Sunday, August 26, 2012

My Garden is my Calendar

School starts tomorrow, which means it is time for the Peruvian Apple Cactus (Cereus repandus, Peruvian pitaya) to begin its nightly bloom.

The afternoon before blossom.



The dawn of blossom.



After sunrise.



By midmorning.



The afternoon after blossom.


6 comments:

Pasadena Adjacent said...

You need a scratch and sniff element to your blog. The unfamiliar with these flowers might be in for a surprise.

I miss my flowering cactus - an unfortunate victim to my cinderblock wall that crashed on top of it.

Happy new school year - do you teach in the area?

Christina said...

PA: I have an extra potted up if you'd like it. I work out further east in the San Gabriel Valley, not here in the 'denas.

Michelle said...

Are they one-shot-wonders or will the blossoms open again the next day? They are beautiful. I have a few calendar plants also, like the tree dahlia that blooms at Thanksgiving.

Christina said...

Michelle: They only bloom for one night. They do, however, produce hot pink fruit that are very tasty. Your tree dahlia sounds fantastic!

HelenB said...

Your cactus is operating on a way different schedule from the one mine is on. Here in Hollywood, blooming begins sometime from early June to mid July, and lasts 90 to 100 days. This year, it started June 1, and the last blossom opened two days ago

Christina said...

HelenB: It sounds like yours must be a lot more mature than mine. Mine is a second-year cutting in a pot. I love it, and I know where it will eventually go in the ground, but I have some land-moving to do before it settles into its longterm home.