Kalanchoe Marmorata Red Alert

The Kalanchoe Marmorata seems to have taken off with a bang this Spring.  This is its first Spring in my yard, and I never expected it to grow this much.  I still don't know where I'm going to place this plant, and in the meantime it just keeps on growing.

From the last post where I had to add more support to it, the plant has completely overpowered the bamboo stick and I have now had to place two sticks.  I didn't want to tie the plant to them so I put two sticks on either end and let the plant rest between them.  Then I tied the two sticks together instead so they don't move as much.

Kalanchoe Marmorata resting on a stick

Kalanchoe more support!

It's not exactly a comfortable living situation for the plant.  It has continued to sprout roots from the stems and I almost feel sorry for it stuck in that pot.  I am still surprised at the way this plant is growing.  I have done some research online, and all the plants I've seen all seem to grow in little clumps close to the ground. 

Maybe that's what it's trying to do.  It's possible that the stems should be in the soil and rooted down.  If that's the case it must be completely out of its element in that position.  I need to find a better place for it fast.

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Plumbago Flowers Return for Spring

First Blooms

For the third year, my yard is once again spotted with lovely purple flowers as the Plumbago returns for Spring.  I never tire to look at these flowers.  The plant is now growing nicely, it has already grown considerably since the pruning last Autumn.  After three years I am still not sure what to do with this plant.  

The stems seem to grow every which way, and so far I have simply cut them off.  I would love to try to train it to go up a trellis against the wall in my yard.  The wall is only one storey high, so it shouldn't be a big problem setting it up.  I wouldn't have a clue how to go about this though.  I suspect I would need to put it in a bigger pot for it to grow higher, or wider ...

The issue with this plant is that it needs more sunlight in the winter and the yard is not sufficient.  I couldn't move the plant if it's fixed to the wall.  The plant also sheds all its leaves in Winter, so not much to look at then.  In Spring and Summer though its lovely.  Who knows, I might even attract some butterflies from the garden next door :)

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Jade Gets A New Home

Last Saturday I planned to repot the Jade plant as soon as it needed watering, admittedly I didn't think it would be so soon.  Today, Wednesday, it was as dry as a bone so I decided it was time.

Here is the Jade plant in its new home:

The pot is not as fancy as the previous one, I had to make do with what I found, it is however, deeper than the previous one, and only slightly wider.  When I removed the plant from the pot there were no roots showing at the sides of the soil, only at the bottom where they jutted out.  This leads me to believe that the roots of this plant go deep rather than spread out, which is why I chose this particular pot.

It might not be the best time of year to be repotting plants, but I couldn't leave it like this all spring and summer.  Then again maybe it is, since it's growing time, I'm not sure yet.  The Jade will have more room to stretch its legs now, hope it settles in nicely.

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The Jade Plant, A Spring Surprise

Last October I got another cutting from my dad's garden.  I never mentioned it in this blog because I thought it was a gonner from the start.  I got a Jade plant.

I read that the Jade plant is very sensitive to its growing conditions and doesn't like to be moved about from condition to the next.  The plant was in full sun in my dad's garden so I thought it will certainly struggle in my shady yard.  

I placed it in a container on a window shelf in the living room where it got full sunlight all day long. Apparently the Jade plant will go into shock once moved, and needs some time to adjust to its new surroundings.  The original plan was to introduce it to the yard slowly, but once again I forgot about it completely.  I watered it rarely, only when I noticed it was as dry as a bone.   This is the plant when I first got it.

Jade Plant October 2011

Jade Plant May 2012

Today I got a good look at it and saw a completely different plant!  As you can see from the first picture, the full sun didn't treat this plant very well.  The leaves are yellowish in colour, and the tips are too red from the sun exposure.  The plant is now a lovely green colour with slight red edges and I couldn't help thinking was a  beautiful plant it is.  It has also grown quite a lot over the past few months but I didn't notice this until today.

As always, it was once again parched so I took it out of the plastic container I placed underneath it and gave it a good watering.  This is what I found!

Jade needs a new home

The plant has not only flourished, but completely outgrown its pot.  Next week I will head down to the garden shop to get a new container for this plant, but for now it will stay in its spot on the windowsill.  I will not put this plant in the yard, seeing its tremendous progress I think it's happy right where it is.  It just needs a bigger home.

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Supporting The Kalanchoe Marmorata

This week I looked out at the succulent shelf I have in my yard and to my surprise (and horror), I found that the Kalanchoe Marmorata had almost completely fallen to one side.  Had it not been for the other pots on the shelf, I think it would have fallen over completely.  The plant has decided to branch sideways and what was a little cutting a few months ago has now become an oversized and heavy stalk.

Marmorata May 2012

The problem is that the pot does not seem to be too big for it but I need to find a solution for this plant if it is to keep growing.  As you can see from the picture below, there are roots coming out of the underside of the stalk.  I think this plant was meant to go into a larger patch of soil and 'trail' on the ground, spreading roots as it branches sideways, and producing another stalk of its own.

Marmorata New Roots

Unfortunately I placed it in a container, so there isn't much chance of that happening.  For the time being, I need to add more support for this plant.  As a quick measure, I removed the bamboo stick that was meant to be supporting it from the front of the plant, and placed it at the back.  The effect of this is that it is pulling it backwards preventing it from toppling over.

Here is the stick at the front of the plant

Here is the stick at the back pulling it up

As you can see from the first picture I also have a little baby Marmorata growing right next to the main stalk.  As usual, I think I have underestimated this plant big time.  The plant is going to stay in its place until I figure out a better living situation for it.  I would hate to give it away, because it's a beautiful plant.

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Flowers In The Wilderness

This weekend we spent a couple of days camping in the Maltese countryside.  Here are some pictures of wild flowers that we came across.

Capers growing in the wild

The lovely caper flower (Capparis Spinosa)

These flowers were infested with red mites

Lovely Iris - Apparently very good for your cough

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