Queen of the Night: Epiphyllum hookeri

This plant was incorrectly identified in the original post.  I have revised this post to show the correct plant ID as Ephiphyllum hookeri.

The night blooming cereus (Epiphyllum hookeri) is both beautiful and easy to grow, but there's one catch -- trying to actually see the blooms.  One of the common names for this plant is Queen of the Night and it is so appropriate for these gorgeous blooms which disappear quickly at dawn.

I posted about the closing of the blooms for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and this week I captured the blooms fully open on a cloudy morning.   The blooms are supposed to begin opening around 10 p.m, but the ones on this plant don't seem to open until the middle of the night.

My friend Ragna shared this plant when her neighbor downsized to an apartment and no longer had room.  I wasn't sure I wanted to grow them but now I'm hooked  and, as a form of cactus, they could not be easier to grow.  After sticking the cuttings and rooted pieces in a well-draining potting mix and watering them in, I basically ignored them.  Imagine my surprise when I found four buds several weeks later.

The foliage is not quite so stunning as the blooms.  It's somewhat messy but it does have an interesting structure for a hanging basket or large pot.

They do need protection from frost and heat above 100F/38C which means I'll need to keep them in the shade this week as we are predicted to reach 104F/41C. 

Here's a slideshow of the bloom cycle which lasted about two hours on a cloudy morning

GBBD June 2012 - Three Special Tropical Blooms

It's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day (GBBD) hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.  For June 2012 I'm focusing on three special blooms, each with its own story.

This gorgeous canna bloom is the most amazing shape, color, and scent.  The story behind it makes it even more special.

It was grown from seeds sent to a gardening friend here in San Antonio by a gardener in Trinidad and Tobago who enjoys creating new cannas for his collection by cross pollinating.  About a year ago Barbra divided the plants and shared a few with me.  I call this canna 'Trinidad" but it has no official name.  The flower is a soft pink and curves downward more than most cannas.

The new flowers unfurl in a pattern similar to a bird of paradise.  The sweet tropical scent is a bonus.

 

This vigorous spreader and prolific bloomer is not fussy either.  I typically grow cannas in pots on the deck for summer color.  Here in zone 8b I can leave cannas out all winter.

The Night Blooming Cereus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) has had several blooms this week.  This one is from last night and I didn't get out there to check until this morning but I still enjoy seeing the blooms in their various stages.

  
This is the first time I've grown the night blooming cereus and the cuttings were passalongs from Ragna. These were stuck in a pot back in May and ignored so it's very easy to grow here though it does need winter protection.

This is a Sanseveria bloom and there are two at once in this pot on the deck.  It's a first ever for me to see one of these bloom.

Sanseveria was one of the plants I grew in my room back in high school so I've grown many of these over the years.   Since none have ever bloomed for me it was indeed a surprise and special event.  This plant was shared with me by gardening friend Patty.

The blooms are lily shaped and delicate.  The sanseveria will only bloom once at each cluster though the foliage does not die after blooming and will continue to create offsets that will eventually bloom.

Three special blooms on three special plants from three special gardening friends makes for a special Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!

Join Carol at May Dreams Gardens as bloggers from around the world share their blooms on the 15th of each month.

Ragna's Garden Part Two: Xeriscape Front Yard

My friend Ragna's Texas style cottage garden back yard was the subject for a recent post and her garden has so many unique features that it could not be covered in one posting.  Many of you have commented about how much you enjoyed seeing her back yard garden, this time I'm showcasing the front yard which is xeriscape, San Antonio style.  

Ragna and her husband Bob replaced their lawn with gravel mulch a few years ago.  After fifteen years of water restrictions and the last two years of drought, more and more San Antonians are going with similar low water use alternatives to the traditional lawn.  I personally find these yards are so much prettier and more inspiring than the dead brown lawns they replace.  That's certainly the case with this inviting front yard.