A New Year’s Christmas Cactus – FOTD – 1-4-19
The buds have been big since before Christmas, but this cactus waited until the New Year to bloom. I suppose that would make it a New Year’s cactus?
The buds were pink and the bud which has not yet opened is also dark pink, but after opening, it seems more red than pink. In any case, that’s what the camera picked up.
The leaves are translucent, so how red or pink the blossom appears depends on the light.
Blooming
It was a sunny day. I had to wait until the sun wasn’t directly on the flower. I need the brightness of the sun, but in full sun, parts of the flower burn out and processing the pictures becomes problematic.
Very close
It’s easier to wait an hour until the sun has moved to the west a few degrees. This time of year, it doesn’t take long for the sun to move along.
These are all macros because that’s the lens I had on the camera. Besides, what’s the point of having a macro lens if you don’t use it to photograph flowers?
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Categories: #Flowers, #Photography, Cee's Photo Challenge, Christmas cactus, Flower of the day, Macro
AMAZING BUT THE CACTUS IS STILL BLOOMING! – Marilyn Armstrong 
CHRISTMAS IS A COMING & THE BUDS ARE GETTING FAT – Marilyn Armstrong 
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
They look gorgeous Marilyn, you have the knack for them.
Leslie
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When I bought the macro, I didn’t know what a project it was going to be!
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Looking good…
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Terrific close ups Marilyn. 😀
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I think I’ve finally almost got the macro to do what I want, but it’s a very tricky lens to work with. When it works, it’s fantastic. The rest of the time, it’s just a big blur.
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My cactus was just like that but all the newer buds dried up and fell (and there were a lot). I will repot and hope for better next year.
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Towards the end of its flowering, some new buds dried up, but the major part of the bloom was over by then.
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I think mine needs fresh soil and a better pot!!
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Try sandy soil with very good drainage. They really hate being wet.
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Good idea!! I’ve kept it mostly dry but the store soil must be bad.
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Gorgeous shots and what a wonderful gift during the month of January to have those gorgeous blooms. 🙂
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I realize that I grow pretty much all my own flowers. Messily mind you. Nothing neat or orderly in my world but things do grow for me. They always have. I tell people it’s my special brand of benign neglect, but I think it’s also timing. Knowing when it’s the right time to move or rotate or water something and when it’s time to chop it way back. Some people sort of “feel it” and others just don’t. My mother could grow anything. She believed you had to grow plants in groups because they talked to each other. Who was I to argue?
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lovely! i’ve never had a christmas cactus
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I don’t know how easy they are to buy, but I got mine as cuttings from a friends cactuses. I you know anyone who has one, you can get cuttings and start your own.
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Beautiful shots 🙂
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I worked for them 😀
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Well huge round of applause for what you’ve achieved
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Things grow for me. I think it’s like cooking. You have “kitchen sense” and you know how to feel your way around a kitchen, even if it isn’t yours. Plants are like that. You sort of feel your way around them. Some do very well … and some don’t. The ones that don’t do well, you don’t grow. You find something that will grow in the light you have in YOUR house. Plants can be very funny about light. The right light is really 90% of growing them. The rest is watering when they need it and not when they don’t!
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Oh that’s so true. ☺️
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Lovely pictures.
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Thank you!
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You’re welcome dear
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They are very impressive. Imshould use my macro lens more
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Honestly, it has been a LOT of work to get used to my macro lens. They are moody lenses and don’t always focus the way you expect them too — especially because they have more than one point of focus — there is a long focus and a very close focus. Sometimes, the lens gets lost and doesn’t know where to focus. It’s easier if the light is strong and you have a sharp edge to work with, but when everything is soft, it’s hard to convince the lens that it’s a macro and not a medium long lens. It took me a lot of practice to MOSTLY get it right. Mostly. But not always.
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