A world traveller in your own back garden
The name Kalanchoe is a Latin derivative of the Chinese word 'Kalan Chau'. The Kalanchoe grew there on the steppes in the wild, as well as in Madagascar and in South Africa. The Kalanchoe belongs to the Crassulaceae family. These are Succulents; this means that the plants have fleshy leaves or stems, usually with moisture containing thick leaves; hence Succulents. The Crassulaceae family is very large, there are many varieties and forms of which the best-known varieties are the multicoloured Kalanchoe blossfeldiana hybrids. The wild plant was brought to Paris, where it gained much attention.
So small, so cute, so colourful. It also attracted the attention of the German seed merchant Dr Robert Blossfeld, who already saw all of its great commercial opportunities then. In 1932 he introduced the Kalanchoe ‘Blossfeldiana' as an indoor plant but it would still take half a century before the plant broke through internationally. This was mainly due to the efforts of American, German, Danish and Dutch horticulturalists. Now Dutch growers and traders offer a broad range for indoor and outdoor use, with plenty of choice at your Garden Centre, at the market and from your florist.
Single-flowering
The single flowering Kalanchoe is the original variety, with one single row of flower petals. The colours can be combined, but a large display of one colour also looks gorgeous. For a contemporary look, use glass jars, coloured bowls or concrete-look pots. Do you have more classical taste? Take a look at our inspiring examples.
Multi & Large flowering
Multi-or rose floral
The flowers of these Kalanchoes have multiple layers of petals. This kind also has large-flowered varieties.
Kalanchoe Garden
Almost all Kalanchoes do very well inside and outside. Outside, they can flower more prolifically than inside. A Kalanchoe for outside, on the balcony or terrace, in a container or on the patio, is supplied as a Patio Kalanchoe, although this is not a separate species. Supplied: April to September.
Specials
Bells
This newly developed design species has little light green lantern like ‘air cushions’ at the end of the flower stems. There are also Bells with orange-red and pink flowers; these can also cope well with being outside. Bells are soothing and intriguing, in short, a plant you can enjoy for a long time! Supplied all year round in small numbers.
Leaves
This is the Kalanchoe with great aesthetic value because of its nicely patterned leaves. This is an odd one out because it does not flower. Example: Kalanchoe Thyrsiflora or Kalanchoe Beharensis.
