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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Christmas Cactus


This blooming cactus is beautiful enough to share. It is called the Christmas Cactus but here it is November 1, and it is blooming. What is really amazing is that for 11 months of the year it looks every bit the dead plant. No sign of life what so ever. It sits there in the window looking like it should be thrown out. Then suddenly it comes to life again. Dead one minute and then alive and beautiful for a time and then it goes back to dead again.

We have learned over the years that if we give it a few drops of water every once and awhile, it will return to life at some point. Then it will be beautiful for a time and then the cycle starts over. So this is resurrection time for our cactus. The beauty of the flowers makes it worth waiting for. So thought we would share this time in the cactus' life with viewers.



4 comments:

Deirdre said...

These are lovely! I have seen them in several hues -- but all from pink to crimson. I never could get mine to bloom! I heard you were supposed to put it in a paperbag (seriously) in the basement during the spring and summer and bring it back out into the light in the fall for its fall to winter blooming time. I tried. It died. :) Yours are so pretty, though! I love that the leaves actually look as if they have picked up some red hues also.

Bruce said...

We just let our cactus sit on the window sill all year and look dead. It comes to life this time each year. We give it a little water occasionally even though it looks dead. Ours seems to thrive there in the window sill getting a little water on occasion.

M. Smith said...

I love them. It reminds me of the one my Mom had for years. It belonged to her Great Grandmother. It was huge.. It use to sit on a shelf by itself and my Mom religiously waterered it when it needed it. And let no one touch it. She had no idea how old it was then. But it was old as her Great Grandmother was long gone. Not quit sure what happened to it. But maybe us kids killed it off ;) But it died. But so pretty when I can remember it. I believe that others had pieces of it that they started. So it might just be living on in other places.
Thank you fo sharing...

Raylene said...

An older couple at church left me there Christmas cactus compete with it's pot and handmade stand. It is absolutley huge and covered with bright flowers for months at a time. Obviously, I have it in just the right light to make it happy. It often blooms fall and spring. as well. I refer to it as Ruth and Walt--the gifters.