For the love of Irises

Springtime means irises and I'm lucky to have many varieties in my garden. Did you know that name iris comes from the Greek work for rainbow.  I have a pluthera of blue/purple, white, and yellow colored iris perennials. Most I've secured free off Craigslist or Freecycle. I have a few unique and native ones I purchased which I'm nurturing. 


It's not a native flower for U.S. gardeners - its originally from Syria. While used in perfumes, medicinals, and even to produce beer and wine, for me it's purely decorative.  I do have some challenges being in a cold climate garden. Not all iris varieties will do well with such a short growing period. 

Want to get inspired by iris? Check to see if there is a local flower show with this theme or try to visit one of the Historic Iris Display Gardens. My closed one in a state away and they have a wonderful end of season "garage sale" which I'm already planning on attending in July. Now that's planning! 

Iris - endless variety

Here are some tips for growing iris in a cold climate garden: 

Dahlias - Display Planting in Dublin

A few years ago I enjoyed and reviewed on this blog the Dahlia show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I really enjoyed the diversity which was shown there. Dalia's were always a flower that my mother loved to grow - but my father didn't like the digging up and replanting which is required for these tuberous-rooted tender perennials when growing in cold climate gardens. 

National Botanic Garden - Dublin, Sept 2015

None-the-less, these bright and colorful flowers bloom from midsummer to first frost, long after many other plants are fading away. The range in color and size is so large - flower shows or clustered plantings of Dahlias can really highlight the spectrum from giant 10-inch blooms to smaller pompons. As many varieties grow 4 to 5 feet tall, these plants can take a commanding place, a statement piece, in many gardens. 

On a recent tour of the National Botanic Garden outside Dublin, I was so pleased to see a large section of their Annual Bed dedicated to Dahlias. The outer beds were all daisies, the middle beds were mums and dahlias respectively . It was so nice to be able to not only see the blooms but also understand the slight differences in height, leaves, and structure of the plants.

I've captured shots of my favorite dahlias. I hope you enjoy too! Also see my other reviews of Ireland sites and adventures.

For the Love of Roses - Dublin Botanic Garden, Review

Rhapsody in Blue Rose

In a recent tour of the National Botanic Garden outside Dublin we walked through the Rose Garden. Virtually every botanic garden I have ever visited has a Rose Garden.  Roses are from China - a great export. The first "Rose Garden" occurred in the late 1700's in France. One avid (and wealth) gardener put in place a garden with over 250 rose varieties.  The Huntington Garden in California is the only the World Federation of Rose Societies Award of Garden Excellence recipient  rose garden that I've visited. 

I generally stroll through and think about how much love roses need - and how I've never been so lucky in my garden. Wild roses, no problem, but more typical roses never seem within my grasp. I enjoy the variety and the aroma! 

Little did I know that on this visit in Dublin, I would find my most favorite rose ever - that being the Rosacea Rosa Rhapsody in Blue - shown above. This picture makes it look a tad more pink.  The quest for the blue rose continues...

Dublin Botanic Garden - Rose Garden, Sept 2015

Take a look below for some of the great rose variety I saw.

Which will be your favorite?

Wild Flowers of Ireland - Howth

On a day trip from Dublin, Ireland, I had the pleasure of taking the DART (train) to the town of Howth.  

Howth is a rocky headland or peninsula that extends into sea in north Dublin Bay. Much to my delight, it is an area of wild natural beauty supporting many wildflowers. Here is encountered gorse for the first time.  These pictures were taken in early September, 2015. We had a perfect day walking around. 

Howth has two distinct habitats sea cliffs and dry heaths.  From the train station there is a bus to the summit and then choice of two walking routes that meander around the cliff-side slopes above the sea. The day we visited there where people from many nations enjoying the blue skies and  colorful patchwork of flora and abundant bird life.  

I especially liked the blazing yellow gorse and vibrant purple heathers - the contrast with stones and grasses was beautiful. Gorse is a spiny evergreen prone to seaside dry condition. It was so abundant. No fragrance sadly. 

Howth Sea Cliff Path - Sept 2015
Gorse and Heather

Read on for more sites and wild flowers we enjoyed. Also see my other reviews of Ireland sites and adventures.

Designing 360 Degree garden views

Walled Garden Flower Bed

Something my grandmother taught me about flower gardens was that the design needed to consider views from all angles. 

That is a concept that she mastered not only once but many flower beds and all year long too! 

I wish I knew now what she planted and where - but alas, I just recall the beautiful output of all her hard work.

Recently I saw a beautiful flower bed - brilliant despite challenges with sun and water.  In some views there are not so many flowers but a variation in leaf size and plant height creates interest. 

Spring Flower Show - Garfield Park Conservatory

For the Love of Tulips
Spring Showing in my Yard

Today I visited the Spring Flower show, entitled Sun Showers, at the Garfield Park Conservatory.  I look forward to spring flower and garden shows to get my creative fix. I also start thinking about the ephemeral and bulbs that will be breaking through in my own yard.  Plus it's just so great to get into a warm space that is bursting with color and fragrance! 

At Garfield Park Conservatory flower shows - one display house, the show house, is taken over by the display items. At times the explosion of flowers also spills over into Horticulture Hall and the lobby. This show was no exception. 

Please  enjoy the photos.  I'm not sure the colors are 100% true, but here are the shots of my favorites :)

Lily and Daylily Flower Show

Daylily Flower Arrangement

This past weekend I attended the Day Lily and Lily show at the Chicago Botanic Garden sponsored by Sponsored by the Northshore Iris and Daylily Society and Wisconsin-Illinois Lily Society respectively. 

At Chicago Botanic garden flower shows - there is placement of only one stem with one flower each submitted by member of the sponsoring society. In the lily show they had also purchased some for display. The layout gets you close to each flower to see the differences up.

I have been jaded by the overwhelming plantings of tawny daylily plants which are considered invasive in my area and many surrounding states. This is 

Ditch Lilies in Illinois

Hemerocallis fulva here is a shot of them in my garden.  Included in this are the Stella De Oro variety. They are pretty but, for me,  no longer pack a "WOW" in the garden.  They even varry the name "ditch lilies" because they can be seen by roadsides. It seems every year there are dozens of people giving them away for free - which is exactly where I pickup up most of mine. I was super pleased to see the potential and so many different varieties of both Hemerocallis and true lily (Lilium) . 

Please  enjoy the photos.  I'm not sure the colors are 100% true, but here are the shots of my favorites :)

Wildflowers and Native Plants - Southern California Desert; A Tourist View

Native Plant: Joshua Tree - Spring 2014

I celebrated National Park day hiking around Joshua Tree which is about 2.5 hours west of LosAngeles, California. The trip and these photos were taken April  19-20, 2014.

Blooming Yucca - Joshua Tree, Spring 2014

I've wanted to visit Joshua Tree National Park after seeing photos - very Suessical landscape! I wanted to also see the desert in springtime bloom. The flowers, the Joshua Trees, large cactus, and the rock structures - without any one, it wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable. Check out the Wildflower bloom report provided by the Park.  The Joshua Tree was named by Mormons after the prophet Joshua because it reminded them of Joshua waving his people toward the promised land. These trees are native only to Southwest USA in the higher and cooler Mojave Desert, at above 3000 ft. It's Yucca Brevifolia, very tall (40 ft) and it can live for 1000 years.   Visiting the desert in April meant the weather was warm enough to wear less layers - but it didn't mean don't bring water, wear hats or sunscreen!  We did several hikes including 49 Palms Oasis, Cholla Cactus Garden, Octilla Patch, Ryan Ranch, Wall Street.

Wildflowers and Native Plants of Peru - A Tourist view

Native Plants flowering at Machu Picchu, Peru

From adventure traveler to casual tourist, the Inca Trail provides an unforgettable experience. I traveled it over forty years ago and still dream of the cool, lush, humid Andean rain forest full of unusual flora and fauna. The mystery of the high city and long forgotten tales. If I was taking the trip today, I'm sure I would soak up all the bromeliads and orchids which are native to this area.  The native flower is an orchid! Peruvian native plants are often lusted after house plants :)  The abundance of unusual native plants in Peru is acute in the Machu Picchu Sanctuary and nearby areas. Peru hosts more than 3,000 known orchid species, and some experts claim that this is only half of the Peruvian native species; more to be discovered!  So just think, if you take this hike you might discover an orchid that you could call your own?!

Arizona Wildflowers - A tourist view

Hiking - Vermilion Cliffs, AZ

The desert can be so beautiful! This year I had the pleasure of spending time in Arizona and Utah during early spring. I just caught the beginning of the splendor of desert flowers - I'm sharing a few shots of those I encountered on the trail.  As we got off road on BLM lands and into Vermillion Cliffs, Grand Staircase Escalante, Grand Canyon, and Bryce Canyon - the little pops of color from mother natures blooms were unexpected and pleasurable. Hiking with the fragrance from sage and wide open spaces - Priceless!

While I'm tagging these are wild flowers or Native flowers - someone local with much more experience may say some of these are invasive. Like I say, this is a tourist view :)

Spring To-Do List for a Cold Climate Garden

I cannot wait to get back into the yard and garden this year. Especially given the amount of snow and cold we've had this winter in Chiberia. So many activities to get accomplished to both prepare my garden for a wonderful spring and start plants off strong!  I thought I would share the items on my list. Oh and please check out my Fall Cold-Climate Garden Checklist too.

Here's my spring to-do list for my Zone 5 /5b cold climate garden.  Check your frost/freeze dates by zip code on this website.

Spring Garden preparedness List:

• Check the fence for repairs or digging (dogs :)  )
• Check tools - repair, sharpen or replace
• Check Garden machines for repair and maintenance (Lawn mower, rototiller, leaf blower, chainsaw)
• Make sure I've got enough insecticidal soap, deer spray, dormant oil, fertilizer
• Check repair or replace hoses (sprinklers, spray heads) and put out into yard. Order a truckload of wood chips (free from landscaping companies.)
• Check that all drains are open and clear
• Get free manure from local equestrian center
• Find garden gloves and repair as needed
• Check garden spray bottles used to apply chemicals

A Dirty Dozen - Plants to keep out of your garden!

Keeping invasives out - to make room for these beauties!

I'm making my spring garden to-do list and I notice that many of the tasks involve getting rid of plants rather than planting them! These are my "dirty dozen" of plants I wish had never rooted on my land. Managing these highly aggressive / invasive species is a major chore.  These plants expand via fast-growing roots or rhizomes or expel dozens of seeds annually. So over time you may get much more than you planned!  Many of these are plants I purchased at garden centers or picked up free online through Craigslist or similar sources. Getting plants free should have been my clue that these plants go CRAZY!  Others I inherited with the garden when I first moved in- nearly 12 years ago, this challenge started with Bishops Weed and honey suckle. I pulled them out, cut them down and still they return year after year. I spray them and abuse them. They can be very B-A-D. I'm still at it - and there is not much left. Man some of those roots are tenacious! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Clearly the former owner of my house LOVED her buckthorn and honeysuckle greatly. Fellow gardeners in my neighborhood love some of these and readily take up the debate as to why I'm pulling them out. My response is always that they are taking space, resources and time from the plants that I really want to flourish in my garden.

So, here's my "Dirty Dozen" of plants I would like to bite the dust and never return. Your experience may vary - but I encourage you to think twice about putting any of these in your garden.

Outrageous Orchids! (Flower Show Review)

I visited the Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. This was a wonderful respite from the snowy day. As a friend said - this winter White is the new Black. :D  I very much enjoyed seeing all the bright colors of the orchids.  I recall the first time I ever saw an Orchid was at the Joaquin Antonio Uribe Botanic Garden of Medellin, Colombia.  I was 12 years old and the 34 acre botanical garden in the middle of the city was so impressive! More so was the massive collection of orchids in the unique architectural space called the Orchidiarium. All I can say is that it was simultaneously overwhelming, impressive and memorable.  While the exhibit at the Chicago Botanic Garden pales in comparison - it's much easier to get to than Colombia, and well worth the visit!

Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show - 2014

For the love of Tulips

I love tulips. They add a nice pop to the garden mixed in with daffodils in the springtime. Everyone recognizes the flower and it's an easy choice with lots of variety.  Thank you to breeders out there making lots of hybrids!  Tulips can be simple, large, showy, charming - dramatic in mass, or just a pop with a few.   I'm a bit of a lazy gardener - so tulips have always posed a challenge for me. I've amassed a large selection and learned a few tips to ongoing success.

I like that I'm planting flowers that originated in Persia and Turkey. There was a tradition of wearing a this flower in your turban - so  Europeans named tulips using the Persian word for turban. At one point in the 17th century bulbs sold for exorbitant prices. Would you think of paying $150,000 for a bulb? Well that's what they were doing during the Dutch Golden Age - during Tulipomania!  While all "new" flowers command a premium for some period of time, this mania was dramatic and historic. Luckily prices came down! 

Ten years ago I decided that I "needed" a spring display of daffodils and tulips. Today I still have a great set of daffodils that have multiplied from the original planting - and  I've replaced the tulips several times.  I didn't realize how much deer and rabbits love tulips! Also I guess there is a reason that commercial buildings and park systems use tulips once and then rip them out as trash. Although Tulips are a perennial, they can be a challenge to keep year after year. Each subsequent year the flowers diminish even with care. Large varieties, those really interesting sexy tulips that I love, need replanting every few years. However, small types usually multiply and spread on their own. Well this brings me to my first lesson learned. 

A distinctive tulip shape - colored edged, melded tones, single color beauties

My #1 tip for success with tulips is a process I fondly call "Tulip Rescue."  Several times during late spring I stop by shopping malls and even Michigan Ave to rescue the tulips as they are being removed.  I can easily make a deal for the bulbs with the grounds crew.  In some cases, spent tulips are given away for free. Garfield Park Conservatory has often been the site of their own "Tulipmania" - in 2012 they had two days of giving away free tulips from all the Chicago Park planting and a great variety. 

Second interesting thing I've learned is that tulips do best were there are very dry summers - in the picture at the right are some red tulips that have bloomed steadily for many years. These are up against the house, and under the eaves. There are no other plants in this bed other than spring bulbs (and weeds :)  ). So I never water here plus no fertilizer; no nothing. I have found it very hard to grow anything here at all - yet the tulips love it. For tulips that remain in the ground after blooming, do not place annuals or perennials planted over the tulip bulbs; expecially plants that are very thirsty. All that water reduces tulip life. Since I have only a few places for flowers I mix it all up which  this means that I'm choosing to reduce the lifetime of the tulips. Too much water during summer and fall can lead to fungus, disease, and rotting. Hence another plus to having a tulip rescue process to replenish the bulbs each year.  

Early in the spring I apply bulb fertilizer when I see the plants emerge.  I also spray with a deer/rabbit repellent product.  I'll use deer repellent 2-3 times more than is recommended on the label in the springtime. If I don't the deer nibble off the tulip buds with precision!  Once feed and protected, I sit back and wait for the blooming to begin!  I am most fond of the appearance of the inside of the tulip! Scroll down and just take a look at the symmetry and beauty of these tulips. 

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I put on an application of bulb fertilizer as the flowers start to fade.  After the tulips have finished flowering, I cut back the flower stalks but allow the leaves to die back naturally.  For rescued tulips, I cut off the old bloom/seed pod and plant in the ground with a little fertilizer and then allow leaves to die like others. Cutting off the bloom puts more energy back into the bulb. It gets a bit messy with the dying leaves, but with continual flowering in the garden there are other focal points. I let the old leaves stay until they are really yellow - about 5-6 weeks. Finally I cut those off too.  

In the fall, I mulch the whole garden which I think helps the tulips. In the spring, as the tulips begin to emerge I hit them with bulb food again. With this process - I have been able to get  3-4 years of blooms from bulbs.  Alternatively it is recommended to dig up bulbs each season and keep them in a dry cool space until the next season. I've never had enough energy for that...

I'm closing with a shot of a little garden. This is under a large oak tree and is shady most of the year. However, in the springtime I can get a few tulips and daffodil to bloom adding a nice pop!

Happy Gardening;

Today I'm singing "Tip-toe Through the Tulips"

Teresa Marie

Sedum Propagation - Spring check-in

Last fall I blogged about easy ways to propagate sedum perrenials.  This is one of my more populat blogs. I hope you all are having success with the techniques I described.

I'm placing here the results of the direct placement and controlled grown cuttings you see in the prior blog.  Just a few months inside or our in the wintery cold - and the sedums are popping back to life!

Direct Set Sedum Cuttings - after over wintering

The cuttings to the right were simply snipped from the host plant and plunged into the dirt. I did not use rooting hormones or any treatments. Neither did I check on or water these cuttings. Here you can see in early April just a few months later, a) the old stalk which just looks like a stick, and b) the sprouts of new sedum plants are peeking out. Of the handful I propped in this manner, about 60% are growing. That's acceptalbe to me.






Controlled Growth Sedum Cuttings

Here on the left hand side are the cuttings that I placed into small pots and kept inside for the winter. These were placed in a cool room and did not have much sunlight. Further, I pretty much ignore them, watering more in the springtime.  You can see that as in the case with the direct set cuttings above, the original stalk has died away giving it's energy to the new plants which sprout from the roots below dirt. The controlled growth cuttings are a bit larger since they were warmer and more gently treated. If I had placed them in a better environment inside - they would probably be even larger.

Anyway you go - it's a fast and easy way to create more plants for no cost. These go into my guerilla garden this weekend!

Happy Day!

Teresa Marie

Seed Planting and Starting: That time of year

This morning I purchased seeds for this year. I went mostly flowers because a Master Gardener friend in Wisconsin is growing all vegetables and we are going to split up the plants! So excited about this. It does put some pressure on me be successful.

My prior seed starting efforts included clayless seed bombs (prior post here) as well as some home-made seed starting trays (post here)  This year I will again make up the seed bombs as they worked so well in the guerrilla garden. However, I am adding commercial seed trays because of the volume of seeds I am starting this year.

Potting Station from old Bakers Rack

Here is where the work begins - my seed starting / potting station.  This is an old bakers rack that I sourced off CraigsList for ~$50, then added the wood/plastic tops to create work surfaces. My thought was to have it inside in the wintertime and then outside in the summertime. In reality, it stays inside all the time and I use it all year round.  I love this space and have tried to make it as productive and efficient as possible. It holds potting mix in containers, seeds, small pots, and hanging are bottles of various herbicides. Also holds pre-mixed fertilizer, root hormone, and other chemicals in different storage containers. On the right side you can see the pots with Sedums that I directly placed a few moths ago. They continue to do well and will head out into the garden in a few months.  I'm starting to lay out the seeds for the season as well as to accumulate some of the recycle materials I use as pots. The bottom of milk cartons will work well for the ginger root or cannas. Yogurt containers are just like little pots - just put holes in the bottom.  This is pretty messy now :) but not as much as it will be shortly!!



My selections of seeds for this year and plan for starting them are:

Flowers to start in trays:  I will start these around March 10th (6-8 weeks before last frost) assuming that our last frost will actually be earlier this year (Damn Climate change)

• Echinacea, Warm Summer US7,982,110 - Exceptional 1st -yr flowering cone-flower from seed.
• Coleus, Chocolate Covered Cherry  Non-fading bald pattern for sun and shade.
• Coleus, Giant Leaf Mix - Mix of texture and color
• Asclepias, Butterfly Weed- Prolific bloomer. My white butterfly bush needs friends ;)
• Carnation, Giant Mix - My grandmother used to grow carnations, let's see if I can too!
• Tradescantia, Blue & Gold - Wildflower is easy to grow, I liked the vibrant golden foliage with gentian-blue flowers which will be a good match to the purple ones I already have
• Red Hot Poker - so hope these take, I love the Shock & Awe drama this brings to the garden
• Blue Flax - interesting for the border
• Holly Hock - a deep purple almost black color to mix with the pink ones I have already.
• Wing Begonias - these seeds are 2 years old, they are last priority to start in trays.

Flower Seeds to start in seed bombs:  My seed mix this year will be mostly new Shasta Daisy seeds but I will make two batches mixed with other seeds. One batch will include a few packs of old "Garden Flower Mix Perennials" these seem to be taller flowers of many colors. I will place these carefully in the north-most edge of the guerrilla garden where they will be full sun.  The second batch will be the Shasta Daisy mixed with old "Moss Rose" seeds. These will go to the front edge of the rock garden where Shasta Daisy took from seed bombs a few years ago.  I will make these up and place them in the garden approximately April 15th.

Vegetables to Direct Sow: To be completed approximately May 1st - once I get the vegetable garden roto-tilled and plan made (that's next on my list!) Might add some more veggie seeds/plants depending on what my girlfriend has for me.

• Chinese Cabbage, Pak Choi, Toy Choi Hybid; it grows fast so I will make several staggered plantings to enjoy over a longer period of time.
• On the Deck Sweet Corn - this is going to be the architectural element in my large containers this year!

While on gardening sites, I found this little piece of technology that I just "had to have" - the Suncalc sunlight calculator.  While I roughly know the amount of sun each side of my garden gets, it will be interesting to measure it throughout the season and within a few feet across the garden. I have many trees and sometime just a few inches makes a great deal of different in whether a plant thrives or dies. 

This morning I'm singing "Come Rain or Come Shine" by Barbra :)

Teresa Marie

Start Thinking Spring - Shows, Events, Road-trips

This weekend the first spring flower show starts in Chicago, thus kicking of several months of events that culminate in the beginning of spring and ethnic fest etc. in Chicago. 

As I did last year, here is a listing of events from Iowa - Wisconsin - Illinois - Michigan. I was searching out potential weekend adventures and road-trips and thought I might share with you all. Maybe provide some ideas, or just save you some time on your own searching.  All links and information was accurate as of 1/24/2013  If you find other shows or errors herein please note in comments! Thank you

Transparent tips on Succulent

Succulent Container Garden

(Succulent pictures just because I think they are so pretty and I spend too much time with them this time of year :)  )

• Chicago - Lincoln Park Conservatory Spring Flower Show - January 26 - May 12

Wilting Sansevierius - Causes and Cures

My Wilting Mother-in-Law Tongue Plant

Help I’m Wilting and I can’t get up….…this was the cry from my snake plant ( good luck plant, mother-in-law's-tongue,  devil's tongue, Sansevieria).   I have had this plant for several years. I had just pulled it inside from a glorious summer al fresco, and split it into two large pots.  It seemed fine for a few months. Then it started wilting, and a wilting houseplant is a cry for help. 

Sansevieria is a strong plant, it’s in office spaces and given to people who can kill just about anything else. So I was perplexed as to what was going on and consulted every source I could find on-line and a solution.  Here is what I learned:

1) Know what “healthy” looks like for your plant
2) Know what about your situation is unique. Take into consideration the environment that your plant is in (Potting soil, container size, lighting, heat, drafts.
3) Understand the causes of wilting for the plant in question
4) Experiment and learn to listen to what your plant is telling you – what other people tell you to do may not work for you.

A Healthy Sansevieria

There are many different varieties of Sansevieria. In a walk through the garden center and Garfield Park Conservatory I snapped several shots which are included here.  Almost all the plants display the characteristic tall and erect form. Snake plant leaves may be striped or marbled pattern, vibrant to dull green, or yellow and white.  I think I even saw a chartreuse one once.  The color of the plant may impact the amount of light it needs. I have some placed against interior north walls with very little indirect light. I have others in east facing windows with plenty of sun.  I've had snake plants thrive in areas which offer full sun to dense shade; most grow best in persistent indirect light.   I plant most in cactus mix but occasionally will use regular potting soil. Once I even planted in a container in regular garden soil (not advised.)  The latter was a demonstration of what not to do – but that darn Sansevieria survived for over two years in rock hard soil.  In the conservatory we had one Sansevieria that was placed under a hole in the roof, and it was constantly water logged for several months. It was just fine.  Thus it’s safe to say snake plants will survive poor soil conditions, at least for a period of time. However if optimum soil and light and water conditions do not exist, in time, you may experience pests, root rot, or the dreaded wilt.

In the photographs below are several different types of Sansevieria. The photos were taken at Chicago's Garfield Park Conservatory Desert Room. 

Mother-In Law, Baseball, Moonshine, Variegated, and Longhorn Sansevieria (Snake Plants)

My Unique Situation

Here is where I admit all the things that I had done with these sansevieria that were not up to par.  First off I had them outside in all kinds of rain – that seemed fine, and at the end of the summer I decided to divide them when I brought them back inside.   This was the first problem – I replanted them to shallow and without  sufficient support considering the mature height of these plants.  There was an immediate hit to their health – which I chalked up to being re-potted   I later tried to add some support and tied them up, but a large number of leaves were already wilting and folded off to the side.

During transplantation I was able to see that the roots were in solid condition and there were wet areas of neither dying plant tissue nor fungal growths.  There were also not any insects or infestations. I had good soil mix and balance of fertilizer – so these were on the plus side.

Secondly,  I did not use the right container. The pot for the Sansevieria is way too large for the number of plants it holds. It is also much too deep. However, for the room it is in, I like the larger base pot – which also helps to keep it from tipping over from the dog. Plus I just loved the blue. This was an aesthetic decision, not one for the plants health.  With an over-sized container the plant might get too much water and have root rot – or not enough if the roots are shallow (as with some succulents.)

Lastly with respect to light – they are placed in a west facing window with a few good hours of direct sunlight each (non-gray) day. Good filtered light.  There was no discoloration of the leaves, e.g. yellowing, which would indicate excessive sunlight. So I felt comfortable with the lighting situation on this pair of containers.  Note that the containers are in the bay window, directly above the heat vent.

The causes of Sansevieria Wilting

My research says thee possible reasons for wilting leaves on a Sansevieria plant are:

1) Over or under watering

2) Improper lighting (too little makes them flip over)

3) Infestation (such as thrips)

My Experimentation

I quickly rules out lighting and thrips- and moved onto experimenting with watering.  I found it very interesting that both over-watering and under-watering could make the leaves droop, bend, wilt or begin to look wrinkly. 

OVER-WATERING: Over-watering is the most common problem for houseplants, so why not develop root rot easily, especially in containers. If you  suspected root rot you can check to see if the soil is moist or wet on the surface and down a few inches. Also pull gently on one of the outer leaves and it comes off easily at the soil level, and the root stinks and is mushy; then sorry, it's got root rot. Best solution here is to throw the rotten parts away – and repot what remains in the new soil.

Up until this point I had been watering the plants every other day when they were outside, and when they came inside I was watering them every third or fourth day. To which my friends cried “What? That’s too much!” I did not have root rot, but I cut it back to the once a week or less per recommendations from garden centers and websites. This went on for several months – and I did not see any improvement in the plants. Upon checking the soil with my hands, I knew that it was dry for several inches into the pot. This convinced me that less water was not the issue.

UNDER-WATERING - Then I realized that several factors were dictating that my Sansevieria needed more water than usual.  First off the pots are too big, and the soil mix promotes drainage – so the water quickly hits the bottom and doesn't stick around much for the plants. Secondly, the containers are right by the heat vent which will accelerate the need for water. Lastly they are in a good light area, which could also mean more water.

So, I went the other way and started watering every four days, and then every two days. Watering means 3-4 cups of water each time, not a complete soaking.

While there are still some bent leaves, there is not solid new growth and vibrant color back in the plants. I’m so happy that they lasted through all these trials and told me when they were happy. I regularly check the soil to a depth of 2-4” to make sure I’m not watering too much, and I apply cactus fertilizer every other week. (If the tips of the leaves turn brown – that’s too much fertilizer) I also rotate the plants and make sure to prop up some of the leaves against the glass – they top 3 ft tall, so I think they have earned a little support ;)

Like many succulents, Sansevieria grow very slowly – it may take time to know if something is wrong or if you fixed it. You may need to play with light exposure and watering to get your plant healthy.

So my parting shot for today is of the Zulu Sansevieria. I love how wide and tall the leaves are. There is just a hint of red along the edges of the leaves. In the pot on the right, I can just hear it asking me to repot it and take part home :)

Zulu Sansevieria

All the best;

Teresa Marie