It’s amazing what you find when you’re thinking about something else. I’d had the letter Z on my mind (yes, that book challenge) when these jumped out at me as I was going through some 2009 photo folders from an old (as in defunct) blog.
Z is for Zygocactus
also known as Schlumbergara
aka Christmas Cactus
They are hardy pot plants that seem to grow wherever you want them to
Break a piece off – pot it up in some dirt
and very soon you’ll have a new plant.
These plants were all started from cuttings
taken from friends or neighbours plants
I had them growing in containers that hung over the railing of the deck.
happy to be there most of the year.
though I did put them in the shade if the sun became too hot.
There were several plants in each of the long boxes
and if nature got the timing right
and they all bloomed together.
it looked like a ribbon of pink all the way along.
You know at first glance these plants appear to be a jumble of gnarly old stems
each with a flower at the end
But if you look carefully
you will see that the most delicate of blooms are growing there.
Up in the Northern Hemisphere they are often called Christmas Cactus
‘cose thats about the time when they seem to flower. Not so down here in Melbourne these photos were taken in October
right at the end of our Winter – beginning of Spring
These are beautiful plants often regarded as common and hum drum looking
What do you think?
Joining in with Elephant’s Child and others for Sunday Selections
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlumbergera
Zygocactus
Still Waters 
Common, shmommon. I delight in them.
And should grow more.
And thank you for joining us again.
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Seeing these old photos reminded me of what an easy plant they are to grow. I’ll have to find a friend toot a piece off to start one again.
I’ll probably back in a couple of weeks EC…..mustn’t outstay my welcome 😊
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You are welcome just as often as you like. Every week would not be too much at all.
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Those are beautiful. Now you are beginning Spring – lucky.
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Spring is definitely here Germaine!
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Zestful, blooming lovely blooms! Spring certainly has spring into colourfful life around here, too.
The annual Carnival of Flowers presently being held in the Darling Downs city of Toowoomba is bringing many visitors to the fair city. The carnival runs from 18th September through until 27th September during which time Nature unselfishly shares her bountiful, beautiful gifts.
Have a lovely, relaxed Sunday, Cathy…may the week ahead treat you kindly. 🙂
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A day at the Carnival of Flowers sounds like a good day. We passed through/ stayed the night in Toowoomba once on our way to Brisbane just after those dramatic floods (Mary River?). It was In August, I didn’t realise it was so high and it was freezing!
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I love Christmas Cactus. They go back a long way in my family. I have one rooting right now.
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They’re fun to propagate aren’t they Joanne.
The plant that keeps on giving- to you, me and half the neighbourhood 😊
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At times plants do become so common they are not appreciated, but I really like zygocactus.
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Andrew, it’s unusual to look at – just long segments for most of the year and then it shines for a while with all those flower heads hanging off the ends. They just sit there in the background until that happens then they’re noticed
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A “cactus with a Z” how amazing – I wonder if the original botanist was using the alphabet to give names to plants and reach Z and thought “oh my…whatever shall I use?”
A ribbon of pink would sure look fabulous…
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They looked really good for a few seasons – I’d move them into the shade during the summer then out again when it got cooler.
One year they all shrivelled up, both planter boxes, no idea why….All efforts to repot and take cuttings failed.
I should find a willing friend to donate some pieces and have another go
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Nothing common about them – they are very pretty.
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They really were quite stunning at the time…..I must try and get some more cuttings…no way to get plants at the moment. Well we’re not supposed to be vista friends so the cuttings will also have to wait 😊
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I hadn’t thought about having a line of them…they look stunning. Off to make cuttings…
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From recollection I think there were maybe three in each of those long boxes. It took a little while but once they filled out they looked really good
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Crikey what a difference a climate makes. I used to grow those in NZ – indoors – green ones with red flowers but they never ever flowered as prolifically as that. One or two at a time; if you were lucky. It took a life time of pointless gardening to come round to ‘plant for place’ point of view and when I see pictures like you pink flowers I wonder why it took me so long.
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They’re grown inside as well here F…I like to take a chance on things and had these in the sun then the shade, watering was a bit hit and miss in the shade because they weren’t there in front of me…but they survived. Until one year when they all turned up their toes.
Oh and that display is several small plants, not just one, in those cheap long box planters.
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I had no idea that you could do this with the cactus. I have always thought of them as very fussy and hard to grow. I loved the pink explosion on your deck!
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I’m not sure they’re a true cactus Elizabeth – that’s the ‘common name’. Look at the two links I provided and you’ll get a better idea.
They really are easy to look after, an ideal house plant for your cold weather area……certainly not outside during the winter, maybe during the summer.
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Thanks for the tips.
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