She was so tiny and in bad condition last year when I got her home.
Miss Schlumbergera was saved by me from sure death that was waiting for her on the shelves in the store. Already in the half-withered phase, wrapped in some nasty plastic, she was sadly sitting there, longing to meet her saviour. Maybe she waited for a prince, but it was me who arrived. I picked her up, brought home and introduced her to the rest of the plant gang on my balcony.
Probably she was positively shocked when arrived, but the trauma was already strong. She was shy and dropped all her buds, without showing her real beauty. But slowly, she was healing for one year. She received a new, bigger pot and was watered every few days, on average once a week as the other succulents that surrounds her. Sometimes she received an extra watering, as I saw she liked it.
All this time, she was growing new segments of the stems. She was doing it from time to time, always adding a new hanging segment, and getting bigger and longer. I think that if she would be human, long and beautiful hair would be her forte.
Some weeks ago I noticed the buds. That is how she announced that maybe we will see some flowers... but I would never imagine how many of them would become flowers. And how nice they are.
Now I know that Miss Schlumbergera has gorgeous red flowers, with white and pink shades. The flower resembles a tube that opened its layers - the tepals (this is not a typo). In the middle, many stamens are there to steal the attention... a crown for the queen! Usually, these beautiful flowers hang down at the end of each hanging stem. If it would be shy to show itself...
Here I lifted one stem, to be able to see the flower from another angle.
This rich blooming means that 31 of these fully open flowers are what I can enjoy right now. A few of them are closing already, but there are still new buds that will probably open during the next one or two weeks. Or maybe they will last until the end of December, as this lady is also called Christmas cactus.
I bragged and sent the photo of this blooming plant to my parents. They said it is an artistry to get it to bloom :D
Well, the climate for sure is good for her, I don't even get her inside the apartment during the winter (they can't bear temperatures below 8 degrees Celsius). The weather conditions for flowering are perfect exactly now, and also she likes the light place where she lives. Although, she should not be exposed to direct sun, especially during the summer. Then, she was protected by the shade of my other plants, like the giant Aloe Vera and the big fuzzy Ruby Blush.
A last glimpse at one of the flowers. Here it's like a red, flying bird, isn't it?
