Saturday, January 28, 2012

MY BEAUTIFUL BABY...

No pictures of glass or jewellery just yet (maybe tomorrow or Monday, depending on light), but I just had to share one of Mother Nature's miracles that occurred on Wednesday night.
I have the tattiest, most pathetic looking sort of cactus thing called Epiphyllum oxypetalum ~ she is much better know as Queen of the Night. I've had it in a pot for quite a few years, I grew it from a single leaf cutting and it hasn't fared very well. It's still hanging in there, but between the salt water in the air and the wind and the fact that I'm hopeless with things in pots these days ~ for the first time in about 5 or 6 years it had one single flower!
Gary thinks I'm a bit sad and he just doesn't "get it", but I was pretty excited as I could almost watch it opening up before my eyes. It started to open at about 8.00pm and I took a heap of pictures along the way, at least until I crashed out at about 10.00pm.
The flower is quite big as you can see and the perfume is absolutely amazing ~ it's a shame it only flowers for that one night a year and in the morning it's just a pretty memory...

Isn't she beautiful???



8.00pm


8.46pm


9.30pm


9.58pm

Now I'm off to make some lunch and then I will spend the afternoon pliers in hand I think.
Have a great weekend!!!!


9 comments:

neety said...

How lucky are you? Thanks so much for sharing your little miracle Lyn.

Anita Silva

lyn said...

Thanks Anita ~ it was absolutely beautiful. I'm hoping it's not another 5 years before more flowers.

Cuzz said...

How amazing! I love the flowers that a cactus can produce and your example, Lyn, is truly magnificent. What a shame that it perishes so quickly. Such a spectacular beauty!
Cheers,
Kerryn.

marion downie. said...

Lyn I am all the way with you on this, it is so special when you have a tatty-looking plant in your garden which can suddenly produce something so beautiful. I just wish we had F/book send -a- scent, for one-off beauties like this, thanks for letting us see the 'opening', I hope it opens sooner for you next time, regards ( with a bit of envy ) Marion

lyn said...

I would like to get a few more different ones Kerryn ~ they fascinate me no end!!

Send-a-scent would be awesome, wouldn't it?
It's not even a perfume I could compare with something else ~ it's quite unique :^)

Michael Ayres said...

I like the pod that it comes from. It looks like some kind of alien thing with tentacles and then when it opens the turn into part of the flower and it is spectcular. the leaves that it blooms on have to be at least 5 years old so that is why you didn't get any flowers until now. Now it should bloom every year and as it makes new leaves or stems as they get older they will bloom too. I have lots of pictures of miine. One with 3 blooming at the same time. It likes light and water so put it in a place that has that and it will probably grow.

lyn said...

I love the pods too Michael, they do look a bit alien for sure :^) I didn't know about the 5 year thing, so thank you for that. It certainly explains why the no flowers until now. It gets heaps of light and at the moment an abundance of water is falling from the sky :^(

Unknown said...

I have just taken my first fused glass class & your name was mentioned to investigate for inspiration. Little did I know I would get such valuable info about my "Night Blooming Cirius" (SP?) which hasn't bloomed yet. 5 years? I can wait a little longer! I hear the flower quivers before it opens: did you notice this? Thanks for the random and so welcome diversion...
N.California Susan

lyn said...

Thanks for the comment Susan :)
It was 5 years before I got even one flower and then 2 years later and I think I had about 4. It made lots of pods that promptly fell off though :(
It very well could have quivered but I can't say I really noticed ~ every time it flowered it was either windy or raining.