As long as I can remember my Grandmother grew holiday cactus. A lot of people would get cuttings from her plants. In the summer time she kept them on her front porch and in winter they were on her enclosed back porch(in Ky.). My Mother had several cuttings and when my G'mother died in 1981 I got one of the cutting that was many(10?) years old. I have cared for this plant for the past 27 years better than any other plant, because of the sentimental value. The cactus is about 3 feet wide now. My sister has one of our G'mother's original plants and it is very pitiful looking because she doesn't have it in a good spot. I hope to rescue it soon. This is a Thanksgiving cactus rather than Christmas or Easter cactus. You can tell the difference by the shape of leaf...as well as when it blooms. These are rain forest cactus vs. desert cactus, therefore they need dappled light and frequent misting. The first two pictures are of the same plant and the 3rd picture shows one of the pots I started 3 yrs. ago from a cutting, sitting beside its "mommy". Note: if I weren't so lazy I'd have swept away the crepe myrtle blooms that had blown in on the floor of the veranda, but like the PW says, I'm keep'in it real!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
My Favorite Plant
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5 comments or thoughts:
I love plants that have sentimental value. Thats a really neat plant.
My thought too... I have a 'snake plant' that was my Mom's and I love the thing. It sure is not the prettiest plant but it was Mom's!! Love the post.
I love sentimental plants too! We have a Pikaki that my mother-in-law gave us when we were newlyweds. We had four and lost three during the years. I managed to keep one alive. She would always put dried Pikaki in her letters (no email in those days) and so I have tried to nurture this lone plant. Since moving to Houston it has thrived. I believe it thinks it is in Hawaii! (smile)
Looks like your 27 years of care, along with remembering your grandma every time you water it, has paid off. Huge plant!
What a beautiful plant! I find it hard to get much to grow for me inside, not the best for lighting--or maybe it's the wrong plants I'm trying!
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