Tag Archives: sanseviera

Snake Plant on the Shovel Again

Posted on by rhondacarrier

SansevieraI found the snake plants (Sansevieria) clustered in the back corner of the yard when we moved in last summer. (see photo above) since then I have moved them to various locations in the yard to find the perfect spot for them. (see Sansevieria and Sansevieria Shuffle) Today, I moved most of them again. They are almost where they started, although away from the power line.

At a Master Gardener meeting last week, they emphasized a few plants, including snake plant, that cause problems and were not Florida-Friendly in landscapes. They said it is invasive and can potentially crowd out other plants. I had not seen this happening, so I was skeptical. When I got home from the meeting, I took a look, and discovered that I had a problem.

Sanseviera shoot The new microirrigation system winds through the corner where the snake plants were growing. All along the drip line, small shoots were peeking out of the mulch. The microirrigation system has been in place for just over two weeks, so this is fast growth from plants that haven’t sent up shoots since I first moved them last October. Nothing like a little water to stimulate growth! I could see that if I left them to grow, that they would take over the flower bed.

Today I got out the shovel, dug up most of them and moved them again. I left a few at the back of the flower bed figuring I will keep on eye on them and will pull them out as needed. The others are back in a corner where there are no plants to crowd out and where there is no microirrigation system. They were surviving on rainwater when I found them, so I imagine they can again.

Note: Snake plant and sansevieria are two commonly searched for terms that land new people on this blog, so there is interest in growing the plant. It is an easy to grow the plant in containers, and it is reported to be a good plant for removing pollutants from the air of homes.  See this IFAS Snake Plants in the Garden article for more detailed information about growing the plant. (Mother-in-law tongue is another common name for the plant.)

Sanseviera Shuffle

Posted on by rhondacarrier

IMG_0650In an earlier post about Sanseviera, I said I divided and transplanted a cluster of the plants from the backyard to various locations in the front yard. (see photo) Snake plant, as it is often called, is an easy-to-care for touch-of-green for a tall, narrow spot in the house and is one of my favorite plants to use. I’ve discovered it isn’t my favorite outdoor plant, however, at least not for my current location in Florida (Zone 9B). The plants withstood the frequent temperature dips below freezing, but by the end of the winter, the leaves were tattered and unattractive.

I dug them up today and moved them to an area in back that will be more sheltered from the winds next winter. They aren’t where they were when I first found them, but they are now tucked behind other shorter plants to create a nice back-drop. When I dug them up today, I discovered that they were developing new shoots, so they were suited to where they were growing. Hopefully, they’ll do as well in the backyard and will continue to spread but without looking as shabby in a year.

Sanseviera mini forest

Posted on by rhondacarrier

Sanseviera and Banyon

We visited the Ringling Brothers museum today in Sarasota, FL. The circus museum, especially the miniature version, is fascinating. The art museum is blow-me-away beautiful. The home is elegant. The garden is lovely. Today, I realized that there was a mini-forest of snake plant, Sanseviera, in a section of banyon trees near the art museum. I think it will be a few years before my few Sanseviera will number this many, but I have high hopes. I’m missing the backdrop of banyan trees in my yard, though, so I’m not sure my Sanserviera will ever look quite this dramatic.

Sanseviera

Posted on by rhondacarrier

This cluster of snake-plant (Sanseviera) huddled against a fence in the back of our lot when we moved in last summer. I dug them up, divided them and distributed them to other sections of the garden. October wasn’t the best month to transplant them since the weather was still very hot and humid, but they seem to have survived. The January freeze damaged some of the leaves, but new shoots are emerging from the soil. Some are in the backyard and shaded by trees, others are in full sun on the east side of the house. I’m hoping to have healthy growing clusters in both areas by the end of the summer, but I’ll see in which environment they thrive best.

When I first saw them, I had called them “mother-in-law tongue” but have since discovered that the “mother-in-law tongues” have a yellow edge on the leaves which the snake-plant lacks. Both are easy-to-grow as potted plants, growing best in sandy soils. The caution is not to over-water them and to divide them into new pots when necessary due to rapid growth.