There are a handful of plants that are well-known for their low maintenance care requirements and resilience to the occasional mistreatment, making them perfect for both beginners and plant parents with busy schedules. The Sansevieria is one of those plants and if you haven’t heard about it yet, you’re in for a treat.
How to Grow Snake PlantsFlowering time: this rarely occurs with Snake Plants grown indoors. When it does happen, the cream or white, lily-like flowers put out a pleasant scent for the short time they are in bloom. Location: anywhere with at least moderate light – these plants are hardy! Soil: use a cactus or succulent mix that has plenty of drainage. Light: medium to bright, indirect light. Water: depending upon the time of year, water your Snake Plant every 2-8 weeks, letting its soil dry out completely in between waterings. Care: extremely easy to care for but can be sensitive to overwatering if you’re not careful. |
Also known by its common name, the Snake Plant, the Sansevieria genus is known for the striking spikes or sword-like leaves that shoot out of the soil and straight up into the air. This plant shape is uncommon, but not extremely rare: there are over 70 different species of Sansevieria! The leaves of Snake Plants grow in all different colors, shapes, and patterns, depending upon its natural environment and while we see small specimens in home and shops across the globe, these plants can reach enormous sizes when left undisturbed in the wild.
Snake Plants are one of the few houseplants that can also withstand living outdoors, though we wouldn’t recommend you leave your snake plant in freezing conditions. However, this plant is as tough as nails and can endure low temperatures, long periods of drought, direct rays from the sun, and even pests. Sansevieria species grow through rhizomes which are essentially underground stems that grow horizontally under the surface of the soil, rather than vertically down like most plants. Whenever the plant determines it doable, a baby Snake plant will pop up out of the ground and grow alongside the mother plant. This is why root division is the easiest way to propagate a Sansevieria!
As this plant grows, the Snake Plant’s unique structure shines through even more. When many other plants species grow older, they begin to harden off their stems or stalks that take on a woody appearance, like a tree. With Sanseverias, they simply grow taller and taller until their entire leaf is as tall as it can grow without need for a stem to hold it up. Each member of this plant genus comes in varying shades of green like the deep green and yellow of the Birds Nest Snake Plant, or the light silvery, bluish-green of the Sansevieria Moonshine.
Where can you get hold of a Snake Plant?
Each member of the Sansevieria genus is unique in its appearance and care needs, but at Pretty Cactus, we carry a wide variety of species and can recommend care requirements and guidelines for each. Every Snake Plant we bring into our store is carefully chosen in small batches for their health, rarity, and beauty by the local nurseries we trust to source from. Because of the one-of-a-kin look to these plants, we also carry gorgeous pots to perfectly match any Sansevieria you bring into your home.
Pretty Cactus Plants (www.prettycactus.co.uk) currently has stock of these fun and quirky houseplants and can be ordered online for direct delivery to your door!
ABOUT PRETTY CACTUS
Pretty Cactus is run by Donna and her lovely team from the shop in Brooke, South Norfolk.
Donna started the business in 2018, growing a passion into a business. Donna had always been a plant lover, spending hours in the garden centre and DIY stores picking up sad and reduced pants – nursing them back to health. The homegrown plants were sold at country fayres and craft markets. Before long, Donna was so busy she decided to give up her corporate job and run Pretty Cactus as a full-time venture. Opening her very first shop and website to sell online.
Donna now works with a team or growers and distributors in the UK and Holland to source plants, trying, where possible to get hold of more unusual cacti, succulents, and houseplants.
Donna and the Pretty Cactus team are always looking for new ways to style plants. Displaying these ideas in the shop and on Social Media. The Pretty Cactus shop has become an inspirational hub for plant lovers near and far who love to visit the store for ideas, plants, pots, and a bit of friendly plant chat too.