The Queen That Didn’t Bloom

My Queen of the Night should have bloomed last night. It didn’t. The impossibly intricate, huge white blooms, are protected by long, pale salmon tubes, with sharp points. When the bloom looks like this, it will either bloom that night, or the following night. It blooms after dark, for one night only.

It blooms for one night (see photos of my neighbor Zdena’s blooms in my Queen of the Night post) and is spent and limp by morning. These Queen of the Night blooms do not like to be handled, evidently, as in my zeal to get some light on the subject, I moved the pot a few times. The pot resides in the shade under my wisteria.

By this stage, a heavy bloom is being lifted up by the stem. Monday night it had not bloomed. Yesterday, it had started to open. I moved it yet again, into the sun in an effort to see inside. The stem was probably stressed too much. When I returned from class last night, I found it hanging limp, never having opened. I’ll know better next time to leave it alone, and enjoy it’s stunning beauty from where it is. Thanks for stopping by! – Kaye

Tags: biodynamics, blooms, cactus, compost, curbside gardening, flowers, gardening, gardening web series, green your world, Kaye Kittrell, Kaye Kittrell Late Bloomer, Late Bloomer, organic, Photography, Plant photography, Queen of the Night, urban gardening, web series

Category: Flowers