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Mother-In-Law’s Tongue: The Plant That Keeps On Giving
The philodendron has been replaced with a new favorite houseplant!
After being a certified master gardener in good standing for fifteen years, I don’t consider myself a beginning gardener. But, that said, houseplants can sometimes cause me some problems. I know the reason. I neglect them!
I used to have a philodendron in my bedroom when I was growing up. It lived so long, I gave it a name — Philly, the Philodendron! It hung in a macrame planter (which I made, of course, being a child of the 70s) from the ceiling and was often neglected. But it still grew.
Years later, I no longer have any philodendrons — they get long and somewhat spindly — so I moved on. My new favorite houseplant is a snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue.
This plant was recently (2017) scientifically renamed and reclassified and what was known as the Sansevieria trifasciata is now the Dracaena trifasciata. I don’t know about you but I dislike the renaming of things lately! It causes confusion for us older lovers of horticulture, botany, and mycology.
Currently, I have three plants — all from the same one that I got years ago. They grow with neglect, able to survive two months without watering. The snake plant also tolerates low light. I…
