"Plant Phase........."

This week must have been my phase for taking photos of some of our plants. I'm sure there will be more later, too, since I just brought up a couple of pots of amaryllis bulbs that have been hibernating down in the garage. Hopefully, they will be sending up growth shoots, preferably flower stalks, soon.

Yesterday, edible fruit, today, food for the spirit. What is more wonderful than having a plant begin flowering in the middle of winter?

This plant was a tiny cutting that we'd received from Don's cousin Kim, when we'd gone to his family reunion (on his mothers side of the family) back in July 2008. Seriously, it was nothing more than a few sections of "leaves" that had been rooted in a little paper cup. It stayed in that cup for a few months growing and setting good roots, until I transplanted it into this small plastic pot (seen here in the photo). Kim had taken numerous "cuttings" earlier that summer so she could offer them to everyone at the reunion. The cuttings were from a Christmas Cactus that belonged to their grandmother, Grandma Anderson.

This is how the Christmas Cactus looked at the end of October, 2008.

When it was big enough, I was transplanted it into the ceramic pot. This photo was taken in February, 2010 because it was our FIRST blossom.

I took this photo yesterday of it once again beginning to bloom. Truthfully, I am surprised that we get it to bloom at all. According to what instructions I have read, we're supposed to make sure the plant does not get more light than natural daylight, so it either is supposed to be placed in a room not used at night, or a "box" is supposed to be placed over it as the sun goes down. Yeah......like THAT is going to happen. ;)

The wonders of plants.......they work for us! :)