The picotee NOID African Violet finally opened enough to photograph. It had a couple of blooms in a half-open state for so long.
Once things cool off outside I’ll move some into the upstairs/attic, but for now they’re hanging out under the one kitchen window with counter surface underneath (the sills aren’t big enough to hold plants). I also have a brand-new flame violet that will join them upstairs, but it’s currently on the enclosed porch because the rest of these guys have gotten BIG! The mostly-purple one is close to 11" and the two pink ones are at least 10".
I love Thanksgiving cactus and when they flower, they are amazing. So it is disappointing when the time comes for them to flower and only a few flowers appear and only on one side of the plant. What happened?! I actually got it to flower, but it is only on one side…..
Beautiful flowering Thanksgiving cactus
I first saw this happen with my daughter’s plant and told her she should turn it a ¼ turn every time she watered it. Did I do what I told her to do? NO! As the old saying goes, “Do as I say, not as I do.” So learn from my mistakes. Turn your plants! Even the non-flowering plants should be turned so they don’t lean towards the light. If it is a woody plant, the crook that will be in the stem from leaning toward the light and then being turned may not straighten out, leaving you with a permanently crooked stem.
What about this side?And this side?
If I had consistently turned the plant all year leading up to the budding of the plant, I would have buds and flowers all the way around the plant. Wouldn’t that have been beautiful? There’s always next year….
Wish the whole plant looked like this side.
I mean who wouldn’t want more of these gorgeous flowers?
Closeup of the flower
Love those flowers!
Stigma is pink, anther is the white and yellow part.
Two buds on the end of the a leaf
Starting to open
Has this happened to your plant and you wondered why only one side bloomed? Now you know!
Newly purchased and COVERED with buds
This newly purchased plant above and below has been grown perfectly and is covered all the way around with flowers. Hopefully the one above will look like this next year along with this one. Turn your plants around…..that’s what it’s all about.
I love Thanksgiving cactus and when they flower, they are amazing. So it is disappointing when the time comes for them to flower and only a few flowers appear and only on one side of the plant.
You know, I still don’t think I’m into the whole instagram thing….. but if that one friend/mutual still uses instagram I may honestly consider getting an instagram too….
I really don’t think they use IG anymore or they wouldn’t be freaking out so much about having no platform w/o tumblr. maybe I should honestly ask them where I can reach them if this site goes down but I’m a lil social chicken
But at least a good third or half of the plantblrs and nature-photo blogs I follow are announcing they are going Instagram instead of Twitter if they decide to book it from this site.
I really hate how instagram is primarily a mobile platform among other problems but- but-!!!
Just a reminder to everyone that I have an Instagram and a Twitter if you’d like to follow me elsewhere, neither of which I use enough but I’m trying to use them more.
I also have a newsletter where I send out mail every time I have a shop update if you’ve any interest in that!
*throws cress seeds at an abandoned warehouse* be the change you want to see in the world
Alright guys! Listen up! Its story time..
Does anyone wanna know why my user name is the-bluebonnet-bandit? No? Well I’m going to tell you anyway.
Its because a long time ago back in highschool my home town was slowly begining to be re-developed. A field I had loved as a kid moving in became a series of storage units. So basically, under the presumption of the myth that bluebonnets are illegal to pick in Texas, I decided the best way for me to handle this was to go out and buy a pack of bluebonnet seeds to basically chuck ‘em at the field in question. It takes time for a peice of land to be purchased and for a structure to take place, so if I planted some bluebonnet seeds in the field in early October, by next season there would be a whole field of them right? And then they couldn’t build there, hazzah!
Except its not as easy as it sounds. And now as an ecology major with a focus in plants, I know that. See, many empty fields in the suburbs are filled with agressive and non-native plants that would make it hard to establish something like a bluebonmet in just one season. I would need to remove those plants in a certain desired area around my square of bluebonnets then make sure each seed survives to flower. And then ideally I’d want to keep expanding my target patch, or establish a different patch the next year at a key place on the field.
Even if not illegal, destroying a field of our state flower, or a beautiful field of wildflowers is a harder sell to the public. It creates more dialogue. Draws more attention. And if you pair this with, say, a grassroots community campaign to spare the land in question you definately have more of a chance of achieving your group’s goal if it looks like the backdrop to someone’s family photo. Plus, planting wildflowers, helps the community and wildlife.
I’m not saying go out and chuck seeds at stuff until you re-claim your space and use gardening and tree planting (tree graffiti, or tree-fiti if you will…) as counter meaaures for over-development and urban sprawl.
Closeup of the flower
Love those flowers!
Stigma is pink, anther is the white and yellow part.
Two buds on the end of the a leaf
Starting to open
Kihaku-Gato's Garden Blog (tumblr import) 