"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.
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.
5 comments:
I do NOT have good luck with sanseveria. It might be the humidity, not enough light, I don't know, but I still keep trying them. There's a silver leaved one I'm trying not to kill right now! I wonder why everyone says these are the easiest houseplants when they're the only ones I've ever had trouble with?
I too really like the short ones! The only one though that I'm having trouble with is the lighter one...I absolutely adore it, but it doesn't seem to like me like the others do. Good luck with these ones and I really like your definitions of "never" and "from a far"!
I've always had good luck with sanseverias. Just forget about them. They only need to be watered every few weeks. I know people who only water every month or two. Depends on how much light they're getting.
Karen,
The logical rationalizations for getting more plants are quotidian in content, for the most part, but yours are pure prose, teasing the mind into thinking you made the on-the-surface right decision to not get them, only to be pleasantly surprised at the end of the post, the frisson of new plants being shared far and wide. Thank you!
A. Reader
Dear Reader*:
Thank you for your kind words. As Oscar Wilde once said, "I can resist everything, except temptation."
Yours very truly,
Crazy Plant Lady
*(aka CactusMcHarris)
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