the new thing this year!
I like the idea of them because we can create a mini-landscape with interesting rocks or ornaments.
If you are planning to be in Saskatoon in the coming weeks, remember that Gardenscape is at Prairieland Park from March 27 – 29. And then, later on, Hort Week at the U of S happens from May 2 – 10. Visit [email protected] for more details.
Be sure to visit the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society at www.yorktonhort.ca and have a great week!
