Monday, August 14, 2023

My Epiphyllum oxypetalum bloomed!

Tomorrow, August 15th, is Garden Blogger's Bloomday. Hosted by May Dreams Gardens, this a day for garden bloggers everywhere to share photos of the plants blooming in their gardens. I posted faithfully for Bloomday for over 13 years, but last autumn I decided that since my garden isn't planted for the flowers, it was silly for me to dedicate one of my blog posts each month to the flowers. Since then I've been a sporadic Bloomday poster. 

This month I decided to post to mark the blooming of my Epiphyllum oxypetalum (aka Dutchman's Pipe Cactus, Night-blooming Caereus, Orchid Cactus, Queen of the Night). I first noticed there were buds back on July 26th...

Early last week I noticed they were starting to swell. Was it time?

When the end started to separate and I could see the individual petals I figured that was a sign.

Sure enough, later that night (9:10 pm) I went out to check on it and was rewarded with this...

In case you've never heard of this plant, it only blooms at night, and each flower only lasts that night. 

They're pollinated by bats and large moths. Some say the fragrance is strong, but I only detected a light scent.


One flower opened that first night, and two additional buds held the promise of future flowers.

My hand for scale, in case you were wondering about the size of the flowers.

The back-side...

I have plants of 3 different origins stuffed into that hanging metal container. A piece I bought in California back in 2019, a piece sent to me by fellow-blogger Janet (The Queen of Seaford), and a plant I bought at Bauman Farms last summer. It's that last one that's blooming.

Here's what the flower looked like the next morning, photos taken at 7:49 am.


And 2:00 pm.

Fast forward to just before 9pm later that second night and the next two had started to open.

They are remarkably beautiful flowers, and I feel lucky to have been able to see them bloom in my garden.

Here it is about an hour later and further along in it's development. That's the first flower to have opened in the background.

The plant itself is extremely easy to care for. It's outside in the summertime in very little direct sun (only early morning), but lots of indirect bright light. I water when the soil feels dry. In the winter months it's in our basement, which stays cooler than the upstairs (mid 60's I'm guessing) and in a low light corner. I might have given it a little water last winter, but not much. Of course if you live in a climate warmer than my Zone 8 then you could get away with treating it like the epiphyte it is and grow it outdoors, in a tree, year round. Either way, you really should grow this plant!

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All material © 2009-2023 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

19 comments:

  1. I am not a big flower person either and still miss Pam Penick's meme, Foliage Followup on the 16th. I loved that. You might be interested to know that I just saw a Wisconsin gardener post pictures of his Night-blooming Caereus. So dramatic.

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    1. It's the blooming time of the year for them isn't it? Perhaps you should revive the Foliage Follow-up meme?

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  2. Thanks Loree! This plant was a truly magical plant early in my gardening life. I think I was in my late teens when I first got one. It either bloomed that first year or the next. But once I got the knack of growing it I got many flowers on a single plant. It lasted many years----not sure why I lost it. I'm in my 60s now. The fragrance on mine was intoxicating, more so some years than other years if I remember. Thanks so much for reminding me of this gem! I really need to find a new one! If only I had your photo skills!

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    1. The plant did all the photography heavy lifting! I just aimed my phone at the illuminated flowers (some with my husband shining his iPhone flashlight and some with me wearing a head-lamp).

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  3. I love these flowers, even if they're sneaky about their flowering schedule ;) I missed the bloom on mine this year - and I've yet to have more than one bloom at a time.

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    1. I feel lucky to have caught them all in the act, although it was hard to leave them and go indoors to sleep.

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  4. That's a beautiful flower. It must have made your day!

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  5. A dramatic vision, ghosty white against black background!
    Did moths or bats came around for a visit? An excellent contribution to the Blooms Day meme.
    Chavli

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    1. No moths or bats that I saw, but then again they were alone for hours so who knows what might have happened?

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  6. The flower reminds me so much of "Arizona Queen of the Night (Peniocereus greggii).
    The plant is a tuberous rooted cactus with white, nocturnal and fragrant flowers. The Queen of the Night typically blooms en masse and once a year in June or July, opening their flowers at night and closing early the next morning." The plant is not an Epiphyllum. They like is much more humid than dry, dry Phoenix. But our Queen of the Night is very loved here! Love your photos, Loree!

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    1. Oh that Peniocereus greggii is a beauty!

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  7. That's amazing. I had no idea it was so big until the photo with the hand. Great photos.

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    1. I'm glad I thought to include my hand in a photo, it's a big flower!

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  8. Wonderful! Beautiful!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

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  9. They are quite something. You got some great pictures! One "Queen" flower is plenty for bloom day.

    There are a couple in the neighborhood--the fruit is edible but a homeowner I spoke to growing one said--meh. Not much flavor. But flowers ginormous.

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    1. It would be fun to have fruit, but the flower is definitely reward enough.

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  10. Wow, what a gorgeous bloom. It is so stunning!

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