Copper Spoons Kalanchoe

Copper Spoons Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe orgyalis) is a sculptural succulent grown for felted, spoon shaped leaves that emerge cinnamon copper and slowly age to pewter silver. It builds into an upright plant around 1.2m tall and 80cm wide over many years, so it keeps its shape in a pot or rockery without constant attention. For a hot, dry corner that needs one plant with real presence, this is the one to reach for.

Why you'll love it

• Two tone foliage all year. New leaves wear a copper felt on top with silver beneath, and the mix of fresh and aged growth carries the display all year.
• Slow and tidy. Growth is measured in centimetres a year, not metres, so it never swamps the bowl, pot or rockery pocket you chose it for.
• Very low care. An occasional deep drink in summer and a dry rest in winter cover most of its needs.
• Handles brutal sites. Drought, heat and salty coastal wind are all within its comfort zone.
• Flowers as a bonus. Mature plants can carry sprays of small yellow flowers, a quiet extra on top of the foliage display.

Where it works best

Pots and containers. A wide bowl or squat pot shows off the leaf shape, and repotting becomes a job for every few years, not every spring. It suits sunny balconies and courtyards.

Rockeries and dry beds. Among stone and gravel mulch the metallic tones read beautifully beside other succulents.

Indoors. It will live inside if it sits hard against your brightest window. Soft light produces soft, stretched growth.

Growing Copper Spoons Kalanchoe in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun builds the densest felt and the strongest colour. Outdoors it suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and arid gardens. It is frost tender, so in cool temperate and frost prone inland areas grow it in a pot and shift it under cover for winter.

Soil. Free drainage is not negotiable. Use a quality succulent mix in pots, or open garden soil with coarse sand worked through. On clay, plant into a raised bed or mound.

Water and feed. Soak deeply, then let the mix dry right out: every two to three weeks in summer is usually plenty, monthly or less in winter. A half strength succulent fertiliser once in spring is all the feeding it needs.

Pruning. Barely any. Pull spent lower leaves away as they wither, and tip prune a leggy stem in spring if you want a bushier plant.

What to expect when it arrives

Copper Spoons is sold as established plants in 140mm pots, supplied as a pack of ten. That quantity is deliberate: it plants out a full rockery bank, a run of matched bowls or a long dry border in one order. Succulents are excellent travellers, since the thick leaves carry their own water reserve.

Unpack promptly, sit the plants somewhere bright and airy, and hold off watering for the first week. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every order is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full succulent range
• More plants for rockeries and dry beds
• Drought tolerant plants for waterwise gardens
• Pots and planters with proper drainage

Common questions

Is Copper Spoons Kalanchoe safe around pets?

No. Like other kalanchoes it contains compounds that are toxic to cats and dogs if chewed. Keep it up out of reach, and speak to your vet if a pet does eat any.

How fast does it grow?

Slowly. Expect gradual thickening rather than quick height, with the mature 1.2m taking many years. That pace is exactly what makes it so reliable in a pot.

Why are the copper leaves turning silver?

That is the normal life of each leaf. The felt starts copper and matures to silver grey, so a healthy plant always carries both tones at once.

Can I grow it indoors permanently?

Yes, provided it sits at your brightest window. If new growth stretches and the copper tone washes out, it needs more light; a season outside restores it.