Lunalux is home to a freaky Dutchman’s Pipe cactus plant. (Want to read a little bit about it on Wikipedia? Click here!) It rarely blooms, but when it does, it’s quite a sight. The first time we got a flower on the plant was October 2006. Here’s a picture:
Since then, nothing. Until… I noticed the plant had a new tiny bud on Wednesday, August 20, 2008. If the 2006 bloom is any indication, this one will grow to be freakishly large and weird. I plan to take pictures regularly, so we can watch the progress. When it blooms (one night only!) we will have a party.
Want to see some beautiful pictures, and read more info? Check out Robert Fovell’s website.
08/21/2008
08/22/2008 Already the bud looks a little different – the little petals on it have flared out a bit. Pencil is included in picture as a size reference.
08/25/2008 It’s bigger, and the end of the bud is starting to get more fat. It’s changing color a bit too.
08/26/2008 Noticing that a couple of the little petals are shriveling. Need to water more? Will talk to Kitty about it. Also, maybe I will research Dutchman’s Pipe care on the interwebs.
08/27/2008
08/29/2008 Over the past couple of days, the bud has gotten quite pink. A good sign, I like to think. Still worried about the browning, though. I just dumped some water in there. Cross your fingers!
08/30/2008 Worried still. Perhaps all the attention and pencil-poking has upset the plant? Today I moved it closer to the window. I am heartened to see that there are a couple of other tiny signs of life, higher up on the leaf. Maybe more buds to come, even if this one fizzles out?
09/10/2008 When I came back to the studio on Sept. 2 after a long holiday weekend, the bud had totally shriveled up and was dead. It fell off the plant before I got around to taking a picture. But the good news is, there are indeed two other tiny baby buds on the same leaf – see above. This time I will take pictures just once a week.
09/19/2008 New Bud is going strong. I’ve decided the pencil, while logical and practical, is boring. Watch for an array of scale references over the following weeks.
09/23/2008 New Bud got enormous over the weekend. AA-battery-size! I think it likes its new sunnier location by the window.
09/26/2008 It’s approximately 5.25 inches long, from the leaf to the tip of New Bud.
09/27/2008 Remarkable changes since the last photo was taken, 30 hours ago. The bud has started to curve upwards. I predict the flower will bloom in approximately 10 days.
09/30/2008 Here we have a picture of the entire plant, so you can see how spindly and generally unattractive it is. The pink tendrils on the bud are quite lively and beautiful today.
10/01/2008 Lunalux and the Duthcman’s Pipe wish you a Happy October.
10/02/2008 If you look closely at the very tip of the bud, you can see all the delicate petals starting to form.
10/02/2008 The flower opened! I took this picture at about 11:00p.m. More to come!
