The Christmas kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) is a traditional Christmas plant, cultivated for over 100 years as a florist’s plant for the festive season. A succulent plant native to Madagascar, it produces fleshy, wax-like leaves with crenellated margins. The leaves are dark green, sometimes edged with red when the plant receives full sun. The most striking feature of the kalanchoe, however, is its flowering: in early winter, each plant is topped with a mass of bright red flowers with 4 fleshy petals. The bloom is very long-lasting, lasting for 3 months or more. As the plant adapts well to indoor conditions, it makes an excellent houseplant.
For generations, the Christmas kalanchoe came in just one color: bright red. Then, in the 1980s, Dutch growers hybridized to develop varieties in other colors: orange, pink, purple, white and so on. Another innovation was to extend the selling season throughout the year. Christmas kalanchoe” became ‘kalanchoe’ for short, because you were just as likely to find it in stores at Easter, Midsummer or Thanksgiving as at Christmas. All these colors are now available in garden centers year-round.
The Birth of Calandiva®
For more than 100 years of cultivation, all kalanchoes had simple, 4-petaled flowers. Then, one day, a Swedish grower reported to his supplier that he had found a curious kalanchoe in a batch of 1,000 plants of the purple-flowered cultivar ‘Bromo’. Instead of the normal 4 petals, this mutation had 32 petals, forming a small rose. This novelty earned itself the name ‘Leonardo’ and was the parent of numerous crosses, culminating in 2002 in the launch of a series, Calandiva®, which now includes 13 colors, different shades of red, pink, orange, purple and white. Each of the 13 was renamed with a trade name. So the original double kalanchoe, ‘Leonardo’, is sold as Calandiva® Purple. And you have Calandiva® Cerise Pink, Calandiva® Orange, Calandiva® Soft Yellow, etc.
In 2012, the Grandiva® sub-line was launched, featuring decorative kalanchoes with large flowers, each flower measuring at least 2 cm in diameter. Then, in 2015, the Calanday® brand introduced single-flowered kalanchoes with bright colors and slightly larger flowers, accompanied by variants such as Calanday® Outdoor for outdoor use and Calanday® Sublime for unique hues. In 2019, to simplify the offering and strengthen the brand’s identity, all these sub-lines have been grouped together under the single name of Calandiva®, which now represents a complete collection of kalanchoes, whether double, single or special flowers.
Keeping Flowers Blooming
Calandiva® kalanchoes are available all year round, not just at Christmas. They are sold as compact plants, forming a dense rosette whose center is completely hidden by the flowers.
The good news is that this flowering is naturally very long-lasting. You can expect a minimum of 3 months’ flowering, perhaps 4 or even 5, with only minimal care. After all, the kalanchoe is a succulent plant, accustomed to misery: it doesn’t need much care to stay alive. When the soil dries out, just water it. That’s all there is to it! All lighting conditions are suitable, from full sun to total shade. And if you heat your home to between 16 and 27°C (61 and 81°F), it’s perfect for the Calandiva® kalanchoe.
After flowering, compost it… or at least, that’s what the suppliers hope you’ll do. Wouldn’t it be tragic if people started keeping their Calandiva® kalanchoes from one year to the next rather than buying new ones?
Reblooming a Calandiva® Kalanchoe
You can do whatever you like with a Calandiva® kalanchoe while it’s in bloom, but afterwards, if you want to make it bloom again, you’ll need to put it to heel. Cut off the dried flowers and place it in front of a well-lit window. Continue to water abundantly when the soil is dry, but add a pinch of fertilizer from time to time. Pinch back any stems that become too tall (the compact shape of Calandiva® kalanchoes when you buy them is not their normal growth habit, but the result of treating them with growth hormones; at home, they’ll be taller). In summer, you can even acclimatize your plants to outdoor conditions and let them stay in full sun as long as you bring them in at the end of August.
Change of regime in September. No more pinching, no more fertilizing, and above all, put the plant in a room without evening light. Because it’s the short days that stimulate this plant to flower. In an unlit room, the length of the day will naturally be less than 12 hours per day from September 22nd onwards. Flowering will naturally begin in late November or early December.
Of course, you can repeat this treatment every year.
A Misleading Label
Calandiva® kalanchoe labels often state that it is illegal to propagate this plant. This is what the supplier would have you believe, but in fact, this prohibition on propagating the plant only applies to professionals who wish to propagate it for resale. If you feel like it, you can take Calandiva® kalanchoe cuttings whenever you like… at least, as long as you don’t sell it at a flea market!
Good luck with the diva of houseplants: Calandiva® kalanchoe!
Larry Hodgson published thousands of articles and 65 books over the course of his career, in both French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. This text was originally published in Le Soleil on December 11, 2006.
Thank you very much! I didn’t know about this plant! Merry Christmas to everyone!