I was hoping that I wouldn’t miss out on my Echinopsis grandiflora blooming this year. I guess I never really had to worry about it, since are quite a few buds on the cactus. I just didn’t want to miss the first one.
Surprisingly, there are different colors showing up. One of the flowers is white, and the other is clearly yellow. I was kind of expecting some variation of red, since it is one of the most common colors of the hybrids sold at big box stores. Being different is nice, though. I haven’t seen many cactus flowers in person, and white is nicer than I thought it would be.
I picked up a small Echinocereus pentalophus (Lady Finger Cactus) at a farmers market the other week, and it decided to perk right up and put a few buds on as soon as I put it in the greenhouse. Now, it has opened up, and it’s blooms dwarf the rest of the plant. Purple is an interesting color for a cactus, I think.
The largest of the Acca sellowiana (Feijoa, or Pineapple Guava for those not familiar with that name) has finally decided to open up it’s buds. The whole bush is covered in jewel-like flowers. Very neat. I couldn’t resist tasting a few petals. Some people eat flower petals because they are technically edible. For those of us who only like to eat things because they taste good… feijoas are for you. The petals taste very mild, but are juicy like a thin slice of fruit and taste just as sweet.
Big Leaves 