Blooming Sans--I Won't Miss It This Time

The last time I wrote about one of my Sansevieria, it was because my Sansevieria francisii had flowered without my knowing it, and all I had left as evidence was a spent flower stalk and two seed pods.

My Sanseveria hargesiana also flowered earlier this year, and I missed that as well. It is not that I'm unobservant; I just have a few succulent plants tucked in out-of-the-way places. I don't check on them daily, or even weekly, since they don't need water all that often. It isn't the best cultural practice, but that's what happens sometimes when you're a crazy plant lady. A sane person would know that if you can't check on them easily, you probably have too many. Ah well, sanity is not all it is cracked up to be.

But I'm not going to miss the show this time. Look at what I spotted on my S. hargesiana earlier this week:

Sansevieria hargesiana flower stalk. The buds are not yet open, but they are getting close.

Picture of the whole plant, for reference. The leaves are a bit elongated, due to some time spent previously in a low light situation.

It has been months since I've been able to get a good picture of my cats with any of my plants. But when I put this plant on the floor in the hallway, so that I could photograph it, both of my little monsters had to check it out.

Luke checks the integrity of my potting mix (commercial mix amended with perlite and turface)...

while Peppermint checks to see if the planter is terra cotta or plastic. (It's terra cotta)

Having the cats in the pictures also gives a good idea of the size of this plant, which I've had for ten years or so. It's a big one.

Sansevieria Surprises

Sometime between last fall and now, my Sansevieria francisii flowered, and I missed it. This was probably because it was on a crowded table, hidden behind some other plants. I also missed watering it for a while, so it is also looking a little dehydrated. I do expect it to recover fully, and in the meantime, there are these:

The remnants of Sansevieria francisii flowers, (the thin white things hanging off the stalk) along with what looks like fruit/seed pods.

Close up of the seed pods

Previously posted picture of the whole plant, from 2009. Right now the small offset seen here is as big as the base plant from which it sprouted.

I have no idea if S. francisii is self-fertile, so I don't know if I'll get viable seeds. But I'm going to try to let the fruit ripen, and see what happens.

In other Sansevieria news, I have discovered that I have made something of a cultural faux-pas. So that others may learn from my mistake, here is some advice: Never, ever put a plant with a stiff cylindrical growth habit into a clay pot with a rigid inner lip. The irresistible force (growth) will meet the immovable object (pot lip).

Sansevieria cylindrica, with four new offsets growing all around the edge of the pot.

I am going to have to repot before the new growth is injured by the rim. That is what happened to the thin leaf seen pointing to the right in the photo. Even though I managed to direct the growth away from the pot lip, the leaves of that particular offset had a damaged tips which shriveled and had to be cut off.

Whole plant

I am very happy that it is producing so many offsets, though. It had been sitting there so long without doing any growing at all.

My Top Ten Plants of 2010

There have been lots of ups and downs among the leaves this year. I've embraced a whole new category of plants (Bromeliads) and all but given up on others (Hedera, Begonia.) At various times, I've battled fungus gnats, aphids, spider mites, mealy bug, scale and white flies. (Out of these, only the mealies prevailed: I had to throw away my Hoya multiflora because I just could not get rid of the damned things. Over the years, I have occasionally had plants succumb to scale or spider mites, but with diligence, I can usually get the upper hand with them. But I've never won a battle with mealies, ever.) I've dealt with sunburn, root rot, and naughty cats (apparently, Nolina recurvata looks like something good to nibble on.) But there have been a few plants that have done well, caused or attracted minimal trouble, and just made me consistently happy over the past year. Here, in alphabetical order, (because I couldn't make up my mind how to rank them otherwise) are my top ten favorite houseplants of 2010.

1. Aechmea fasciata: This is a plant I was once afraid to try. I was sure that once I got one home, the flowers would immediate fade, the inflorescence would shrivel, and the plant would die soon after. Instead, the little blue flowers lasted a good while, the pink inflorescence lasted for months, and not only is the mother plant still looking good, there is also a good sized offset.

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2. Aloe greenii x lineata: This made the list as a first time bloomer this year.

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3. Astrophytum capricorne: This is another first time bloomer. The flower was impressive, but I think my favorite thing about this plant is its crown of thorns. (Yes, I know cactus have spines, not thorns, but crown of spines doesn't have the same ring to it.)

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4. x Chamaelovibia 'Captain Jessop': I'm not 100% certain of the ID. What I am certain about is that this little cactus put on a hell of a show this year. It is only 2.5 inches tall, but it bloomed three times, each time with flowers bigger than the plant itself.

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5. Epiphyllum 'David W. Grant' : Cacti were a big hit with me this year, apparently. At any rate, after several years with no flowers whatever, my only Epi bloomed twice, once in May, then again in October. The plant itself is rather ugly, but the flowers are wonderful.

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6. Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Queen': This plant needs no special care, continues to grow like a weed, has beautiful leaves, and bloomed all summer long. It also inspired one of my favorite posts and accompanying photo series: Six out of Seven

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7. Mammillaria formosa subsp. microthele: Once again the ID is a bit tentative, but there is nothing tentative about my love for what will always be Mom's Plant

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8. Monstera deliciosa: Another perennial sentimental favorite, because I grew it from seed, and because it is awesome. It survived a scale infestation this year, and keeps on putting out big, beautiful leaves.

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9. Sansevieria hallii: A handsome, trouble-free plant that grows slowly, but steadily. This year's new leaf ended up being taller and thicker than all the others that came before it.

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10. Vriesea splendens: The plant that started my successful entry into the wonderful world of Bromeliads. It went seamlessly from blooming to pupping, and continues to grow larger. And I love the dark patterned foliage.

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Honorable mention: Aglaonema. I can't single out a particular plant or species. Every one of my Ags is doing well and remains trouble free.


I'm looking forward to the coming year of growing. I know there are going to be difficulties. But I know just as certainly that there will be delights.

Trying Again

In October 2009, in a post entitled Never Again List, I wrote the following:

"Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Hahnii' (any variety) I suppose it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. And I do love these, but from now on it will be from afar. It just hurts too much. Much more sensitive to watering issues than the taller S. trifasciatas. While overwatering will kill them quickly, moderate watering seems to kill them slowly. Every single one I’ve had has rotted, no matter how careful I am."

Well, apparently "never" has a new definition, i.e. "yesterday." Because that is when I purchased the plants pictured here:

Two Sansevieria trifasciata 'Golden Hahnii' plants to the left and another S. trifasciata dwarf variety to the right.

"From afar" apparently has a new definition as well. It means "a few feet from my desk," which is where these are now.

I was in the nursery to see if there were any nice fall bulbs on late-season sale. I had no plans to purchase any houseplants. But a crazy plant lady doesn't need plans or a motive. Just opportunity. These Sansevieria were too nice to pass up. I examined the roots. I examined the centers of each of the rosettes. I tugged gently on the leaves. All was well; no rot, no signs of overwatering or distress. It was warm outside yesterday, in the 60s Fahrenheit, so they didn't catch a chill going from greenhouse to car to home. In other words, if these plants do not succeed, I cannot blame it on the nursery, or the chill of November. It is all up to me.

Late Bloomers

Well, I totally let this month's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day (September 15) get by me. But in in the spirit of "better late than never" I'd like to share what's in flower, indoors and out, anyway.

I'm surprised that my Asclepias tuberosa is still blooming intermittently; last year it was done in mid-August, if I recall correctly.

Asclepias seed pods with a pair of Oncopeltus fasciatus, Large Milkweed Bug.

I was able to rejuvenate one of my Rudbeckia hirta plants by cutting off the spent blossoms, causing a bit of late-season back budding. In the background are some weedy wild Asters. I allow several these to stay in my garden because they make nice filler plants in the fall.

Clematis ternifolia or Sweet Autumn Clematis. Believe it or not, there is actually a trellis under that mound of flowers and foliage. I planted both Clematis 'Jackmanii' and the C. ternifolia at the base of my trellises, so I get two season of bloom, with the former flowering in June, and the latter in late August through September.

View with both trellises. The C. ternifolia vines actually trail across the Buddleia planted between them.

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, (aka Aster novae-angliae or New England Aster). This beautiful plant came up out of nowhere in my garden last year. I have never planted a New England Aster, as I almost never see them for sale around here. So I have no idea where it came from. The nurseries usually carry numerous cultivars of Symphyotrichum novi-belgii (New York Aster.)

Same plant, closer....

And closer still.

I'm still getting a few flowers on my Hibiscus moscheutos

It's life among the weeds in my backyard. This volunteer morning glory (Ipomoea species) came up a few feet from the planter box where I had grown morning glories last year.

Pelargonium behind my Sansevieria hallii. The new Sans leaf that emerged this spring (second from the right) is now the largest on the plant.

Crassula caput minima

Sansevieria ballyii, the only plant actually blooming inside right now

I will try to remember next month's Bloom Day, which coincides with the average first frost day around here, and hope that I will have something still blooming to share.

I'm Going to Miss Them

One of the things I really like about the northwest suburbs of Chicago is that it is a nursery-rich area. I greatly miss living in the New York metropolitan area, (it will always be Home) but I have to admit that when it comes to places to buy houseplants, suburban New York is somewhat lacking.

So one of the first things I did, once I became comfortable finding my way around on my own here in Illinois, was to check out the various nurseries in the outlying areas. In 2004, I discovered Geimer's Greenhouses, in Long Grove. I will never forget the first time I walked in. They had a nice selection of houseplants, but what really floored me was the array of cacti and succulents. I had never seen so many for sale in one place in my entire life. The variety was impressive as well. They had things I had previously only seen offered for sale by specialty mail-order companies. Sansevieria species other than S. trifasciata. Lots of Haworthia varieties. Succulent Peperomias. Euphorbias. Okay, some of the larger plants were out of my price range. But there were reasonably priced smaller plants as well. That first day, I purchased an Aloe juvenna, a mystery Aloe that might possibly be Aloe sinkatana, a Peperomia dolabriformis and Sansevieria ballyi. After that, I made it a habit to visit Geimer's at least three times a year, (Long Grove is a bit too far from home for frequent casual shopping ) and I never left empty-handed.

Mystery Aloe, possibly Aloe sinkatana, purchased in 2004. I don't really care what it is; this is my favorite of the Aloes that I own. This photograph is from last summer, but the plant is still going strong. When I purchased it, the main stem was about the size of the two pups seen here, and the pups were just getting started.

The Sansevieria masonia on the left, the dark Sansevieria trifasciata variety at the rear center, and the Sansevieria kirkii var kirkii to the right are all from Geimer's. (The S. kirkii var pulchra 'Coppertone' in front was purchased elsewhere.)

Well, on Thursday, I decided to stop by on the way home from the Chicago Botanic Gardens, and discovered, to my dismay, that Geimer's will be closing as of Labor Day. Apparently, they hadn't been doing well enough lately to be able to renew their lease, and announced their upcoming closing last spring. Somehow, I missed this information when I visited in spring and early summer. Statement from their website here. If you click through to their gallery page, there is a picture of their succulent selection near the bottom. That is what I saw when I first walked into the place six years ago.

Ten plants purchased from Geimer's on Thursday. I purchased eight of them for under thirty dollars, (full price would have been nearly $100) then went back and purchased two more (The Sansevieria parva on the far left, and the grey Euphorbia mammillaris to its right). Also pictured, Sansevieria dawei, Agave victoria-reginae, Aloe nobilis (I think) and Sansevieria kirkii var kirkii. (Yes, I just had to have another one.) There are also yet-to-be identified Gasteria, Haworthia, Ledbouria and Crassula varieties shown.

When the cashier commented on my considerable savings, I said that I would be have been happy to pay full price if it meant that they were staying open. And I really meant it. I've only known Geimer's Greenhouse for 6 of their 82 years, and I wish it could have been more.

Updates: Bigger and Better Things

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I love summer. Or maybe I've just complained repeatedly that I hate winter; I forget. Anyway, the long hours of daylight? The heat? The fresh fruit in season? Bring them on! Even the humidity doesn't bother me all that much. (I'd be willing to skip the mosquitoes and the violent thunderstorms/hailstorms/potential tornadoes though.) Of course, the best thing about being a plant lover in the summer is all the growing that is going on.

For example, the new leaf on my Sansevieria hallii, which was just barely emerging from the soil in this post, now looks like this:

Sansevieria hallii. The new leaf is second from the right. I also redid the top dressing for a neater look.

Another view, showing how nice and thick the leaf is. It is the shortest leaf now, but I expect it to continue to grow taller.

As for my Ledebouria socialis, which I posted about on July 8, I decided to get a nice big bowl to plant it in.

Ledebouria socialis in its new pot, with the old pot for comparison. I didn't have to break it, after all.

Finally, I did get back to the Chicago Botanic Gardens after all, just yesterday. And the flowers on the bottom part of the giant Agave stalk were open.

Agave americana bloom stalk from a distance

Closer: The flowers at the bottom of the stalk have opened; the buds at the top are still closed, and the ones in the middle are in intermediate stages.

Closer still: Pretty yellow fringe

Previous posts about this plant can be found by clicking the "Agave" label below.

As the summer progresses, I'm sure I'll have even bigger things to blog about. As it is, I have had to move at least 20 succulents to larger pots, and I'm sure there is more of that in my near future.