Epiphyllum Blooms

Posted on by capentalc

The epiphyllums I planted from cuttings in December 2020 are finally blooming. I posted about them in August of 2021. At the time they were about a year old. I forgot that it’s taken me 3 years since I acquired them when they were only about 6-8 inch cuttings. They grew long branches that are hard to keep them upright. I put mine in terracotta pots but I think eventually I will need a deeper and heavy pot to hold them steady. The flowers are definitely worth waiting for.

“HOCUS POCUS” EPIPHYLLUM

NO ID EPIPHYLLUM

This epiphyllum below is a No Id one too. I got them from my uncle about 5 years ago and it has so many flower buds on it right now. Yesterday was when it opened. In the afternoon the second flower opened. The colors are so strong and vibrant it almost looked fake to me. They are very delicate flowers.

Can you believe that after all these branches came from just one cutting I received five years ago? I predict I will have a month of these flowers taking turns opening one at a time.

The second flower opened and here I was trying to get them to get in the same picture. They tend to droop down so I had to hold their faces up.

That’s all the epiphyllums to share for now. I hope more will flower soon for us to see. Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there. In anticipation of the extraordinary amount of food I will eat later today and the Coca Cola chocolate cake I plan to make, I will have to do some major running this morning.

Epiphyllum Orchid Cacti

Posted on by capentalc

I have been growing these orchid cacti since December 2020. I got them when they were only cuttings but they have grown quite a bit. They seemed to be very easy to care for. I water once a week and leave in bright shade or morning sun. It took a couple of months of watering the cuttings before I saw any greens on the stems.

I bought a mix of cuttings so I have no clue what some of these flowers will look like. The seller wrote the names of some of the cuttings as you can see.

Some grow stems outward like spider legs (below).

And some will grow shoots next to or around the main branch. My understanding is that they flower after they become rootbound in the spring.

This pot below flowered for the first time this spring. I have it in this pot for over 3 years. As you can see it is a bit overcrowded with stems everywhere.

The color is a vibrant deep pink. It lasted only a few days if I remember correctly. I had only this one flower. Hopefully next year I will get more. I’m still learning about this plant.

Cosmos

Posted on by capentalc

This spring I planted a couple of new cosmos. I love the colors and flowers of cosmos. I try to grow them from seeds every year. They are so vibrant and fun. I put quite a few in the ground but for the first time this spring I am growing several in pots because I didn’t have room in the yard.

Cosmos planted in the ground can get pretty big and unwieldy so I am mindful of that this time around.  They are very easy to care for and can tolerate poor clay soil. I think they make attractive wispy plants between larger leafy bushes.

Rose bonbon
Cranberry
Apricot lemonade
Lemonade

In the garden I have a few more exciting flowers in bloom below. As you can see my clematis from last year has really taken off with four times more flowers! I have a sunflower looking beauty below that I am not sure what kind it is. Then, I have a 3′ tall branch of a poppy called Drama Queen that is deep burgundy with frilled edges. It really is the most dramatic looking poppy I have ever seen!

Clematis General Sikorski
Sunflower
Drama Queen poppy

In the picture below I have a couple of Epiphyllum orchid cactus cuttings that was left neglected with no soil, water, or pot and yet it is starting to flower, whereas the ones I have in pots are not doing well at all. I think it might be because I water them too much. Neglect is what it needs!

Have a great week ahead!