Good morning! Northeast Dallas TX weather report 12/10/16 is:
Coldest temps in 2 years. Hard freezes Thu/Fri morning 12/8 (26F) and 12/9 (24F)
Low this morning: 31F, partly sunny, high 50F, S wind 10-15 mph
Tomorrow: low 47 high 66, partly cloudy, S wind 15-20 mph, morning rain
The propagation of Epiphyllum Hookeri syn.: epiphyllum strictum has begun. Twenty tidy little green plastic pots sit in the cold, dark garage hopefully putting down new roots.
This labor took substantially longer than expected and forced me to learn a new lesson...read every review on Amazon about how many holes are in the bottom of starting pots. Here are pictures of the wonderful buds/blooms on mature plants for you to admire.
The growth habit of this strange plant is untidy. It produces 1-3 ft needle-less stalks sprouting from the pot, half way up or from the top of an existing paddle or both. The plant is pollinated by the sphinx moth and horn worm (bye-bye tomatoes), cross-pollinated by the hawk moth, and draws bats. A mature plant averages 6’ tall x 4’ in diameter or larger and will climb. Blooms ranging from 4-7” diameter happen on pot-bound new growth starting in late spring in my growing zone 8b. Although they thrive year-round in tropical zones, here they need to be brought in when nighttime temps go to 40 degrees. It’s a twice-yearly challenge to get these unwieldy monsters in and out the house doors. Lots of broken stalks become cuttings.
Night Blooming Cereus is the common name used to describe thousands of variations of ceroid cacti which bloom only at night...Queen of the Night, Princess of the Night, Honolulu Queen, Christ in the Manger, etc. Hylocereus is the Dragon Fruit plant.
It’s a Southern tradition to throw a party the night the blooms are about to open, giving invitees the opportunity to ooh and aah at the miracle of plant life. But in true Southern and Victorian tradition, no hard liquor is served so that all are fully aware. Dang. There goes the idea for a pina colada party on a 90 degree midnight in August...
Gardener’s golden rule: Weed ‘em and reap!