Spider plant

Most people grow spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) as a houseplant, but I've never really liked it indoors. I'm not very good with houseplants in general though, so maybe that's the problem.

I do like growing spider plants outdoors though, and it's time to bring these tough but not cold-hardy plants in for the winter.

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This was the first year that I've put one of these guys into the ground, and I was really happy with what it did there:

Looked great, didn't it?

Not so great right now, after having experienced below-freezing temperatures on a few nights:

Still though, I know this plant is fine as I've abused it in many different ways before and it always bounces back. So I just dug it up:

Plenty of roots, but what makes this plant so tough and capable of my abuse are the tuberous roots:

These translucent, fleshy roots aren't as sturdy as carrots or radishes, but they allow the plant to go unwatered for months and months. Trust me, I've done it. I've actually left a division of this plant sitting on a shelf in the garage with roots exposed and very little light for an entire winter. Only when I saw it sitting there still in good shape in late spring did I pot it up outdoors, and it immediately started growing.

So I know that I can take some time figuring out what to do with this guy -- it will sit in my garage until I do.

I'll probably divide it up, pot a few of the divisions, leave others in storage, and get some new plants going before spring. I have a few of the "babies" (plantlets) that this species produces at the end of each brach too, which I've potted up.

You'll be seeing much more of this plant in my garden next year, as it's so carefree!

I still don't know if you'll see me growing it in my house though.

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