Verna and Bob's Weblog

I took this snapshot of one of the epiphyllums growing in a back yard planter. The buds should mature in a couple of weeks and I will post photos of them on this site soon after they open.

I am not sure, but I think this one is “spring gold” which will produce yellow flowers. We are due to have white and red flowers later this spring.

According to a site originating in Connecticut:

Epiphyllums, sometimes called orchid cactus, are succulents with gorgeous flowers. The blossoms range in size from less than 3 inches to more than 9 inches. A common experience, once someone has seen an epiphyllum in bloom, is to want more. Although still hard to find in local nurseries, they do seem to be increasing in popularity, probably because of increased awareness as a result of an increasing number of web sites displaying these beautiful flowers. In addition to species epiphyllums, there are thousands of hybrids, available in every color except blue.

Go to the site above for many epiphyllum photos in dozens of colors. Click on the image above for full-size.

Devil’s Tongue (ferocactus latispinus) is fairly popular in cultivation because it blooms very early, many young plants will bloom when they reach 4 inches in diameter (10 cm). The Devil’s Tongue Barrel has pinkish purple or yellow flowers, 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter (2.5 to 3.5 cm). They come in late autumn to early winter, and need a fair amount of bright sunlight to form.

(Above information courtesy of Desert Tropicals.)

The spikes on this Devil’s Tongue barrel cactus certainly look formidable. I liked this close-up that Verna took of the one in our garden last week. Click on the image to enlarge.

Stay tuned to see some more desert flowers Verna is going to post next week.