The queen that didn’t bloom last night is my Nightblooming Cereus, or Selenicereus grandiflorus. The cactus species blooms one night a year, or years, and withers within hours. For some reason, the bud didn’t open.

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 open that night, or the following night. It blooms after dark, for one night only.

I just got excited photographing this beautiful bud from every angle.

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 buds 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 was 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. What unforgettable flowers are you growing in your garden? Thanks for stopping by! – Kaye