Category: Christmas

AMAZING BUT THE CACTUS IS STILL BLOOMING! – Marilyn Armstrong

Red Cactus Flowers Galore! -FOTD – 05/19/19

There are still unopened buds on the cactus. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cactus bloom nearly continuously for so many months. Maybe it’s the gray, cloudy, cold weather. The cactus seem to like bright light, but not full sun.

Also, while the cactus is doing its thing, the orchids are coming in. So far, I can see three spikes for flowers. I think there will be a few more.

I’d love to buy more orchids, but I have no idea if there’s anyplace in driving distance that sells them. I don’t think I can get these from Amazon — but then again, I haven’t tried. They say you can get anything on Amazon.

Can you buy living flowers? In pots?

As much of the cactus as I could fit in the lens

FAT RED BUDS ON A CHRISTMAS CACTUS – Marilyn Armstrong

Red Buds on the Christmas Cactus – FOTD – 05/01/ 2019

And just as the pink Christmas Cactus dropped its final flower, buds appeared on the red cactus. I am particularly grateful to my indoor plants for blooming because outside, the endless rain has been killing everything.

Bushes I was sure were impervious to weather — like the Rhododendrons — are withering and dying. The ground is so soaked, the roots can’t find any oxygen. They are literally drowning.

Buds with my Norfolk Pine behind it.

So the nearly constant blooming of the cactus is a bit of a life saver for me. At least there is some color, a little brightness, and cheer.

You can see a second bud in the background

There are no blooms on the plants yet, but there will be in a few days. And meanwhile, the orchid is sending out shoots too.

Nice fat red bud!

PINK CHRISTMAS CACTUS STILL BLOOMING – Marilyn Armstrong

Pink Christmas Cactus – FOTD – 04/11/2019

It’s pretty much in full bloom, but despite all logic and reason, the red one is making new buds. These are the most blooming Christmas cacti ever!

Pink cactus flowers

AN ULTIMATE FINAL DAY OF BIRDS – Marilyn Armstrong

My ultimate spiky square- BIRDS AGAIN

I’ll have to remember to stop trying to make all my pictures square, that other shapes are okay now!

Spikes and pokes, sharp and pointy, we’re nearing the end. I started with birds and squirrels.

Tomorrow, I’ll return but not necessarily in squares with my pink Christmas Cactus. It is just about to bloom!

A small and rather petite Blue Jay
Squabbling Juncos
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse
Two finches and a chickadee (and the tail of something else!)
Red-bellied Woodpecker

AND THE BLOOMS KEEP COMING – Marilyn Armstrong

And the cactus continues – 03/01/2019

The birds came in droves except when I picked up the camera when they vanished. Completely. For a while, we had a squirrel knocking off the seeds in the hanging feeder, but I was a couple of rooms away and I knew by the time I got the camera in my hands, he’d be gone so I settled for looking.

I’m tired. I have to admit that between the weather, a million or was it two million? trips to the doctor — mine, Garry’s, mine, mine — I’m pooped.

But the cactus keeps blooming and it’s beautiful. And, as it happens, I took a few pictures.

 

BACK COMES THE CACTUS – Marilyn Armstrong

IT ISN’T CHRISTMAS, BUT THE CACTUS IS BACK! FOTD – 02/18/2019

I thought there might be another blooming of the Christmas cactus. Why? It just looks so incredibly healthy and it’s been putting up new shoots like crazy. I wasn’t paying much attention to it, probably because of the birds. But I was noticing that the orchid has sent up a new shoot and when I looked, I realized that cactus if full of buds.

So … I took a few pictures. I think we’ll have actual flowers next week or even the middle of the week. That was a really fast turnaround, fastest ever for me.

 

AND SO BLOOMS ANOTHER CHRISTMAS CACTUS – Marilyn Armstrong

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?