The plant was started from a slip of my Mother's plant over thirty years ago. It had a rough beginning because I was always moving it around, but then someone told me that they don't like to be moved. She advised me to find a place they like and leave it there.
When we bought the house we now live it we converted a front porch to a year-round sun room. It has east and north facing windows, gets beautiful full sun in the morning and bright light the rest of the day. I put my cactus in a big pot and hung it in front of the north window, and it has been there ever since.
It must be the perfect spot, because over the years it has grown to a massive plant and every year it blooms from late December until late February or early March, without any intervention on my part. I just water it when I remember to - never fertilize - pretty much it thrives on not much attention at all! And for that I get an incredible show of beauty for several months.
It is coming to the point where I am going to have to take it down and reduce it's size. I am terrified at the thought of this task, what if I ruin it or worse still kill it. I have started others from it, but none of those smaller plants have ever bloomed.
You can't really see in this picture, but there are hundreds of buds starting on almost every tip of this plant. I will try and get another picture when it really gets going.
I have another plant blooming in my sun room. It one of my three orchids. It too started just before Christmas and will continue for months. Orchids bloom lasts a long time, nothing they do is ever quick... but Oh is it beautiful!
I am so blessed to have summer colours when winter is everywhere I look. To see the snow outside, I first have to look through the blossoms inside my home.... how wonderful!
Neither of these plants would ever give me this show in summer - only in winter will this incredible beauty come to life...
God Bless Winter!
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