Question
Hi,
I received a beautiful wooden box (with picture frames) & a garden of 5 different house plants directly inside it for Mother's Day today. I absolutely love it but being a plant lover, worry about whether each plant has the same watering & light needs. There is a kalanchoe, a dragon tree, an english ivy & 2 that I haven't figured out the ID's of. Should I seperate them all & how soon....I know that you're not supposed to repot soon after relocating a new plant but I cant imagine they'll all stay healthy too long like this. I have never separated any plant before let alone 5 different ones. How do I do this without hurting any of their roots & being sure that I dont cross any of their roots into the wrong pot? I've read that kalanchoes do best in clay pots....true or no? Any advice on preserving these beautiful gifts will be most appreciated. Thank you, Pam

Answer
The Dragon Tree, aka the Sapphire Dragon Tree ('Pawlonia kawakamii' to botanists), is a traditional Chinese symbol of good luck.  Writes the Paulownia Tree Company on its website
(http://www.dragontrees.com/dragonhi.html), 'In Japan when a girl child is born they plant a Paulownia tree for her and when she marries they build her wedding chest from the tree.'  In Taiwan, where this plant comes from, the climate is highly humid and balmy year-round, plus there is a LOT of rain.  You're right to 'worry about whether each plant has the same watering and light needs'; the demands of the Dragon Tree are completely different from the Kalanchoa, Ivy, possibly from the 2 mystery plants.  If you live someplace warm, you can plant it in your yard -- but it is destined to become an awkwardly shaped, leggy specimen without annual pruning, and you will still have to meet its high-maintenance water needs.  Growing it as an indoor plant, you might succeed, provided you can make it rain a lot.  Remember this is a very fast grower.

Kalanchoes, by contrast ('Kalanchoe blossfeldiana' to botanists), are easy to grow and will absolutely love growing in a Clay Pot -- because Clay breathes and allows more air to reach the delicate roots.  The roots do not like company -- so transplanting as soon as possible is not a bad idea.  These also grow VERY slowly.  Kalanchoes need bright light but not direct sun.

English Ivy is hardy.  You can plant it outside and it will cover your house in a few years.  Maybe not such a good idea.  Keep this one potted.  Biggest mistake people make with Ivy: Overwatering.  This needs a LOT less moisture than a Dragon Tree; it needs to dry out at the roots same as Kalanchoae.

About transplanting: When separating roots, just be as careful as you can.  The roots will loosely pull apart.  Don't shake the soil off -- keep as much as you can.  You are going to do damage no matter what; keep as much of the rootball as you can to retain all the root fibers and keep the root as intact as possible.  Monitor closely for the next few days after transplant and keep ALL these plants out of direct sun.

Try to get the other plants ID'd at a local florist.  I'm sure they will be happy to assist you with your Mother's Day Plant.  They may even give you cultural advice.  Just be sure to check with me before you do anything.

Keep me posted.  Any more questions, I'm here.