Its the third spring in Glacier Valley this season!

We are well into our third spring here in Glacier City this week. The Girdwood Board of Supervisors have been told that the roads crew has used more gravel on the roads so far this season than all of last winter. It is raining today and it has been 38° all day. There were small patches of blue sky today, but no full clearing and no real wind, a few slight breezes. Our driveway is an ice rink, but the main Alyeska Highway is clear of all ice and snow. There has been snow above 100 ft elevation, so the upper mountain at Alyeska has been nice, however, it is sticky at the base. Great conditions for beginners to learn!

I’d like to share a house plant tip for those keeping their lives green indoors. Here is a beautiful example of a narrow-leaved variety of Sansevieria in bloom. How many times are we given a gift of the broad leaf Sansevieria trifasciata (mother-in-law’s tongue) and not ever even known that it blooms? Sansevieria make great house plants, they require little water and moderate light most of the year.  Additionally, Sansevieria help clean air inside a dwelling (as do most plants).

This family of plants requires little water because its leaves are coated with a cuticle. This “waxy” covering keeps the plant from losing moisture too quickly. These plants are from the tropics and hotter environments where they may go for long periods of time without rain. Consequently, they have adapted so well in Australia they are now considered a noxious weed. 

Moderate light must be qualified here since we have low light in the winter. Most of our house plants need to be moved close to a window in the winter, the closer the better and a southern exposure window is best. Sansevieria pictured here was in a northern exposure window but in a building with lights on over 12 hours per day. Look at this gorgeous bloom, obviously it is happy with its location. The temperature of the building also helped, it stays warmer than the average home in this location. 

A nice bonus of this plant is it is easy to divide and share. The off-shoots can be rooted in water then planted. Or, the plant can be divided when transplanting into larger pots or when replacing the potting soil. A great beginning house plant to try for yourself!