Gardening Tips for Apartment and Condo Dwellers
In my post last week about my Grandma I mentioned this weird cactus that she’s had for decades. When she relandscaped her yard, she put it in the garage and forgot about it, only to find in three months later, still alive! I was over at my grandparents’ house today and I snapped a photo. Does anyone know what kind of cactus it is?
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These are some great books to help you make the most out of your container garden:
Succulent Container Gardens by Debra Lee Baldwin
Small Budget Gardener by Maureen Gilmer
Container Gardening for California
Bountiful Container by McGee & Stuckey
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It looks like a epiphilium to me.
Sometimes known as Easter Cactus. It has very large lovely flowers, loves part sun, and keep it dry in the winter.
Jen
“…keep it dry in the winter”
Thanks Jen! It’s watered by a drip system that runs on a timer. I doubt my grandpa knows how to change the timer for winter. I noticed when I was there that it looked a little water-logged too. I also noticed that there are parts of the yard that the gardener is not keeping up with. I’ll have to see if my Grandpa would like me to talk to his gardener about things…I don’t want them to take advantage of him just because he doesn’t know a cactus from a hydrangea.
The story behind that cactus is interesting. Seems like that little cactus can survive almost anything!
Yes, it’s an Epiphilium. Have you seen it bloom? I have a lot of them, but only the White Night Bloomers. Is this your plant now? Did you inherit it from Grandmother? You can give it plant food, but I once saw a Helpful Hint that said that cactus likes Tomato Fertilizer for blooming. In California, this is the time they are blooming, at least at our house. I just took photos of our night bloomers and there are tons of buds to be blooming shortly. I have it on the East side of my house for the morning sun. I also have some in our gazebo which has filtered lighting. I would stick photos for you, but I don’t think I can attach them to this message board. If you want some photos, email me.
Kathy
Hi Kathy, thanks for stopping by and sharing your epiphilium expertise. I did not inherit it, it is still in my grandparents’ back yard (my grandfather is still alive). It is in an East facing spot. I think it might be getting watered too much. But I will definitely stop by and give it some tomato fertilizer. Thanks again for the tips!