Mother-of-thousands

An Orange Candelabra

| Flower Roberts

I grow both types of Mother-of-Thousands for their big, showy foliage and sweet, little leaflets along the leaf margins.

I do not bring all the parent plants inside for the winter. It is much easier to pull off leaflets to grow for next spring.

I just toss these in pots with other plants that I do haul inside. THE tiny plantlets get bigger over the winter. Then I repot the best ones in spring.

Sometimes I bring in a parent plant or two to watch it bloom. This is Kolanchoe laetivirens. It has grayish orange, bell-shaped blooms hanging down to form its lovely candelabra.

Kolanchoe laetivirens

Please note the leaves may be toxic to pets and children. Also, if you live where there are few freezes it can be invasive.

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Mother-of-Thousands? Not this Mama!

| Flower Roberts

I am so glad that I am NOT a Kalanchoe daigremontiana.

This plant reproduces both sexually, by flowers, and asexually.

The ends of its leaves are covered with tiny “plantlets” with needy, draping roots.

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Can you imagine trying to live with little”adultlets” hanging off of your arms?

Mother of thousands?  Two progeny has about done me in.

The Kalanchoe babies do eventually drop off, but to where?

The same pot, that’s where.

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So now,  Mama Kalanchoe has to share her soil and water with all those “independent” plantlets.

Talk about “Not far from the tree.”

Next time you are feeling overwhelmed by motherhood, consider yourself lucky not to be a Kalanchoe daigremontiana.

Think how it would be to drop little clones of yourself all around your house and yard.

Now, there’s my next nightmare!

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The “Old Woman in the Shoe” had it way easier than this mama.

Plantlets available…by the thousands.

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