Holiday Cactus

I've discovered that a lot of the plants that can be described as low maintenance and are still capable of surviving this oppressive Arizona heat are non-blooming succulents. Which presented me with an interesting task, since I really wanted some sort of flowering plants to liven up my new (but very bare) balcony.

I'll be honest, most varieties of cacti don't do it for me. I appreciate their place in the world, really I do, and I admire them for their hardiness, but to me they're just a little... boring...














Except for maybe the holiday cactus, also known as a Christmas cactus (among other names). I think their blooms are gorgeous, and they come in the most beautiful colors.

But for one reason or another, I have had the worst luck with these little guys.

I know a lot of people who have had great success with their holiday cactus plants, and they all say that the care level has been relatively low, but I don't know how this can be.

The thing about holiday cacti is that they have crazy specific requirements for light and temperature and water in order to bloom properly. So many hours a day of light, so many hours a day of darkness, a certain temperature above or below this or that, a certain schedule of watering, etc... It's sort of maddening.















Common sense would tell me to give up, but now it's almost become a game to me. I'm going to keep trying until I perfect the science of keeping one both alive and blooming, just you wait and and see.

At least I can say that because they're native to here, they tend to be fairly cheap. And I'll probably keep reminding myself of that fact each time I have to throw another one out.

Top Photo: Nayana Sondi
Bottom Photo: plantoftheweek.org