I’m back from my trip to Memphis, where I thoroughly enjoyed
warming up in the tropical, humid heat whenever I got a chance to be outside,
and meeting a lot of new and interesting people. The photo shows water lilies
(Nelumbo nucifera) growing in big tubs in Memphis, making me think that I could
have them in the garden here. These only had seed pods and buds, so I didn't get to smell the flowers. I was welcomed back to Seattle with a shocking blast of
cold air, even colder than the air conditioning in the cave-like buildings of
Memphis. At least the sun’s out today and has warmed things up.
Speaking of sun, there’s a super-sunny hot spot in the sun
porch where even the most heat-loving orchids won’t grow, so I’ve populated it
with various succulents, including some cacti. I’ve grown a few cacti at other
times in my life, but they never bloomed. This year, however, I’ve had three in
bloom, and they’re a delight to see, with big, colorful flowers that are
nothing like orchids. The down side is that the buds tend to sulk and only open
when they feel like it, usually for only a few hours on sunny mornings, so I
feel incredibly lucky if I catch them in the act. Also, none of them have any
fragrance as far as I can tell.
I’ve managed to get photos of two of them, but the third
one, a Mammillaria guelzowiana, bloomed
while I was in San Francisco. The last of the flowers were open the night I got
back, but it was too dark to take a photo, and they were closed forever by the
next morning. It’s too bad because the flowers were huge, and a spectacular hot
pink.
For the past two weeks there has been an open flower on the
Gymnocalyceum rogonesii, white, but still beautiful. It opens every morning and
closes at night, so it provides plenty of photo-ops. The flowers are almost bigger than the plant, so the little squatty cactus is hidden under its flower. I was really surprised to
see that it was still in bloom and opening in the mornings after I got back
from Memphis. It’s finished now, but it had a long run.
There’s a yellow Notocactus mammulosus that has bloomed
twice now. The flowers don’t stay open long, but they sure do their job. Each time they’ve bloomed, they've made seedpods, and I even
have babies growing from last year’s seeds.
Seeing these gorgeous, colorful flowers on the cacti can
brighten up even the most dark and depressing morning, and enhance a beautiful
sunny one like today. Does anyone know which cactus flowers are fragrant?
Posts
I can't answer your question but I would love to smell a fragrance inspired by that yellow flower. I can't imagine how a cactus flower should smell... Maybe light and delicate ?
ReplyDeleteCelina
One of the most fragrant cactus I've known is the NIght Blooming Cereus (Cereus or Peniocereus greggii). At one point in my childhood in Florida a large, rangy night blooming cereus grew outside of my window. I do recall the scent but don't have words to describe it. It was a kind of fresh, watery with a touch of jungle? I'll think about it and see if I can come up with a better description. I also remember a cactus I had in Tehran that grew in the form of many prickly fingers. It had pink blooms and had a pleasant cake like smell (not vanilla, just cake). Gail
ReplyDeleteMany cacti and mesembs have fragrant flowers, but like you said, you "have to catch them in the act"-it's ephemeral! I'll get a list together, that would make a good article. When I was very young, a perfumer friend from the Middle East made me a beautiful custom perfume he called "Cactus Flowers"- he thought it very funny those were my favorite flowers; in Europe cacti are symbolic of loneliness and sometimes, a grumpy disposition!
ReplyDeleteCacti = grumpy disposition? Too funny! I think that fits me perfectly. I guess those who like mesembs should be fond of the round, smooth, good life full of sensual pleasures. That fits, too. Those who like orchids must be easy-going, ascetic, and low-profile in their daily life, but subject to outbursts of brilliance. Fits, too.
ReplyDeleteHow would you like to do a guest post here on fragrant mesembs and cacti?