Queen of the Night!

Back many years ago, Granddad gave me a small piece of one of his plants. It was a part the lovely Night-blooming Cereus that he and Grandmother kept on their porch for many, many years. I loved this plant and with careful tending, it grew to massive proportions. It was well over eight feet tall and had many branches. Come late summer, the Night-blooming Cereus would bloom profusely. There was one summer that it had over eighty flowers! What a sight that was! (The picture above shows the blooms a few years ago.) I loved this plant..if for no other reason than it was one of the few things that I had that was given to me by my grandparents. Then Hurricane Katrina came blowing in on the Bayou and that changed things tremendously. Before the storm, I had tied my plant to an oak tree right next to the house. I knew that the winds would damage the plant fiercely but also knew that because of its massive size, I would never be able to move it inside. After the storm..no plant. It had vanished along with most everything else that was in the yard. But I could not worry about a mere plant..most of our place was devastated and my energy was better spent repairing the home.

My Sweet Sister brought me a small plant that she grew from a cutting from hers. It has grown but is not nearly as large as the pre-Katrina plant. A few months after Katrina, I had found a small piece of my old plant and I tried to revive it. It grew! Yes, even yet it is still small compared to what it once was but at least I have a tiny remembrance. Tonight, it bloomed again as it has for the past few years. Before Katrina, this plant would be covered..now it has two blooms. It is still struggling six years later. I have been a tad bit negligent with fertilizing. I know that it needs some tender-loving care to get it healthy. Perhaps it is like so much of the Coast..still not up to par. The blooms give hope..something that I have never lost.

For most of the year, the Night-blooming Cereus is a rather ugly plant. It is tall, leggy and definitely needs to be supported either by a trellis or some sort of prop. If there is a way to grow it high on a balcony, it will drape fine over a porch railing. Some people might be tempted to just toss this plant until..until that one night that it blooms! The buds take about a week to mature to the point of blooming and they only last one night but oh, my goodness! They are incredible! Each flower can be up to eight inches across! I can remember my grandparents having a party to watch for the opening of their Cereus blooms! Friends and family would all gather around on their screened porch to take in the spectacle as the bud would open in a series of jumpy motions. Once open, the blossom emits an almost sickening sweet scent to attract moths needed for pollination. By morning, the bloom is hanging low..wilted beyond recognition. The Cereus can, however, produce a series of buds about every two weeks during the late summer given optimal conditions. This plant is one that is well worth the effort to grow. Queen of the Night..Night-blooming Cereus..Moon Princess..Grandiflorus Cactus...one beautiful, beautiful flower!