Mother in Laws Tongue

I was given one of these many years ago. It thrived on neglect, lack of feeding - more like absence, and the occassional drink. Not my most loved indoor house plant. Out grew one pot some ten years ago, - and sits in a corner some three foot high with prolly 40 leaves,

To my amazement after all these years - I have just seen a flower spike. I didn't even know the plant flowered - anyone ever seen these flowers?

 

Tried them at various times but I must treat them too well and kill them off

I believe being pot bound encourages flowers in a mature plant but the flowers are described as insignificant described as racemes of 6 lobed green flowers

 

Mine has flowered in both of the last two years. It's really not worth getting excited over, especially as you also get some very sticky sap from the flower spike.

I'm more intrigued by the fact that mine has grown twice as fast since I got married [5 years tomorrow, folks]. Now THAT'S what I call living up to your name!

 

Thanks for the warning, never having seen a flower for over 18 years, its new to me.

Happy anniversary for tomorrow - and no I won't try marriage to test your experience in the growth of this plant <vbg>.

 

Hi everyone..... hope you all had a nice week end in the garden, my garden is doing well but the problem this time is.....I keeping running out of slug pelletts are there any other way of getting rid of slugs and snails rather than pelletts as mine must be very tasty to them I place all around my bedding plants but the darn things come back for more.......Poppy

 

Hi Poppy, yes its been great to get outside & do lots! Have gathered lots of the blighters & despatched them. I never use pellets (snail eats pellet - hedghog/bird eats poisoned snail.....) Slug/snail pubs set up. coffee sprayed. Nematodes watered in, + experimenting with copper matting. Try the link below for snail ideas, + I think I've bored everyone with my coffee remedy, let me know if you haven't heard it
http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=61_179

 

For the record, I've just noticed the first flower spike of the year on mine.

"It's that time of year
Now that spring is in the air..."

 

They tend to flower if you keep them dry through the winter and then start to water sparingly in spring. I know the flower dont look much but its scented in the evenings and after dark.

 

I didn't notice any scent from mine when it flowered last year. I'll keep a nose out for that this time around. Thanks.

 

Cranking this back to the top to let you know that mine have now flowered, but more importantly to say that I was at Kew over the weekend and they have a MILT in their 'scent' garden, therefore the scented flowers must exist!