I have been patiently ( okay not so "patiently") waiting for my orchid cacti to begin their blooming season. They spent a rough winter in the greenhouse surviving on what I thought was enough attention, only to discover that in reality, the attention they received was just barely enough to keep them going. Since moving them outside however and discovering my mistakes, I have repotted them and begun feeding them on a regular schedule and they are so much happier.
I started doing the " happy dance"
last week when I noticed that a bud was forming. Then yesterday I noticed the bud was turning upward, so I knew it would be opening soon. It stormed off and on all day . Last night I went to check on the bud just to make sure the rain hadn't knocked it off the plant and much to my surprise, this is what I saw:
This gorgeous Epiphyllum Strictum only blooms at night. In fact these pictures were all taken at about 1 AM last night. By 8 AM this morning it was closed up and the show was over. This particular plant will normally form buds and bloom for me off and on through the summer. Now if I can just get her day blooming friends to do the same. If you are interested in learning more about these wonderful cacti, there are lots of great websites and forums on the web. Check them out. If you are interested in cuttings or starter plants, I will be listing both soon in my
etsy shop or on
ebay.
