I was given a cutting of this plant called a Night Blooming Cereus from a curator at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton Maryland when I lived in that area of the country. The cutting was given to me about 15 years ago. It took about 5 or 6 years for it to grow to blooming size, all the time moving the plant out back each spring, and back inside each fall. It was an arduous task, and the plant was very gangly. But when it bloomed...usually 1 or 2 blooms a year, it was always an event. We would invite folks over and have a cereus party!
The blooms open for 1 night only, and are very fragrant. In Maryland, a single bloom would fill the back yard of our townhome with fragrance...I can't describe it other than by saying it was a sweet and pleasant scent. Ahhh….
When we moved to Florida, we decided to just bring a couple of good cuttings of this plant with us, as moving the entire plant would have been too much of a hassle…this was just over three years ago. The cuttings were potted in a large container, which has been outside the entire time we’ve lived here. The container was moved to one of the back corners of our pool enclosure once the pool was finished, and thee it sits today. Well….these things grow much more quickly and robustly here in southern Florida!
Last night when I got home from work, I caught the scent from the front yard...yes, all the way in the front yard...and I knew exactly what it was! When I went out back, here is what I discovered. Photo 1 shows the whole plant…with about 25 open blooms! The second photo is a close up of a single bloom (the blurry thing to the right is a bud that is actually open tonight). Each bloom is about the size of a desert plate. So, from small beginnings…
I hope you guys enjoy this little OB Cereus party thing I’ve got going on.
Night Blooming Cereus in Bloom!
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