Christmas cactus
Schlumbergera, usually known as Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus, grow in tropical south-eastern Brazil. The stems look like jointed flattened leaves and the flowers arise from the tips and joints of the stems.
In the wild, Schlumbergera grow on trees or rocks and develop into shrubs which can reach 1.2 metres in height. If the flowers are fertilised, small fruits may form.
The flowers may be red, white, orange, yellow, pink or purple. There are new cultivars that combine two or three colours on one plant.
Schlumbergera 'Branca Dobrada' has double white flowers. The plant also bears single white flowers at the same time.
Schlumbergera plants are tropical plants and prefer to be kept in temperatures above 10˚C. They dislike waterlogged soil.
I love these but seem to be unable to grow one. Same with Begonias. My mum had several, all grown from pieces she took from my newly bought plants and hers thrived while mine died. Other people living in the flats here have them too and they have offered me cuttings, but I prefer to just enjoy theirs.
ReplyDeleteIt's odd how just a small change in location/temperature can affect plants. I've tried for years to grow lavender, with no success.
DeleteI love Christmas cactus.
ReplyDeleteThey give a lovely splash of colour on a dark day - even better in the sun. 😊
DeleteMy father loved his Christmas cactus plants and it was a great point of honour with him to have at least one of them in bloom on 25th December.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely. I can imagine the planning that went into achieving that.
DeleteMine is in full flower at the moment. It also blooms again in the Spring. Didn't realise it was from Brazil.
ReplyDeleteIt's a bonus when they flower twice.
DeleteChristmas cactus is the long-lasting plant for a useless gardener like me
ReplyDeleteIt's a rewarding plant to have.
DeleteThey are so easy to start from a 'leaf', but mine would sulk from time to time and not flower.
ReplyDeleteThey can live for a long time on their reserves. I think most plants sulk from time to time.
DeleteWe had two gorgeous pink ones at our old house which thrived on the kitchen windowsill. They didn't take well to our house move and sulked so much they ended up in the compost bin.
ReplyDeleteAww, poor plants. Sometimes you just have to give up and call it quits.
DeleteI didn't know that this cactus is related to Christmas, I have seen it often but never at Christmas. But you will find Poinsettias in all households in Europe.
ReplyDeletePoinsettias are very popular Christmas plants. I like the red ones best, but the pink are pretty, and so are the white ones.
DeleteI love them, I have a huge one in our bathroom, and a few babies dotted around, I also got a white flowering one, which o far I have managed to keep the buds from falling off.
ReplyDeleteThey are so easy to propagate. I like plants like that!
DeleteThey are pretty but I gave up on mine it got too big!
ReplyDeleteThat's a shame.
DeleteVery nice to see at this time of year.
ReplyDeleteThey're so pretty.
DeleteGorgeous colors!
ReplyDeleteMy husband has a Christmas cactus in our sunroom but it's not blooming just yet.
Sometimes it's nice to have them flowering after Christmas, when a bit of colour and cheer is needed in the dull days of January.
DeleteI am not planning to purchase a Christmas cactus any time soon... but a Christmas tree - now that's a different matter. We will get another cheap one from "Home Bargains". £12 last December.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a bargain. We have an artificial tree but I love the smell of a real tree. Maybe it's time to have a real one again.
DeleteMy red one was blooming quite well, but I did over water it, so I have cut it back to nubbins and hope it will survive. It is 20 years old now.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is a very good age. I love the word 'nubbins'.
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of a Christmas cactus ... It does look lovely, but knowing my success with house plants, I'd probably kill it off in just a couple of weeks :-) xxx
ReplyDeleteThey do weather a little neglect, so you might be all right.
DeleteI always think the Christmas cactus plants and their flowers look attractive.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
It's nice to see an abundance of flowers on a plant.
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