Monday, November 08, 2010

My Confused Cactus



My Christmas Cactus is confused...its blooming its silly head off even before Thanksgiving!

When I bought this plant for $5 at Home Depot about 14 years ago,

it was just a little tiny thing, in a 4 inch plastic pot.


We have transplanted it into bigger & bigger containers at least 3 times now.





First, I saw only one little bud...a tiny splash of hot pink within the green
.

Is it any wonder pink & green are one of my favorite color combinations?





Within a few days, another bright pink spot appeared.


Then a few more!



All of a sudden, a RIOT of color burst forth!!


This beautiful plant seems to thrive on benign neglect.

It sits out on our porch all summer long where I throw a cup of plain,

unfertilized water on it about once a week.





It seems unfair to be rewarded with such spectacular beauty for so little effort.

I wish my roses were as easy to care for & as prolific!




My sister has a Christmas Cactus...same color...

that belonged to our Grandmother first & then our Mother.

That would make it at least
40 years old, if not more,

because Grandmother passed away in 1970.

My mother brought it to her home to care for it.

That makes 3 generations of women, watering &

transplanting & sharing cuttings with friends & family over the years.

I hope my daughter & granddaughter care for

this one just as lovingly.



If benign neglect is all it needs, it should do just fine!


We had our first snowfall of the season this weekend.

Quite a contrast between the inside & the outside, huh?



I scampered outside in my nightgown, robe & slippers

to capture these shots of the snow in the moonlight.

Reminds me of diamonds!





Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House.

I hope this brought a bright note to the start of your week.

Stop over at Mary's Dear Little Red House to see more bright

spots in her Mosaic Monday meme.



34 comments:

  1. Rett, Your Christmas Cactus is just stunning. Please don't tell me Christmas is that close!!
    Suzyq

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  2. Your cactus is beautiful! I had one a long time ago but not recently-enjoy:@)

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  3. Morning, Rett! That is one GORGEOUS plant. How neat that your sister has the one from your grandmother and that everyone has gotten cuttings of a plant that has been loved by three generations of women. NEAT!

    And snow! WOW! We got a little chilly, but I hear it's supposed to warm up. I hope so because my arm is cold as I type. lOL!

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

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  4. I really should get one of these, I am good at neglecting house plants lately. LOL! Your plant is totally gorgeous! I just love the color of it. Snow already? Wow!

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  5. Rett, You got way more of the white stuff than we did! I woke up to see just a dusting on the roofs a few days ago. But then, I know how much more precipitation northern OH gets vs. us down in the SW part of the state. Your cactus is gorgeous!! So what if it is a little confused? I think Mother Nature has been playing little tricks on plants and people, alike. :-)
    I should try growing one- maybe I'll hit up Wally Mart or HD to see what they have in the garden area. Stay warm. It was chilly here last night! brrrr....

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  6. Well, if the plant thinks it's already Christmas, then maybe the weather has something to do with it, and hopefully, spring is right around the corner. LOL Wouldn't that be delightful?

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  7. WOW! I didn't know they could live so long. It is beautiful! La

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  8. WOW...that is really loaded. I finally stopped trying to keep indoor plants...I would forget when I had last watered them. I could really kill any variety of cactus pretty quickly. You've done a great job....it almost inspires me to try again. And YAY for snow...

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  9. Rett, that is one beautiful cactus confused or not about when Christmas comes. I love the idea that you and your family pass the "love" along to one another through plants. I lost my Christmas cactus last year after a 20 year love/neglect relationship, it had been given to me by a young single mother who worked for me and I treasured it more than any of the expensive gifts I had been given. I did morn the loss and hopefully this year I will feel up to buying a new one.

    Now on to snow....I actually think you got more than we did up here. It snowed on and off all day Friday but without any accumulation even on the trees as you have. I'm happy....keep the snow down there.

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  10. Hi Rett, I have killed every Christmas Cactus I have been given, hard on a gardener I can tell you. Yours look so beautiful that I want to try another. Take care and enjoy your week. Jen

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  11. I have a Christmas cactus, but it doesn't look anything like this! WOWOWOWOWOWOW Who cares if it is a little early! Amazing.

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  12. Holy moly that's one prolific cactus! I LOVE that it's choosing its own time to bloom ... I have several cactii rooted from my grandmother's massive cactus -- which dated from the 1950s so these are OLD plants -- and ONE of them insists on blooming for Thanksgiving, and then last year bloomed again for Easter.

    Renegades, what can I say?

    Oh -- and my husband now thinks you are the wisest woman in blogland for your kind words about him on my post about the shed wreaths. He went off to work smiling!

    Happy Monday -- Cass

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  13. OH your plant is fabulous! And the crystal snow, so pretty!

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  14. My Christmas Cactus is just starting to show a few bud tips - we'll see. Last year it didn't bloom at all! Yours is fabulous!

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  15. What a riot of color, Rett! Stunningly beautiful.

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  16. This is amazing! I have never seen a Chrstmas Cactus that big with so many blooms!!!!! Just beautiful....
    Kristen

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  17. Your Christmas Cactus is spectacular. Just loaded with beautiful blooms. I have an orange-red one in bloom but nowhere near your blooms. My white one is just starting to bloom.

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  18. BEAUTIFUL!! Mine only has 8 blooms. But then at Easter, there is an EXPLOSION of blooms!! XXOO, Damaris

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  19. We have a confused Christmas cactus, too! Yours is especially gorgeous! I love the fact your grandmother's plant is still bringing joy.

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  20. Your Christmas cactus is spectacular. Isn't it odd how many plants survive best on neglect?
    Hopefully this beauty will remain in your family for many more generations.

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  21. Hi Rhett

    I have a Christmas cactus that gets red flowers. It usually blooms a few weeks before Christmas so it will probably begin growing buds soon. It also has a long history of being passed down from one teacher to another and then to my sister who was a school secretary and then she gave it to me when she retired and moved across the country.

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  22. A fantastic Christmas cactus. And your photos are just amazing.

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  23. Dear Rett,

    You did a great job on this Christmas Cactus! Usually they reward us for not fertilizing them, as that will NOT create any blooms. In nature those cactus produce blooms for their seeds, to survive... before they themselves will wilt away.
    Well, other than a premature Christmas this is a marvel on its own. Hope indeed that your daughters will pass on this wonderful tradition!

    Have a great week and greetings from Georgia,

    MariettesBacktoBasics

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  24. Rett, thanks for visiting me for Mosaic Monday and for your comment. I do appreciate it.
    I LOVE the Christmas cactus and I think I will get one to try. Neglect is the key word that influenced me!!
    Love the sparkly snow too. Burrr...
    Take care of you.

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  26. Wow this is the most beautiful cactus I have ever seen. I got my mom one several years ago and it has never gotten as pretty as yours..maybe she should try neglecting it?

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  27. Wow! Maybe even I could keep that type of plant alive!! I am a notorious plant killer! It is beautiful!

    Snow!! What fun! A bit early, but so beautiful! I loved nothing more than watching it fall at nighttime with the lights off in the house. So glorious. In Jemma's bedroom upstairs, we could look out the front of the house and the road curved to the left. There was a big lamp post there in that curve and that is where I would rock my baby and watch it snow. It was like out of a movie. So pretty!

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  28. It is beautiful, Rett. And wonderful you have had one so long.
    Mine always bloomed before Tgiving.
    We had a dusting too, but 60 by Wed.
    Crazy!

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  29. HI RETT!!
    How are you my sweet friend!!!
    Oh my goodness if that cactus thrives on neglect, maybe I could grow that!!Yours is beautiful!!So much vibrant color!!
    OH GOSH, your snow pics with the warm glow of the house behind, is truly a photographic masterpiece!!I loved it and I sure wish I could have seen you sneaking out in your pj's to snap that pic!!
    How cute would that be!!
    I hope everyone is doing well at your house today.Hug your darling hubby today for me.
    Have a Blessed week
    hugs,
    jamie

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  30. The only ones that bloom at Christmas are the ones you buy blooming at Christmas! I have a "Lynley" cactus, a gift the day my third daughter was born, 22 years ago. Several family members have plantings from it.

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  31. Rett, your Christmas cactus is amazing. I was never successful at keeping mine from year to year and if I did, it didn't rebloom. You are giving me inspiration to try again. ;-)
    I love the thought of three generations of women caring for the same plant. What a wonderful story. ~ Sarah

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  32. Beautiful photos of the snow, Rett. I had a neighbor who had a Christmas cactus for nearly 50 years. You should have seen that monster! Yours is so beautiful. I really need to get a new one. I lost my ten year old when we moved.

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  33. And I was just patting myself on the back because the Christmas cactus that I had failed to water all summer long now has about a dozen buds on it... I can see that it would have been a lot better if only I had thrown a cup of water on it once a week... lol Yours is BEAUTIFUL!!!

    And snow? Brrrrr. I'm not sure I'm ready for that quite yet... :)

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  34. Rett, Your Christmas cactus is amazing! Love the contrast seen between your blooms and the snow outside. To everything there is a season...
    Blessings, Beth

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I read them all & each one is so very special to me & I try really hard to return the visit!

fondly,
~Rett~