My obsession began this May, and there's no turning back! They're such interesting plants; can't get enough! I'm up to almost 30 plants and see no end in site, hahaha! Love this forum; I've learned so much... Plus I love looking at everyone's pics and collections...

My interest slowly grew into an obsession over several years. About 6 years ago my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer and surgery was performed. A friend gave her a large pot of mother-in-tongue. A trifasciata.

Since she was receiving chemotherapy she could not have plants, flowers, etc in a room with her. Her husband promptly put them outside. At the time she was living down below near the beaches. A time later my mother died. I found the sans outside burnt and hacked. I had to take it home. I divided it into two pots, cleaned and watered it. Several months later both pots were full of new healthy plants. Months later I divided both pots into two more. A year went by and needed to divide again. So two became eight.

I found garden web mainly interested in 'Garden Junk' which due to my husbands collections we have ALOT! Then I wandered over to House Plants and Sans. . I gave most of the sans away and kept a beauty for myself. Of course I divided again...but a bad summer outside with grasshoppers then an early freeze has me babying the last few pieces. And fascinated now with sans and their collectors!

Had more money than I knew what to do with. Now I'm broke but rich in plants.

Stush, how long have you been collecting?

I could see myself with more plants than money. Plants can really be addictive. I wouldn't have believed that 6 months ago. And with Sans, there's always that hunt for one(s) I don't have. And what a little rush when I get another!

Entero, nice how that one plant has been passed around. Great back story. Thanks for sharing.

Mary, we're noobs together! Isn't it great seeing what else is out there when forum members share their finds?

Yes Katrina, the sharing is awesome... Plants are my only vice... It started years ago with Jades, now I've moved on to Sans... Haha!

I'm still waiting to find one

Once you do you'll be hooked like the rest of us. There have been some posts about nurseries in England I think. See what a search turns up.

I've had Sans around for so long, I'm not even sure when they first showed up. I didn't pay much attention the first couple decades, then there was a bloom and I was blown away. I took some outside to repot during summer soon after & left it out for a few months. I couldn't believe how fast it grew!

My attraction to these plants is how fast they grow and sniffing the blooms when they show up. They never wilt, don't change appearance when put in much lower light for a few months for winter, even I haven't managed to seriously sunburn one, and is one of few plants that have had no individual casualties under my sometimes erratic care and numerous weird experiments.

Tiffany, please tell me it won't take that long to see a bloom! I appreciate their ability to thrive in less than ideal conditions for a while too. I'm going on vacation in a couple weeks and I don't have to be afraid they'll be all shriveled when i return. My peace lily will need care. I've also come to appreciate all the varieties, specifically the cylindrical and desert types. I was a lover of only trifasciatas until recently.

I have answered this post and it is now gone?

Stush, do you mean another comment besides, "Had more money than I knew what to do with. Now I'm broke but rich in plants." ? That one's here.

Katrina, IDK about other species, but S. trifasciata is monocarpic, meaning each rosette can bloom only once. If you have new rosettes forming at a good pace, there should be a succession of blooms as each rosette reaches a state of being mature enough to bloom. How long any rosette might take to produce its' bloom would depend on conditions/how fast it is growing. Plants in insufficient light might never bloom. I'd always believed the stereotype advice about these plants and "thriving in low light" and had kept them in dark corners. They grow much more quickly with more light.

Vacation worries? Please meet George!!!!!

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2146543/we-had-to-bring-him-home-he-was-a-survivor?n=18

George is The Man! Wow, what a will to live. Glad they found him in time because he's one special guy.

I have 2 large ones, a Laurentii and a Jaboa, who are outside and get plenty light and morning sun directly. My large Black Coral is inside and gets bright shade. Maybe one of them will bloom for me. I would think at their size, they have matured.

Loved George's story!!

Fantastic story about George

Tiffany, No, that one got thru. I wrote a long story of my life with plants, Submitted it and later never saw it?? Well here's the shorted story.

Ever since I can remember I have always loved plants. When about 7 years old, walking home from school in the back alleys, I saw a bunch of clay flower pots filled with soil. Brought home to give to my Aunt who had a love for flowers also when I discovered bulbs inside. Turned out to be tulips and other spring bulbs. Which sprouted and flowered again for me. Greatest time of my life. Gave them to my Aunt to plant in her garden since I lived in an apartment building. Had my tall snake plants for well over 40 years.

Stush

Stush, sweet story. *sigh*

Those pots were in the trash. Nothing to loose. It was early spring, I did nothing to induce them to bloom, Big surprise and was never able to repeat with so much success. I always had my bedroom window filled with plants until we bought our first house. Age 11, I had the most flowers in the smallest yard around.

I am all alone in my family with plants. Fortunately, both my sons picked up on it but one is vegetable gardening and the other in out side plants only at this time.

Same here Stush. Its like, oh, green things!

I am also the only plant lover in my family; that's why I love this forum, because at least I can't talk and share my experience with other plant lovers. I'm also trying to pass the love on to my young granddaughters, so let's see... My mother had a shed full of orchids when we lived in Puerto Rico, but now she lives in Texas and has gotten too old and sickly to tend to plants...

I'll add my story to the pile. About 25 years ago I was able to work at the Philadelphia Flower Show for my employer at the time Waterford Gardens. Myself and 2 of my co-workers spent 5 days there as a vendor. Anyway, I got to see the show in detail, as you can imagine. One area was for home gardeners to bring their best grown plants to be judged and given prize ribbons. At the cactus and succulent area, someone had an S. masoniana, then called Mason Congo, and it was incredible! It was my first time seeing leaves so huge! The specimen was magnificent, beautifully grown, leaves 3' tall and 10" wide. It blew my mind.

I hunted down one at the show, and that was it. Let the obsession begin.

I'm not obsessed with sans, but I am obsessed with plants. I'm currently in the middle of growing a pineapple top. I also have some calamondin orange pips hopefully growing. I've grown ginger from root and even had a peanut plant grown from a peanut. I'll try anything.

Larry, I never thought of peanuts coming from a plant. That's a good one! You learn alot trying anything so keep it up ;-)

This is the peanut. I was on a gardening job and there was an area where some had been spilled. I found one that was sprouting and took it home. It grew grew grew then flowered.

It grew very fast. Had to be repotted twice in that year

Vitorama, do your remember any specifics about that Masoniana? Like pot size, growing medium. I'd LOVE to grow a Sans that size. 10" leaves? Oh man! I'm dying to get back to my nursery with the dinosaurs but if its not the weather, I have other things going on. Been trying to get there the last 3 weekends.

Nursery with dinosaurs?

There is a C&S nursery near me that actually HAS dinosaurs, about 15' tall made from sheet metal. Not too many Sans, but I did get that Ballyi Minnie looking one there (NOID)....

I think Katrina is referring to those Sans apart from what most of us though of as Sans (first type seen) - the wide bladed, tall, lush-looking trifasciatas. It's a visual jolt when you see the African & Arabian types with their desert-savanna adapted leaf forms. Like Jurassic Park or something.... Katrina found a source for them.

May I have the pleasure of introducing a great American and botanist/inventor, George Washington Carver aka The Peanut Man. He's right up there with Luther Burbank. That's another thing I love about gardening, so much fascinating history & so many remarkable people if you care to look.

Wow fascinating story about an amazing man. One who I'd not heard of. A fellow peanut grower too!

Wow, Katrina, I have to dig deep for that memory. I really only remember it was grown in a large, clay azalea pot. And it took up most of the pot. Growing medium I didn't pay any mind to until recently, so I sure didn't back then. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. But you are relatively new to this Katrina. By next year, your plants will be so huge, in your magic conditions, that you will rival the dinosaur nursery!

Ha!! I got carried away. You DID say 25 years ago! lol...sorry about that. I would love some dinosaurs of my own. I hope I can handle the winter being it'll be my first. We usually get a freeze or two, so that'll be a test for me. If I make it through, I'll be promoted to "enabler" cuz I'll definitely have stuff to share! They're all really growing nicely. Even the Caespitosa (sp?) has perked up.

Thanks for sharing Mr. Carver's story, Next O. I knew he was the Peanut man but didn't know about his early life. Fascinating gentleman. And to advise the President and Ghandi??? Wowzer!

Larry, NextO is correct in her explanation of my "dinosaurs". It was my first time seeing so many of the African/Arabian types. And some are so large and just old looking. There's a link floating around here somewhere.

Btw, when you go back, more pictures please for us to oooo and aaaaah at.