Snake Plant aka Mother In Law’s Tongue ( Sanservieria trifasciata )
I planted these Mother-inlaw’s-tongues out into the yard late last summer. They show some minor damage from last weeks chill ( 28′ ) but survived. I did cover them during the cold spell.
Flowers are tiny, white and grow in bunches on long stems. The plants will grow 4′-5′ tall.
They prefer light shade. And you should go easy on the water, especially during the winter they are prone to rotting.
Occasionally you may find a leaf that is damaged. I just cut off the damaged part of the leaf and leave the rest. The rest of the leaf often will do quite well after trimming.
Propagate by division. Once these plants get too big, you can dig them up or take them out of the pot and divide them. Use a very sharp knife to slice the plant into sections giving each section a clump or more of leaves and as much roots as possible. Or you can just remove a leaf, cut it into 3″ sections and plant each section in soil - being sure to keep the top up and the bottom down same as it was growing. Keep the soil moist but not wet until you see new growth, then slowly taper back the watering until you are watering them only when dry. Replant them then.
These will fill in and form a thick, dense border in time. So if you are planting them, leave at least a foot between them for future growth.
These plants were once used for the purpose of making bow strings.
These guys are thriving. No problem with temperatures into the high 20sF, no problem with drought or shade.
I’ll be planting more of these come spring.
These are great border plants for shade gardens. They continue to spread but in tight clumps. Each clump has gotten thicker and a little taller.
The tallest group is about 2′ to 2.5′ tall. They receive dappled light all day. But that is enough to give the edges a nice yellow stripe.
These are planted under pine trees. Since the roots of these are shallow they are great for places where you can’t dig deep.
They are in regular soil, there isn’t clay in this area. They did not mind this summer’s heat or dry conditions.