About eighteen months ago I was given a small, insignificant looking cactus. I had no idea of its name until I stumbled across a facebook discussion group for ‘cacti and succulent’ enthusiasts. One of the members had posted a photograph of the plant (no flowers) and was trying to identify. I immediately had an ‘aha’ moment as I recognised the ‘leaves’. I later discovered they were not ‘leaves’ but referred to as ‘stems or branches’.
After further research (thanks Google) I discovered it only flowered for one night when it was adorned by striking white scented flowers. So in order to enjoy this display, it would need to be rehomed near the house and preferably by the lounge window. Maybe it was fortuitous that one of my pot plants by the bougainvillea had recently passed to plant heaven as this proved to be the perfect location: Early morning sun, protection from the sea winds and the bougainvillea provided a ready-made support. If the plant is left in full sun, the stems will yellow. I agree. Within weeks of moving the plant to a more shady location, it changed colour and in just a few months my epiphyllum oxypetalum grew like a runner bean and went from only 12 inches high to around 36 inches.
At the time of posting my queen had flowered in both August and September and there are more buds on the way.
Watering – too much or too little? I’ve noticed that the top inch of soil will dry out quickly while the roots are still moist. I could never decide so I invested in a moisture metre and insert the prongs to test before watering.
Do you fertilize your cacti and succulents? I was informed, no. But common sense prevailed and I decided a pot plant won’t thrive on fresh air. I now feed my cactus and succulents a balanced fertilizer during the growing season.
Night Orchid Cactus
Further information on caring for succulents and cacti.
A beginners guide to succulent and catcus care
SFGate includes useful information on propagation and general care.
Piglet in Portugal 
This is kind of a unique flower. I have two different varieties of this in my garden. People in some countries think that this is a sacred flowers. Perhaps this is the only flower that we can’t keep alive for more than few hours. Love your blooms.
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YEs, blooming only once it gets dark meant I had to stay up very late to appreciate it. 🙂 IT is the first time I’ve seen it in bloom. It seems to like where I’ve put it. However, now is winter and it is going yellow. Not sure if too much sun, too much water, note enough or it needs feeding
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Oh, the white is my favorite! I have acquired a few other Epiphyllums over the years, but Epiphyllum oxypetalum is my favorite because white is my favorite color. Yet, it was the last one I acquired, only a few years ago.
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Hi Tony, I’ve just read your blog and your article on ‘The bluish green succulent foliage of showy stonecrop, Hylotelephium spectabile’ I acquired a few stem cutting earlier this year. They have all rooted and are now in flower which I was not expecting in the first year. I wondered what they were called!
Thank you for stopping by my blog. It’s always a pleasure to meet other bloggers with a passion for gardening.
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It is uncommon here. I acquired mine only because I pulled up a bit of it while deadheading an established clump in the garden of a client. I am pleased that you enjoyed reading about it.
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All’s good, Jo, thank you for asking
I’d never seen one of these plants in flower before so I was up until 2am in the morning with my camera.
. I’ve neglected my blog recently since taking on joint ownership of a writing forum
https://www.writingforums.com/forum.php
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Dramatic, isn’t it? Hope life’s going well, hon 🙂 🙂
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