Other Names:  Gold Flame Snake Plant, Mother-In-Law's Tongue

Description:

This popular plant will form dense stands of vertical leaves, arranged in rosettes; new foliage is bright yellow, maturing to sea green with gray ripples and vertical yellow stripes and margins; an excellent patio or garden accent in frost-free climates

Ornamental Features

Golden Flame Snake Plant's attractive large twisted sword-like leaves emerge yellow in spring, turning bluish-green in color with prominent yellow stripes and tinges of grayish green the rest of the year on a plant with a vase-shaped habit of growth. It features dainty spikes of fragrant green spider-like flowers with white overtones at the ends of the stems in mid spring. It produces orange berries in early summer.

Landscape Attributes

Golden Flame Snake Plant is an herbaceous evergreen tropical plant with an indistinguished habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects

Golden Flame Snake Plant is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

This plant is native to the tropics and prefers growing in moist environments with evenly warm conditions all year round. In our climate, it is usually grown as an outdoor annual in the garden or in a container. If you want it to survive the winter, it can be brought in to the house and provided with special care, and then returned to the garden the following season. In its preferred tropical habitat, it can grow to be around 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. However, when grown as an annual or when overwintered indoors, it can be expected to perform differently, and its exact height and spread will depend on many factors; you may wish to consult with our experts as to how it might perform in your specific application and growing conditions.

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Golden Flame Snake Plant is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

-- THIS IS A TROPICAL PLANT AND SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO SURVIVE THE WINTER OUTDOORS IN OUR CLIMATE --