One Summer's Evening

Wow! And perfume too...
How long did it take to open? Wouldn't you have been cross if you'd missed it...

It took about one and a half hours to open fully, by which time it was pitch dark.
I have missed it in previous years and been very annoyed lol
Sometimes it has a few blooms so if I miss one I can catch the next one, but this year it only had one flower.

I think this is the one my parents used to stay up for so they could watch it bloom.

Have to confess I never like cactus plants as I had the job of helping to clear, and clean out, the greenhouses and I always managed to pick up spines!

Must say your flower is beautiful, Hywel.

Thank you.
I don't know why people moan about cactus spines. Roses are worse.

Oh yes I agree Hywel,my roses get me every time I'm deadheading them whereas my cacti leave me alone.
Fascinating to watch Hywel and so pretty, well worth the wait, tell me please how often do you repot yours, I have a couple that are tumbling over the edge of their pot, cannot possibly last much longer before I have to provide more room.....

Oh my goodness Hywel, that's beautiful and absolutely amazing to see it develop. How long does the flower last?

Thanks for reading about my cactus flower, and all your comments :)

Sue I repot mine every few years. Actually many need it now but I can't get around to it this year.
The good thing about cacti and succulents is that they are resilient and can wait until we have time for them ... e.g. this year my cacti were not watered for about 7 or 8 weeks because I didn't have time to cut away that dreadful Fuchsia and Clematis that blocked the way into the shelter.
Other plants would have died but not the cacti :)
I believe the best time to repot them is spring. They are dormant in the winter anyway, and in the autumn they wind down, so it's best to leave them until spring I think, unless it's really urgent :)

Waddy the flower lasted about a day and a half ... In the arid places where they grow, water is scarce, so it isn't possible for a big flower like that to last long :)

Fascinating Hywel....and a lovely colour!

That is a real beauty - I have a similar one and it is a creamy white - it only flowers for a short time also and it is easy to miss and very upsetting when that happens - I am writing the name of your cacti down in my notebook and will keep my eye open at the garden centres - Jane

Thanks Hywel, I'll leave them be for now then, I do admit I rarely water them and have had them for years, they are very faithful, lol...

Thats beautiful Hywel i've just re potted mine up today i wonder if they will flower now for me lol ...

Beautiful, Hywel & thanks for sharing it with us. Really must be quite something to patiently watch it unfurl. I like the timelapse photography that we sometimes see on telly.
It's a cause for rejoicing.

Its stunning Hywel worth the wait strange how it opens in the night you would expect it to flower during the day with the sun so perhaps some plants like the dark to bloom.

Thanks for all your comments about the flower :)

Gorgeous!

A great flower, Hywel! It must have been fascinating watching it unfurl before your very eyes!

My Amaryllis are like that too but they usually take a bit longer than 90 minutes to open! Nevertheless I have had them open over night & even noticed the difference during the day.

A playback I could watch over and over.

this is wonderful Hywel. the flower structure is amazing too. do the petals feel papery or are they soft?
I always try to touch the petals to get an idea of the texture.

Thank you all :)

The petals are soft and silky Seaburngirl :)

Oh my word that is amazing.......wort the wait!

Thank you :)

Amazing! Glad you were able to capture it this time! ;o)

Thank you :)