Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Bryophyllum daigremontianum - Mother of Thousands

We get more calls about this plant than you can imagine. "My mother had a plant that had these little plants growing along its edge. Do you know what it is?" "My friend gave me this succulent plant that had these funny little leaflets growing along the edge. Can you tell me anything about it?"

The first response of many succulent hobbyists is to say, "You mean that 'Mother of Thousands' weed?" But that's not quite fair. It can be quite charming in its prime. And though it can become a greenhouse weed and it could become very invasive in welcoming climatic zones, in our area it won't overwinter outside. Therefore last year we decided to use it as an annual and it did beautifully, adding an interesting feature to an otherwise drab area. The winter weather has killed all those but - not to fear - we have more, wintering away in a corner of the greenhouse - hopefully as far away from other potted plants as possible....Well, one can hope!


2 comments:

  1. I just posted a few days back about how this plant is my absolute favorite succulent! I keep mine in a strawberry pot and it is so happy! Love the colors it takes on and it's beautiful leaf and plantlet formations!!! Best plant on the planet!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the comment. Actually we like these plants also (though I'm not quite ready to call it the best plant on the planet :). But you can understand why to some C&S hobbyists (not us) it's just a weed, in that it shows up in all the others potted plants in the greenhouse. We grow several different forms of "Mother of Thousands [Millions]...quadtrillions!

    ReplyDelete