Kalanchoes are popular succulent houseplants with long-lasting blooms. Perhaps you’ve seen one but never brought it home. I want to encourage you to do that because they’re easy to grow and bloom for quite a long time. Here’s how to care for flowering kalanchoes and get them to bloom again.
Like most succulents, these are low-maintenance plants. This popular flowering succulent houseplant is very easy to find. It’s sold in grocery stores, nurseries, big box stores, garden shops, and flower shops.
They’re grown in a wide range of colors; most of them are vibrant hues like yellow, pink, magenta, orange, and red. No shrinking violets here! Around the holidays, you can more readily find them in white. The foliage makes a statement, too, because it’s glossy green, and the leaves are quite large.
Plants With Waxy Leaves and Small Pink Flowers A Guide to Caring for These Charming Houseplants
There’s something irresistibly charming about houseplants with waxy leaves and small pink flowers. The unique foliage and delicate blooms add visual interest to indoor spaces and bring the beauty of nature inside. If you’re looking to add a refreshing pop of color and texture to your home decor, these plants are perfect candidates In this article, we’ll explore some of the most popular options and provide tips for successfully growing them as houseplants
What Causes the Waxy Leaf Coating?
First, let’s look at why these plants have a waxy cuticle covering their leaves in the first place. The waxy coating is comprised of a hydrophobic substance called cutin that is secreted naturally by the plant. It serves several important biological functions:
-
Prevents moisture loss and protects against desiccation
-
Provides defense against pests and pathogens
-
Reflects sunlight to avoid overheating
-
Gives leaves a glossy, polished appearance
Plants native to hot, arid environments often develop waxy leaves as an evolutionary adaptation to retain precious water. Some classic examples include jade plant, hoya, desert rose, and kalanchoe.
10 Beautiful Choices for Indoor Gardening
If you’re ready to add one of these special waxy-leaved plants to your indoor garden, here are 10 eye-catching varieties that also produce delicate pink blooms:
-
Kalanchoe – This popular succulent has thick, scalloped leaves and clusters of tiny pink, orange, or yellow flowers. It’s a flowering carefree houseplant.
-
Hoya kerrii – The “Sweetheart Hoya” has round succulent leaves and displays pretty umbels of pink and white blooms.
-
Echeveria – Ruffled rosettes in pink, purple, and green hues bloom with bell-shaped pink flowers.
-
Aeschynanthus – The “Lipstick Plant” offers vivid pink tubular blooms against dark foliage.
-
African violet – A classic flowering houseplant with fuzzy green leaves and purple, pink, or white blooms.
-
Moth orchid- Elegant orchids produce tall spikes covered in delicate pink blooms.
-
Begonia – Showy blossoms and fanciful foliage make begonias a stunning choice.
-
Angel wing begonia – Dramatic, spear-shaped leaves contrast beautifully with dangling pink flowers.
-
Lipstick plant – Vibrant red foliage and tubular crimson flowers create drama.
-
Goldfish plant – Trailing cherry-red and green leaves complement charming pink blooms.
Caring for Your Waxy-Leaved Treasures
To keep your waxy-leaved plants looking their best while producing plenty of pretty blooms, there are some key care tips to know:
Light – Bright, indirect sunlight is ideal for most varieties. Insufficient light leads to fewer flowers.
Water – Allow soil to dry out between waterings to prevent soggy roots. The waxy coating helps retain moisture, so these plants are prone to overwatering.
Humidity – Mist leaves and use pebble trays to provide additional humidity, especially in dry indoor environments.
Soil – A well-draining potting mix prevents wet roots. Add perlite for improved drainage.
Fertilizer – Use a balanced houseplant fertilizer at half-strength during spring and summer for healthy growth.
Pruning – Trim back leggy growth and prune off spent blooms to encourage reblooming.
With the right care focused on ample sunlight, proper watering, and humidity, these charming plants can thrive indoors for years to come. The eye-catching waxy leaves and delicate pink blooms will add welcome color and interest to your living spaces.
Creative Ways to Showcase These Beauties
Looking for inspiration on how to highlight these special houseplants? Here are some fun ideas for displaying them around your home:
-
Create a kalanchoe centerpiece for your coffee table or kitchen island. The sculptural succulent foliage and pops of pink flowers command attention.
-
Let trailing lipstick plant or angel wing begonia spill out of a hanging basket. The cascading vines look beautiful suspended in the air.
-
Place a pot of blooming echeveria or African violet on your bathroom windowsill to complement your towels and accessories.
-
Cluster a mix of potted orchids, begonias, and hoyas on a bright shelving unit or plant stand to create an indoor garden focal point.
-
Add a pink flowering kalanchoe to your desk or workstation to brighten your day while working from home.
-
Feature a moth orchid’s tall blooming stems in a unique vase on your entryway table or console.
Let your creativity run wild when showcasing these special plants. Their colors and forms make them natural standouts wherever featured in your home.
Outdoor Gardening Possibilities
While we’ve focused on growing varieties with waxy leaves and pink blooms as houseplants, many of these plants also thrive outdoors in the right climate conditions. Explore using them in your outdoor garden spaces:
-
Incorporate kalanchoe and echeveria into succulent gardens and rockeries. They complement cacti and sedums nicely.
-
Plant angel wing begonias and trailing lipstick plants in hanging baskets on porches or patios.
-
Use moth orchids, African violets, and begonias in shady planting beds and woodland gardens.
-
Add a potted blooming hoya to your front entryway or back deck for a pop of color.
-
Mass adrift of kalanchoes and begonias along a walkway or flower border for visual impact.
With proper overwintering care, many of these plants can transition nicely between indoor and outdoor spaces, giving you year-round enjoyment.
In closing, houseplants with waxy leaves and cute pink flowers are sure to satisfy both your craving for unique indoor greenery and blossoming botanicals. Now that you’re armed with plant care tips and display ideas, it’s time to pick your favorites and add a splash of charm to your home decor!
How to Water Flowering Kalanchoes
These plants are succulents with fleshy leaves and stems (which store water), so you don’t want to keep them constantly wet. They need good drainage so the excess water can readily flow out.
Water yours, let all the water drain out, and then water again when the mix is dry. That might mean you water yours in a 6″ pot every two weeks. The frequency will vary depending on your temperatures, light situation, and the pot size/soil mix your Kalanchoes are in.
I water mine a bit more often when it’s flowering, and I water less often in the winter months.
They do best in pots with drainage holes. If your Kalanchoe comes wrapped in a pot cover, usually foil, or in a decorative pot with no drain hole, remove the plant when you water it. You don’t want water building up in the foil or a saucer because that will lead to root rot.
This could be a problem: Kalanchoes are subject to powdery mildew if kept too wet. The foliage is very dense and fleshy, so you don’t want to mist or spray this plant regularly.
I use a granular or liquid fertilizer. If you have a balanced organic houseplant fertilizer, you can use it in spring and summer if you think your plant needs it.
I use the same fertilizers for my kalanchoes as I do for my other houseplants. We have a long growing season here in Tucson, so I feed them once a month from the end of February through mid-November.
You don’t want to fertilize houseplants in late fall or winter because that’s their time for rest and they don’t need it.
Don’t over-fertilize your Kalanchoes. Salts build up and can burn the plant’s roots, causing brown spots on the leaves. Avoid fertilizing a stressed houseplant, one that is bone dry or soaking wet.
RELATED: Here’s my updated routine for fertilizing indoor plants.
Normal home temperatures are fine. As with any flowering plant, the hotter your home is, the faster the flowers will open up and the shorter the bloom period.
Regarding humidity, Kalanchoes are succulents and can handle the dry air in our homes just fine.
The foliage is so big and dense that I often remove some of it. The flower buds can be hidden beneath the leaves, so I prune out a few of them so that the flowers show more.
I grew many different types of kalanchoe plants in my Santa Barbara garden. There are over 200 species worldwide. Many of them tend to get leggy over time. You need to pinch them down after flowering to keep them fuller. Mine, as seen in the second photo below, has gotten wild. After flowering has stopped, I’m pruning it back by half.
Many Succulents Grow Long Stems and Kalanchoes aren’t an exception. When you buy one, it’s an upright plant. Many people toss them (or compost them) & get a new plant instead of keeping them for the long haul. This is what the same plant looks like 14 months later. Yes, it’s starting to flower again, but my, how leggy it’s gotten. After the blooming is over, it’s time for pinching and pruning!
You can propagate Kalanchoes by seed, division, leaf cuttings, or stem cuttings. I’ve never done it by seed, but that method takes the longest.
Division can be done easily if you divide the plant into two or three separate ones. Some have multiple plants in one pot, so it won’t be hard at all to divide them.
I’ve taken stem cuttings, about 4-5″ long, with the bottom leaves and a few leaves removed, and then healed them off (dry over at the ends) for a week or so. I planted them in succulent and cactus mix, and they started to root in about three weeks. Be sure not to mist the foliage while they’re rooting.
Both these methods are best done in spring, summer, or early fall. Avoid propagating a plant while it’s flowering.
Succulent plants need to be in well-draining soil. When I repot my kalanchoes, I use half succulent and cactus mix and half potting soil. I also mix in a handful of compost/worm compost blend and sprinkle the top with a layer of that. You can use regular potting soil, but keeping it on the dry side is trickier, so I don’t recommend it.
Repotting is best done in spring, summer, and early fall like fertilizing and pruning.
Here’s a guide to repotting succulents you’ll find helpful.
I can’t remember my flowering kalanchoes ever getting any. They’re subject to aphids andmealybugs, so keep your eyes open for those critters. Spider mites could also be an issue. If you click the links, you’ll see what they look like and what can be done.
Catch them before they multiply. Houseplant pests can be hard to get a handle on if not controlled from the get-go.
According to the ASPCA website, Kalanchoes are toxic to dogs and cats. You can check their website for more info on this subject and see in what way the plant is toxic. My kitty Tazzy has no interest in this plant and would much rather munch on a crunchy Spider Plant instead (that one is non-toxic, by the way).
Here’s are posts on pet-friendly houseplants as well as a video on 10 cat-friendly indoor plants.
How to Care for Flowering Kalanchoes
These care tips are for keeping your indoor Kalanchoe going for the long haul. I had one for five years until it got too leggy, and I had to send it to the compost pile.
Calandiva and Grandiva are relatively newer cultivars (or varieties) with multi-petals that resemble roses now commonly sold in nurseries, Trader Joe’s, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. The Grandiva flowers are even bigger. Here is a guide dedicated to Calandiva Care.
Kalanchoes sold in 6″ grow pots usually stand about 12″ tall. They’re also sold in 4″ pots and 2″ pots to go into dish gardens.
Flowering Kalanchoes like bright, indirect light. A medium or high-light situation is best, provided they’re not getting direct sunlight. Be sure to keep them out of hot windows because they’ll burn.
The more light you give your Kalanchoe, the better it’ll look. In low light conditions, the flower buds tend not to open, and the foliage gets spindly. If you have low light and want a Kalanchoe, buy it in full bloom.
Yours would enjoy spending the summer outdoors just as long as it’s protected from the hot afternoon sun and excess rain. I live in the Arizona desert where I grow my Kalanchoes both indoors and out. I keep mine on the patio out of the sun completely because the rays are so strong, and the sun shines almost daily. They’d fry in full sun in a few minutes here in summer!
You might find this helpful: how much sun do succulents need.
33 Pink Flowering Bushes for Garden | Pink Flowering Plants | Plant and Planting
FAQ
What houseplant has waxy leaves and pink flowers?
Pink Flowered Wax Plant (Hoya davidcummingii) Clusters of fragrant rose-red blooms with yellow centers and a modest growth habit make this rare vining plant perfect for the windowsill. The dark green lance-shaped leaves and wiry stems of Pink Flowered Wax Plant are perfect for hanging baskets.
What is a waxy plant with small flowers?
Hoya (Hoya spp.) If you’re looking for an exotic indoor plant that’s very easy to grow, take a look at hoya (also sometimes called wax plant). This unique houseplant is a vine (but don’t worry; it’s not a fast-growing one!) that has thick, waxy leaves and clusters of star-shaped waxy flowers.
How do you take care of a pink kalanchoe?
Place kalanchoe in a warm indoor location with bright, indirect light. or place it in a full sun outdoor location that has protection from late afternoon sun. Allow kalanchoe plants to dry out completely between waterings.