Tropical Zone Gardening: My Mother-in-Law's Tongue is smelling very sweet!

Forum: Tropical Zone Gardening Replies: 53, Views: 513 Print -

Author Content tropicbreeze noonamah Australia July 01, 2009 07:36 PM Post #6765312 My Mother-in-Law's Tongue is smelling very sweet! When I got home last night there was an overwhelming sweet smell pervading the garden. Wandering around with the torch I tracked it down to my patch of Mother-in-Law's Tongue. I've always tended to ignore it and it's grown quite large, as happens with Mother-in-Law's Tongue. Especially as they age and you don't keep them under control. Rarely gets watered, except in the wet season. So it's going through a mass flowering now. Some people bring it into their houses but I prefer it outside. I mean, to me it just seems so sensible to keep your Mother-in-Law's Tongue outside. Sansevieria trifasciata Click the image for an enlarged view. tropicbreeze noonamah Australia July 01, 2009 07:39 PM Post #6765323 A close-up of my My Mother-in-Law's Tongue Click the image for an enlarged view. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 01, 2009 08:03 PM Post #6765458 Very nice! Do you have any other varieties? tropicbreeze noonamah Australia July 01, 2009 08:25 PM Post #6765564 No, that's the only one. goofybulb El Paso, TX (Zone 8a) July 01, 2009 09:12 PM Post #6765809 Dutchlady, one mother-in-law's tongue usually is enough, LOL! Tropicbreeze, it looks so pretty, I've never seen one flower before! I wish I could smell it too! Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 01, 2009 09:13 PM Post #6765819 Goofy - I have lots of different ones. They are fun. This message was edited Jul 1, 2009 9:13 PM goofybulb El Paso, TX (Zone 8a) July 01, 2009 09:17 PM Post #6765844 OK, pics? Please? Curious goofy wants to know how many tongues (MIL tongues, that is)! Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 02, 2009 05:53 AM Post #6767114 I happen to live near a gentleman who is one of the world's authorities on Sansevieria. He has opened my eyes to many interesting varieties of what I used to consider a dull plant. I think I must have about a dozen different cultivars here in my yard, mostly as accent plants, but there are many, many more! Here is a nice silver leafed variety in bloom; I'll take some more pictures soon. Click the image for an enlarged view. tropicbreeze noonamah Australia July 02, 2009 09:37 AM Post #6767566 As night fell the whole garden area around the Mother-in-lLaw's Tongue was again overwhelmed with fragrance. Seems to be trying to attact night flying pollinators. Never seen any fruit or seed on them. Today I noticed a dracaena-type plant in one of the back gardens is also flowering and putting out a slightly sweeter fragrance than the Mother-in-lLaw's Tongue. It's funny, the mid winter blooms seem to be the most fragrant. Never notice this to the same extent during summer. Islandshari Kwajalein Marshall Islands (Zone 11) July 03, 2009 12:19 AM Post #6771410 Breeze, I never get that many blooms at once, but my MIL's Tongue's are both in pots. Do you think your's is blooming so prolificly because its in the ground? It really looks fantastic! Yokwe, Shari Metrosideros Keaau, HI July 03, 2009 01:31 AM Post #6771555 Sansevieria bloom every year in warm climates. tropicbreeze noonamah Australia July 03, 2009 09:39 AM Post #6772100 It's mid winter here now. The day temps have been getting up to 34C to 35C and minimums down to 20C to 22C for the past fortnight. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 03, 2009 09:55 AM Post #6772149 Here is the first of my more unusual varieties of Sansevieria. I don't actually know what this one is called. Click the image for an enlarged view. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 03, 2009 09:56 AM Post #6772154 This is S. 'Moonglow' - getting to be quite popular these days. Click the image for an enlarged view. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 03, 2009 09:58 AM Post #6772158 One that is used a lot in plant arrangements: the 'Birdsnest' sansevieria Click the image for an enlarged view. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 03, 2009 09:59 AM Post #6772166 Another one that is gaining popularity - I forget - it's 'black' something or other. Oh and excuse the weeds. Click the image for an enlarged view. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 03, 2009 10:01 AM Post #6772171 S. pinguicula. This one is pretty rare. It 'walks' across the soil on stilt-like roots. Click the image for an enlarged view. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 03, 2009 10:02 AM Post #6772177 Another unknown. Gosh I better go and rip that horrible weed-vine off the fence!! Click the image for an enlarged view. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 03, 2009 10:04 AM Post #6772182 This one will get HUGE. The 'leaves' will get to be up to 6 inches wide. Click the image for an enlarged view. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 03, 2009 10:05 AM Post #6772187 That's all folks!! I know I probably have one or two others out there. My friend is generous! He would be proud of me for introducing you all to his favorite plant. LariAnn Miami, FL (Zone 10a) July 03, 2009 12:03 PM Post #6772665 I've seen some curious ones with completely tubular leaves. If I had more time and space, I'd probably be hybridizing these plants as well! hcmcdole Powder Springs, GA (Zone 7b) July 03, 2009 12:15 PM Post #6772697 I like the little bird's nest ones. Click the image for an enlarged view. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 03, 2009 12:43 PM Post #6772787 The tuibular ones are S. cylindrica, also becoming more popular now. They are very drought resistant by the way. I have a small one of those. The bird's nest types are nice in groupings and as I said, in plant arrangements since they don't really get very much bigger, they just make pups. extranjera Mérida Mexico (Zone 11) July 03, 2009 03:21 PM Post #6773335 I have some of the one with the tubular leaves. I was given a few pieces from a friend who has a whole wall of them on the side of his house. Here's part of that wall. Click the image for an enlarged view. extranjera Mérida Mexico (Zone 11) July 03, 2009 03:23 PM Post #6773341 and these are the ones I took and potted. Click the image for an enlarged view. extranjera Mérida Mexico (Zone 11) July 03, 2009 03:47 PM Post #6773452 I have several more. This is a small one I just got and potted in a coconut shell. Click the image for an enlarged view. extranjera Mérida Mexico (Zone 11) July 03, 2009 03:48 PM Post #6773456 and another that I got a couple months ago, also in a pot. Funny how you notice the weeds when you take a picture Click the image for an enlarged view. planolinda Plano, TX July 03, 2009 10:07 PM Post #6774816 i always think of mother in law tongue as a house plant--i have some out for the summer but planned to bring them in for the winter--will a couple of freezes kill them? also i had no idea they bloomed!! i don't think they do in the house tropicbreeze noonamah Australia July 04, 2009 12:01 AM Post #6775282 I don't know about anything else but they are very drought tolerant. We've a four month period of the dry season when there's absolutely no rain and it's hot. Mine are in the non-irrigated part of the garden in full sun most of the day, never fertilized or looked after in any way. And the patch keeps growing larger and flowers freely. I've also seen them in abandoned homesteads here growing really well. They're considered an invasive but they only move slowly and aren't considered a problem. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) July 04, 2009 05:55 AM Post #6775756 Some varieties are more drought tolerant than others. The S. cylindrica is the most drought tolerant. Freezing will kill them yes, but I am not sure if they might return from the roots. planolinda Plano, TX July 04, 2009 08:54 AM Post #6776127 thank you--i might bring some in and leave some out--play it safe! d_thomcat2000 Kapaa, HI July 08, 2009 04:49 PM Post #6794526 I just got back from my rental unit in Hanalei (Hawaii). The Mother in Laws Tongue is doing just fine. It is doing so fine it looks like it could take over the known universe. at any time. Anybody want some Mom in Laws Tongue rooted starts??????? And yes it is flowering. victorgardener Lower Hudson Valley, NY (Zone 6b) July 08, 2009 04:50 PM Post #6794529 Oh man - what a thread title!! planolinda Plano, TX July 08, 2009 06:52 PM Post #6794962 yeah--great title! how do you get them to flower? Metrosideros Keaau, HI July 08, 2009 09:44 PM Post #6795722 They flower easily every year, by growing them in a tropical to sub-tropical habitat. planolinda Plano, TX July 08, 2009 11:50 PM Post #6796312 oh--well that explains why my houseplant tongues don't bloom i guess goofybulb El Paso, TX (Zone 8a) July 21, 2009 12:47 AM Post #6844953 They are indeed beautiful plants, and what a variety! nautilus6363 Seneca, IL July 24, 2009 12:29 AM Post #6858044 I have two large pots overflowing with several different varieties but they have never bloomed. I keep mine in a greenhouse over the winter and outdoors during the summer. Is there a way to get one to bloom in a greenhouse? I live in Illinois, but own property in Fiji and I see them growing in the ground there all the time. hcmcdole Powder Springs, GA (Zone 7b) July 24, 2009 08:11 AM Post #6858573 It's probably an age and/or environmental thing. I had a big cylindrica bloom in winter in the basement while others bloom in summer. Here is one in Thailand (July 2006) Click the image for an enlarged view. lizzymahoney Daytona Beach, FL August 05, 2009 10:16 AM Post #6909970 I've had them in the ground for years. If they get enough sun where I am, they will bloom outdoors. I'm in Daytona. Never had one bloom indoors. The smell of Sansevieria is very potent, too strong for me to keep it near doors or windows. Whoever mentioned Dracaena blooms being stronger scented is right, IMHO. D. massangeana is so intensely fragranced I had to move it to the far edges of a quarter acre lot. For both the flowers are not all that showy. Strappy thin petals of uninteresting color. My Sansevierias only had white blooms, but Dracaena massangeana had white with a brown stripe down the narrow petal. I don't know how closely related they may be, but the flowers are similar in arrangement and pattern of growth, except the Dracaena's arched like the leaves. Molamola Christiansted, VI (Zone 11) August 05, 2009 11:45 AM Post #6910325 Grows all over the place here, on the sides of roads. Seem to be mostly just a green with a slight pattern to the leaves. One other type has yellow borders on the leaves. A scrap of a leaf will grow roots, a root nearly cannot be killed. The fragrance is sweet, but a little sickly sweet to me. Amazing plant! Islandshari Kwajalein Marshall Islands (Zone 11) August 05, 2009 03:53 PM Post #6911267 Hmmm. Both Nautilus and I have them in pots...no or not many blooms. Illinois is cold, but I certainly can't say that about Kwaj! Rarely (VERY rarely) gets below 80. Perhaps the root systems need more area to help produce the blooms? I asked this before, but my post got lost in all the pretty pictures. Yokwe, Shari Molamola Christiansted, VI (Zone 11) August 05, 2009 04:14 PM Post #6911323 My mother kept some in a tiny pot. about four by ten inches, in her dining room window in Virginia. It just kind of sat there for years, never growing. Then outa nowhere it bloomed. Maybe thy have a mind of their own. Islandshari Kwajalein Marshall Islands (Zone 11) August 05, 2009 04:53 PM Post #6911452 Ha Ha! Yep, that sounds about right MM...I will not worry about it. Yokwe, Shari tropicbreeze noonamah Australia August 05, 2009 08:24 PM Post #6912174 Shari, mine flower in the coldest part of the year. This year it happened when we had our most extreme cold and the minimum got down to 10C. Days were still in the mid to low 30C's, Being on an island you probably wouldn't get nights that cold and that might be the trigger you need. Islandshari Kwajalein Marshall Islands (Zone 11) August 05, 2009 08:49 PM Post #6912282 Thanks for the info. I've been looking since you started this thread, and I haven't seen any blooming on island. The temp is probably the key. Oh well, they are still a stately plant. Yokwe, Shari lizzymahoney Daytona Beach, FL August 05, 2009 09:50 PM Post #6912523 Shari, mine blossomed even when root bound in pots, as long as I had them with a good amount of sun. They will freeze to the ground here some years, but come back, but of course the stolons haven't frozen. If you root from a leaf, a yellow edged kind will come revert to the plain green. I don't know about the birdsnest varieties. westraad Xai Xai Mozambique August 06, 2009 11:59 AM Post #6914408 i have a birdsnest variety, and some of the other varieties grow wild over here. i had no idea that they flowered, i'l have to keep an eye out! westraad Metrosideros Keaau, HI August 06, 2009 01:44 PM Post #6914824 Any photos Westraad? westraad Xai Xai Mozambique August 07, 2009 01:16 AM Post #6917489 we got a rainy storm at the moment, when its over, probably in a couple of days, i'l take a picture and post it. westraad Xai Xai Mozambique August 12, 2009 03:30 AM Post #6937464 sorry its taken me so long to post the photo, here it is. i have them growing in two pots, one in shade one in semishade with morning sun. What are the ideal growing conditions? Click the image for an enlarged view. Dutchlady1 Naples, FL (Zone 10a) August 12, 2009 06:40 AM Post #6937613 The birdsnest sansevieria which you have there likes the semishade best. Well draining soil too. Oh, slugs and snails like them so keep an eye out for those. lourspolaire Delray Beach, FL (Zone 10a) August 12, 2009 10:47 AM Post #6938263 Hi, everyone. My grandmother had a MILT growing in a large terracota pot in the living room's bay window when I was a kid. Although it was kept inside year-round, it grew and grew. She propagated it by chopping one of the long leaves into 3-inch bits in the spring and putting them into small pots she kept along the North wall outside. They rooted and a new plant would show up. She gave those to friends, neighbors and anyone who wanted them. She would give away the rooted cutting but she would keep the small 3-inch terracota pots for the following year. We was poor! I remember that she used leftover cold strong tea once in a while to water her MILT. Take care, all. Sylvain. westraad Xai Xai Mozambique August 12, 2009 10:55 AM Post #6938301 i haven't had any problems with slugs or snails, but i will be sure to keep an eye out. i am one of those people who avoid to spray insecticides. i had to the other day, for my hibiscuses. they were covered in bugs, but are doing better now.

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