Marniers Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe marnieriana)

A winter blooming succulent with blue-green leaves and salmon-colored flowers

A Marnier’s Kalachoe in bloom in the succulent garden at Sage’s Acre

Among the dozens of succulents here at the Acre, Marnier’s Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe marnieriana) has to be one of my favorites. Often mistakenly called “Mariner’s” Kalanchoe, it’s named for the French botanist and explorer, Julien Marnier-Lapostolle.

Not only is this plant drought-tolerant and an interesting plant in the landscape, but it’s also one of the few succulents that grows just fine in shady spots and has some of the showier flowers among succulents.

Marnier’s Kalanchoe Growth Characteristics

This plant is a shrub that grows around 18 inches tall and 3 feet wide. Long, thin stems grow off the main body of the plant with round, blue-green leaves that grow facing each other like the pages of a partially open book.

A young Mariner’s Kalanchoe with leaves

Native to the rocky portions of northeastern Madagascar, the plant is cold hardy down to about 25° F, so it grows well outdoors here in USDA zone 9. It’s also one of the few succulents that will grow in shady conditions, so it’s more versatile in the landscape than most other members of the succulent family.

From late fall through winter it produces long red stalks on which a group of salmon-pink to red flowers will dangle like chandeliers.

A mature Marnier’s Kalachoe blooming in January

Marnier’s Kalanchoe is also easy to grow as an indoor houseplant. As long as it gets a few hours of sun (either direct or indirect) each day it’ll be perfectly happy wherever you place it.

Plant Care

Like all succulents, Marnier’s Kalanchoe is very low maintenance. It has no specific soil requirements other than it drains well, and it requires very little water. I water them every couple of weeks when the soil is bone dry. In the winter, the ones outside aren’t watered at all.

Additionally, the plant produces air roots to help pull water from the air, so if you live in a humid environment, you may not need to water it ever. I had a couple of stems from a plant that broke off behind the rocks around the pond when I was moving it and the occasional drops from the waterfall were more than enough to let both plants grow even thought they were simply laying on dry rocks.

Tip: If your Kalanchoe starts dropping leaves, or the plant looks limp, you’re over watering it. Let it go completely dry for a week or more and it will recover.

Marnier’s Kalanchoe Propagation

Kalachoe cutting for propagation (air roots are red)

If your climate is suitable for growing Kalanchoe outdoors, be aware that this plant reproduces so easily that you may end up lots of volunteers spreading themselves out and taking over. (There’s another member of the Kalanchoe family – Kalanchoe daigremontiana – so prolific it’s called “mother of thousands”.)

Fortunately, Marnier’s Kalanchoe roots are very shallow (or on the surface), so pups are easy enough to remove (give them to a friend).

Summary

All-in-all, Marnier’s Kalanchoe is super easy to grow indoors or out and has a unique color and leaf form that makes it a standout in the garden. I like to grow it next to Aeonium Haworthia var. “Kiwi”, which has similar requirements, but grows lower and offers a nice contrast to the color and shape of Marnier’s Kalanchoe.

Aeonium Haworthia (front) with Marniers Kalachoe (back)

Just remember not to water it too much (or at all), and you’ll be rewarded with a very attractive, low maintenance plant you’ll enjoy for years.