Snake Plant Profile

Snake Plant Profile

Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata formerly Sansevieria) is also known as mother-in-law's tongue, Saint George's sword, and viper's bowstring hemp. It has sword-like foliage that is quite striking.

There are several cultivars available with a variety of striping patterns and growth habits.

It is a popular houseplant because it is undemanding and low-maintenance. It tolerates low-light levels and infrequent watering. It is best to plant them in a well-draining cactus potting mix in a clay or terra cotta pot.

During the winter, water it only every couple of months. It will rot if it is overwatered. Do not water them in the center rosette.

In the spring, mature Snake Plants can develop green-white flowers that later turn into orange berries.

It is native to western Africa, southern Asia, and Madagascar. They are hardy to USDA Zones 10 to 12.

Snake Plant is propagated easily from cuttings and root divisions. When taking a cutting, let it dry for a few days to form a callus, and then place it directly into well-draining potting mix to form roots. Rooting hormone is generally not needed.

Keep the plant dusted. Fertilize it with a weak liquid solution every few weeks. If a leaf is damaged, cut it off at the base.

Snake Plant: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video and Editing by Ellen Isaacson

 

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If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ African Violet

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/02/african-violet-plant-profile.html

~ Florist’s Cyclamen

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/03/florists-cyclamen-plant-profile.html

~ Air Plant

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/02/air-plant-plant-profile.html

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Florist’s Cyclamen Plant Profile

Florist’s Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) has heart-shaped leaves and sweetly scented flowers that come in a range of colors from white to pink to red to lavender. It is also known as Persian Cyclamen and previously was categorized as Cyclamen latifolium and Cyclaminus persica.

The plant flowers in late winter into spring and go dormant in summer.

It is native to the Mediterranean and is hardy to USDA zones 10 and 11.

Florist’s Cyclamen is grown as a houseplant in areas with cold winters. It is an especially popular flowering gift for Valentine’s Day.

It grows from a tuber and reaches 6 to 9 inches high.

Place it in bright, indirect light, such as a north- or east-facing window. They thrive in high humidity and temperatures between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep them away from heat sources or air vents.

It is toxic to dogs and cats, so do not allow pets to access the plant.

Avoid watering the top of the plant, which can cause the tubers to rot. Wait to water until the soil feels dry. Reduce watering when it goes into dormancy. Remove the spent flowers to encourage continual flowering. Give the plants a weak liquid fertilizer every month or two during winter.

Cyclamen can be propagated by seeds and by division of the tuber. When repotting Florist’s Cyclamen, be sure to keep the top of the tuber slightly above the soil level.

Florist’s Cyclamen: You Can Grow That! The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine. Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz Video and Editing by Madison Korman ➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!) ➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out ➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE ~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com ~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener ~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/ ~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine ~ Podcast: GardenDC If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles: ~ Tillandsia aka Air Plant Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/02/air-plant-plant-profile.html ~ African Violet Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/02/african-violet-plant-profile.html ~ Oxalis Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/03/oxalis-plant-profile.html

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Oxalis Plant Profile

Oxalis Plant Profile

Oxalis is the largest genus in the family Oxalidaceae with over 550 species native to every continent except Antartica. They are often referred to as Wood Sorrels and as False Shamrocks.

Some Oxalis species can be grow in as annuals or perennials depending on your climate and zone. Note that in some regions Oxalis are considered invasive.

Oxalis (Oxalis triangularis) is commonly grown as a houseplant and gifted on St. Patrick’s Day because its foliage resembles the lucky shamrock. The Oxalis’ clover-like foliage can be variegated or solid green or burgundy. In addition to its attractive leaves, the plants have delicate flowers.

It will often go winter dormant and then recover when placed in sunlight. Give it an all-purpose houseplant fertilizer about once a month.

It prefers to grow in bright indirect to direct light and temperatures between 65°F-85°F (18°C-30°C) --never below 60°F (15°C).

Water it about once a week and let it dry out part-way between waterings. The most common cause of yellow leaves is over-watering which cause rooting roots.

Oxalis is considered toxic for pets due to its oxalic acid that can cause kidney damage.

Some oxalis are called "butterfly shamrock,” because their leaves fold up at night or on cloudy days and reopen when the sun shines.  They may also stretch out their leaves to reach as much sunlight as possible.

Oxalis: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video and Editing by Cassie Peo

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

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African Violet Plant Profile

African Violet Plant Profile

African Violets (Saintpaulia ionantha) is a common houseplant that can be grown indoors year-round. They are in the Gesneriad family and are not related to actual violets. These easy-care flowering favorites have been grown and collected for more than a century and are gaining in popularity today. 2024 is the Year of the African Violet.

They are native to the tropical rainforests of Africa. African Violets thrive in filtered sunlight, never in full sun. Keep the soil moist but not soggy and use room temperature water. Avoid drafty areas and sudden temperature changes.

African violets bloom best when they are root-bound and snug in a container. Use a light potting mix and re-pot it in fresh soil once a year. Give them a few drops of African Violet liquid fertilizer every week or so.

African Violets leaves can be heart-shaped or oval -- ruffled or serrated – deep-red or light-green -- and many other colors, shapes, sizes, and forms.

The flowers are single or double – in pansy, star, or bell shapes – and in colors from white to pink to red to purple. Color patterns are numerous as well from speckles to bi-colors to chimeras.

Once you start collecting, you won’t be able to stop.

African Violets: You Can Grow That!

#yearoftheafricanviolet

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

Video and editing by Cassie Peo

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

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~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC

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Air Plant Plant Profile

Air Plant Plant Profile

Air Plant (Tillandsia spp.) is a common houseplant that can be grown indoors year-round or taken outside during the warmer months.

Tillandsia is in the Bromeliad family and there are more than 650 species of them. They are native to the desert and mountain regions of the Americas from Argentina up through the Caribbean and southernmost United States. Spanish Moss is a member of this family.

Of course, these plants do not actually live on air, but they do not need to be planted in soil. They hang in trees where their curled leaves have adapted to take in moisture from the air and to trap rain water for use during drought periods.

Air Plants need to be in bright, indirect light with good air circulation.

To water them, submerge then in a bowl of room temperature water for a few minutes then drain them and place them back in their display spot. Water them weekly and mist them in-between waterings as necessary.

Tillandsia: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz
Video footage and editing by Cassie Peo Filmed at Green Spring Gardens, Alexandria, VA

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

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Win a $100 Gift Certificate for Logee’s Tropical Plants in our February 2023 Washington Gardener Reader Contest

 UPDATE: The winner chosen at random from the submitted entries is Beth Wasden of Laurel, DE. Congratulations, Beth!

For our February 2023 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a gift certificate for Logee’s Tropical Plants (value $100). 

   Logee’s Greenhouses was started by William D. Logee in 1892 in Danielson, CT. It began as a cut-flower business and soon, Logee’s interest turned to tropical and unusual plants. Today, they carry on the family tradition and offer fruiting, rare, and tropical plants, as well as hardy garden plants, easy-to-grow houseplants, begonias, and many more rare and unusual plants to thrill and delight their customers. Logee’s Tropical Plants is online at www.logees.com.

  To enter to win the Logee’s Tropical Plants $100 gift certificate, send an email to 

WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on February 28 with “Logees” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the February 2023 issue and why. Please also include your full name and mailing address. The winner will be announced and notified on/about March 1. 

GardenDC Podcast Episode 81: Beginner Houseplants

In this episode, we talk with Louisa Zimmermann-Roberts at Thanksgiving Farms in Adamstown, MD, about houseplants for beginners and what first-time plant parents need to know. The plant profile is on Tatarian Aster and I share what's going on locally and in my garden.

EPISODE LENGTH: 55:53

00:43 Meet Louisa! 01:26 Learn about Thanksgiving Farms: How it started and the story behind the name 02:25 “Can’t have your eggs all in one basket” — Louisa, on starting Mad Science Brewery 03:59 Reducing their carbon footprint and starting their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) 04:35 “My orders are still in a notebook” — Louisa, on being “old-fashioned” 06:13 Their connection to Lilypons Water Gardens 07:35 “A 14-year-old knowing all about beer is kind of funny” — Louisa talking all about the family business 10:35 About Louisa’s cut-flower program and growing 20 different varieties 11:11 “We decided that because the pandemic was so good to us that we need to give back more” — Louisa, on cutting prices and doing fundraising 13:20 Where to start as a “baby houseplant parent” 14:08 “There’s a plant for everybody” — Louisa 15:28 What to do if you’re a chronic overwater-er 17:35 “They’re your air-purifying pets” — Louisa 17:50 African violets and other houseplants we love 20:20 “You feel like a queen or goddess when you get one of these things to bloom!” — Louisa, on hoyas 21:20 Fertilizing flowering houseplants: “It’s not a one-size-fits-all” — Louisa 22:43 When to repot 25:10 “Collectors craze” — learn what are some of the most in-demand plants these days 27:52 What Louisa recommends as a gift for the holidays 31:47 “You do end up getting attached to these plants over years … like my husband with the half-dead poinsettia on our kitchen counter” — Louisa 32:12 Louisa’s favorites for foliage or “jungle look” 33:57 “That’s a true houseplant lover — when you can’t choose a favorite” — Kathy 34:24 How to combat common houseplants issues, like the white fly and fungal issues 35:42 What does a yellowing leaf mean? 38:28 “Transplant shock”: Louisa’s tips on taking a tropical houseplant home in the wintertime 39:54 How to be both pet AND plant parents at the same time 42:33 “There’s no such thing as ‘cat-proofing’ in my world” — Kathy 42:44 What are the next trends coming for houseplants? 45:40 Louisa talks about some of her not-so-favorite houseplants 47:00 Louisa and Kathy’s advice on growing ferns indoors 48:15 “Definitely get on board with the houseplants. It’s so fun” — Louisa’s final houseplant advice 49:12 How to contact Louisa: follow and like Thanksgiving Farms on Facebook! 50:30 Learn about the tall perennial Tatarian Aster in this week’s Plant Profile! 52:00 Garden updates: plans to pull some edibles and planting spring-blooming bulbs! 52:44 Upcoming events with Homestead Gardens, Green Spring Gardens, the Potomac Rose Society, and other save-the-dates!

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! See how at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/support.

The episode is posted at: 
https://anchor.fm/gardendc/episodes/Episode-81---Beginner-Houseplants-e19gv6g

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We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

Episode Credits
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz

Interview Edits: Charlotte Crook
Notes: Melena DiNenna

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Phalaenopsis or Moth Orchids: You Can Grow That!

It is a myth that all orchids are necessarily hard-to- grow, expensive, and are only safe in the hands of experienced gardeners. The most commonly available orchids are the Phalaenopsis or Moth Orchids. These so-called “grocery store” orchids are tolerant of the conditions inside most homes and make ideal “beginner” plants for first-time orchid growers. They are also quite inexpensive now due to cloning or tissue-culture reproduction, which has really brought down the prices of these plants in the last decade.

They have long-lasting blooms, often going for several months. The height of their natural bloom season is from November through March, but you will find them for purchase forced into bloom at all times of the year.

Phalaenopsis orchids need lots of air movement, even moisture, and several hours of indirect (but bright) sunlight each day. Avoid direct sunlight, which is too harsh for them.

They prefer temperatures no lower than 60 and not much higher than 85 degrees. They dislike sudden temperature changes. Cold temperatures will cause the leaves to turn yellow and drop. If this occurs, remove the yellow foliage and continue caring for the plant normally.

Water them when dry and allow the soil to dry out between watering.  The plant uses more water when it is in flower. However, it does store moisture in its canes, and can withstand short dry periods. Add a weak solution of liquid orchid fertilizer to the water, but cut that back during its blooming time.

And whatever you do, don’t add ice! Despite what the marketers tell you, these tropical plants do not appreciate freezing cold water on their root zones.

Repot them every year or two in a slightly larger pot and use a potting mix specifically formulated for orchids. Your orchids will also appreciate a “summer vacation” outside in a lightly shaded spot, just remember to bring them inside before a frost.

For more about orchid care, visit the National Capital Orchid Society at www.ncos.us, the Maryland Orchid Society at www.marylandorchids.org, or the Virginia Orchid Society at www.vaorchidsociety.org.

To see other videos in our Plant Profile series., go to:
~ Japanese Anemones - click here
~ Asters - click here
~ Toad Lily- click here
~ Pink Muhly Grass - click here

All who are involved with You Can Grow That! (YCGT!) believe that plants and gardening enhance our quality of life. We want people to be successful with what they grow and to become more aware of the many gifts that horticulture brings. Find out more at http://www.youcangrowthat.com/.