any idea if these are toxic to cats?

Garden Design featured sanses in their last issue... great pictures. I have some of the Moonshine type and some unvarigated four-foot who-knows-what-kind that I yanked from Mom's garden when they took over. They make a spectacular planting at the back of my balcony, which is mostly shady but gets blasts of full sun in the late afternoon.

I would not keep them in a dim room forever. I've managed to kill them that way. They'll show no sign of stress for months, then just suddenly keel. Put them in the sun once in a while if you can (for as much as you get in San Fran thru the fog, I wouldn't be afraid to let them have as much as they can get.)

If you can rotate two plants in and out of the dim room throughout the year (maybe give them a month for each rotation), you should have them nearly forever. Otherwise consider them a long-lasting bouquet.

they are nice plants, but they have been the plant of choice in every office I've ever worked in. Somehow this makes me really not want to have one in my home. That picture against a red wall is beautiful though.

@whytephoenix, rotating the plants in a dim room is fantastic advice. Thank you for chiming in!

- Susie

I've actually had real problems keeping this alive. I had wondered if it was getting too much sun or if I was watering it too much. It never really seems to establish strong roots. I've repotted into better soil, changed the location, but it never really thrives.

(And I keep a lot of other far trickier plants alive. My orchid is happy as a clam, so it's not just a black thumb..)

I have 3 cats and 3 of these plants. They have never tried to chew on the plants. One of my cats is an expert at eating plants too, he ate a 10 inch bay tree

Looks like mother-in-law's tongue is on the CFA's toxic to cats list. Darn.
http://www.cfa.org/articles/plants.html

My goodness! Is there a plant that ISN'T on this list? Personally, this has long been a favorite plant of mine - just can't seem to kill 'em. And I've always had cats, indoor and otherwise.
Right now I have a tremendous snake plant beside my front door. A friend commented "that's bad feng shui!" (she explained this has to do with the pointy shape of the leaf) Well I say if I've managed to not kill it, that's good enough feng shui for me!

You should water them when they are dry -- but don't wait too long. Ambient temperature and humidity greatly affect how quickly they dry out. There is no substitute for looking at and touching the soil. It's true they store some reserve water and so can survive dryness for a while, but no plant can be stressed to the brink of over and over without being weakened. They will respond to good care by actively growing, not just surviving.

The other thing is to be sure not to plant them too deep. If the crown is submerged by soil the plant will surely rot (and quickly, too). I lost a few this way before figuring this out.

I managed to kill one of these--but I'll tell ya--it took some effort. I neglected it horribly, and it held on for the longest time. Very hardy. But I am a plant murderess.

BlackFrancine, when I go to look at plants my husband calls it "looking for my next victim." Though, I haven't managed to kill one of these yet, but they also never seem to grow.

How much do I love this post? A lot.

*gazes around low-light apartment with renewed hope*

I just helped my mom repot one like the first photo (a short one). She got it from a coworker two or three years ago, and in that time it had grown to completely fill the pot, enough that we thought it would crack the terra cotta. We ended up getting six repotted plants from it, and still threw some away. She had it in a sunny south window, and it was apparently very happy there.

yes, these actually *will* crack through pots. I would recommend keeing them in their nursery pot within the decorative pot of your choice, not directly planting it.

their most likely killer is overwatering. and remember, low light doesn't mean no light-- they do need a little sunshine now and then (though I have seen some survive in offices with the tiniest amount of light for years).

if you really want a fun variety, check out sansevieria cylindrica!

I have one of these in a bright pot at the end of a dark hallway, and it really brightens things up. I also have a cat who doesn't bother trying to eat it ... maybe because it's in such an out-of-the-way location?

I don't associate these with office buildings (probably because I've always worked in small businesses). But I totally associate them with chain bar-and-grills. Like next time you go to Chile's or On the Border, take a gander, and I bet you'll see tons of snake plants!

Another low-light, hardy, air-detoxifying plant good for low-light, low-humidity areas the dracaena. I just got a variegated variety that's surprisingly pretty.

Sansieveria are often touted as a low-light plant, but only because they will remain alive in low light. They won't grow much (or at all) without sunlight. This is a drag if you like to watch your plants grow, but great if you have a specimen that is the perfect size and shape for its place in your home.

Put these plants in bright light, water frequently in the summer, not as much in the winter and they will grow so much they will crack the ceramic/terracotta pots that are too small for them.