My Christmas cactus bloomed! Having just had it re-potted I wasn’t sure whether it could manage the process this year. You must understand that this plant has been part of my entire married life. It sat on top of my mother-in-law’s dryer in those first years. Buds would generally start appearing in late November. Before long the to of her dryer would be a beautiful bouquet.
She lived within walking distance and we were the best of friends. She had a green thumb for plants, indoors or outside, and this was a booming cactus when the two of us became acquainted. I don't know how many years she had it before my arrival. Not doubt it has a history because Grandma had been a homemaker for nearly thirty years before I arrived on her scene.
Many years later as she was moving into a nursing facility she gave the plant to a friend who had admired it. Only a year or two later that friend gave it back to me when they moved from the community. Lucky me.
It has bloomed in my living room now for nearly twenty years. I have taken many cuttings from it and shared them with others, but I have the Grandma plant. It was late to start blooming this year, but by mid-December the blooms were going, and it still is. Quite often this goes on until April and then it is due for another pruning and I am ready to share cuttings again. It is an old-fashioned cactus, not a hybrid, and it fits me perfectly. Many good memories go with the blooms, the cactus and me, we understand each other.
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