Schlumbergeras are winter bloomers and, of course, our winter happens in June, July and August. Hence the common names used here are Zygocactus or Crab Claw Cactus. Anyway, whatever they're commonly called, they are such beautiful things when covered in their unusual blooms. Both mine are blooming now.
I'm joining Mary for Mosaic Monday
Beautiful. Here in Sydney they are also blooming. Very hardy and easy to grow plants
ReplyDeleteThanks Adam. Aren't they just the best? I can't believe how easy they are to strike. I guess it's a little bit chilly down your way now!!
DeleteGorgeous blooms. They look like my Christmas cactus, which blooms in November and February!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting Lorrie. They really are fabulous blooms aren't they? How wonderful that yours bloom twice throughout the year. Mine will only bloom once a year, but thankfully the blooms hang around two months or so.
DeleteDear Bernie.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your awards. You fully deserve them. You do have marvellously lovely blogs and I enjoy them very very much.
Beautiful Schlumbergeras. I have a few myself, and actually the most of them do come from the very same plant, one I inherited many years ago. Although, one of the ´babies´ is not behaving quite like the rest, it blooms whenever it suits it, like now, even it did have lots of flowers in november/december, where they usually bloom, as it´s winter here in ,at that time. Isn´t nature just wonderful?
Have a great week.
Best regards, Iris.
Thanks once again for your lovely kind words, Iris. I've also started off a few little new babies from the two Schlumbergeras that I have. How wonderful that one of your babies blooms more than once a year. That's just fabulous!
DeleteJust beautiful, and yes, don't we know it's Winter. We're certainly having our fair share of strange weather patterns. Earthquakes up these parts. Hope your're enjoying the long weekend!
ReplyDeletehttp://yvettesblogs.com/2012/06/10/coming-up-old-country-roses/
Have a great week! x
I hadn't heard about the earthquake Yvette. Obviously I haven't been keeping up with the news lately. Hope there wasn't much damage. I looked it up and it seemed to happen quite a way inland which is rather unexpected here! The long weekend has just been fabulous. Beautiful winter weather up here, nowhere near as cold as down there!
DeleteBernie,
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely blooms. I really like the peachy pink one. It is such a unique color. Crab claw cactus is such an aptly descriptive name. I had not heard it before.
Congratulations on your awards.
Yael from Home Garden Diggers
Thank you Yael. I too love the peach one. It was a slip given to me and I had no idea what colour it would be.
DeleteA great pleasure to look at your drought tolerant plants whilst outside the sky continues to pretend that it is the sea, drenching us throughout yet another set of bank holidays.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a shame Sarah. I do so appreciate you dropping by to take a look at the plants thriving out in our winter sunshine right now.
DeleteLovely blooms and colors. I love the top pinkish color, very pretty. Lovely photos, have a great day.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate your comment Eileen. Once again your mosaic for MM was fabulous.
DeleteI have the same as the top zigo but I love that pale pink very pretty. Mine is a bit odd like me! It blooms when it feels like it. Have a lovely week.
ReplyDeleteLucky you. I've found quite a few people mentioning that their Schlumbergera blooms more than once in a year. Neither of mine have done that yet!!
DeleteI used to have some of these - but they all seem to have passed over sadly. I think not dry and warm enough - certainly not today. Have a long summer with rain at odd times, we thought winter was never going to get here. Today it has been cold, wet, and wild windy winter. The power has been off all day, finally back on in time to cook tea. I was going to fire up the BBQ! Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteWhat's going on there? No power all day? Although in saying that, it's not an uncommon occurrence here in my outlying suburb I have to say. We seem to lose power at least every other month these days! Stay warm!
DeleteI would say crab claws is a much better name than Christmas cactus.
ReplyDeleteCommon names are just fascinating aren't they? I've always called the Zygocactus. I think Crab's Claw is more common down south!
DeleteYour pictures are really exceptional. Have missed visiting here and have forgotten how lovely you garden is! Have a wonderful week! Cathy
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see you popping by Cathy! Thanks so much and I'm pleased you enjoyed the mosaics today.
DeleteI love these plants and mine are not in bloom right now. In fact I am lucky if I get them to bloom once per year. Yours are just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteEileen
Eileen they really are fabulous aren't they? I just know I'm going to be getting some more for myself in the near future. They add such fabulous colour to the courtyard during our winter.
DeleteThose are beautiful blooms.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
FlowerLady
Wishing the same for you FlowerLady. I hope it's a great week. I'm counting down to the school holidays now!!
DeleteChristmas Cactus are so beautiful...in all stages, I think!...:)JP
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree JP! I love watching the development of the buds and blooms, but I do think they look fabulous all the time.
DeleteWe call them Christmas Cactus and yours looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'm really pleased with both of them this year. They're just getting better and better.
DeleteBeautiful! One of my favorites ... can't wait until December!!!!! :D
ReplyDeleteHalfway there Snap!! I'll enjoy the photos of yours in bloom when mine have well and truly finished.
DeleteHi Bernie....we call them Christmas cactus here in the south. At the shop we sometimes get hanging pots of them around Christmas that have 2 or 3 colors planted together and they are quite beautiful. Usually white,dark coral and a peachy color are mixed. We also see a red shade as well as the hot pink you have. They are all beautiful in their own right but the pink is still the stand out to me. Hope you are having a nice day!
ReplyDeleteJean, I love the idea of having a couple with different colours planted up together, especially given the wonderful colours that are available now. You've given me an idea to try!
DeleteI think your name for the blooms and plant is much more appropriate. Ours blooms at different times here in the winter too and never at Christmas for the name Christmas cactus. LOL! I really love the light oink one Bernie. They are full of blooms and lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lona, I think Crab Claws is pretty close to describing what they look like. Both mine are quite young plants as I was only given little slips of each around two years ago now. I think they're both doing so well now and I can't wait to see them mature and get much bigger.
DeleteThe blooms are so special, gorgeous colors.
ReplyDeleteMine bloomed in January and they are setting buds again so they do bloom more than once.
I wonder if mine will bloom more than once as they get older? That would be fantastic. I'll have to keep an eye out for photos of yours soon then Shirley.
DeleteThey are beautiful. I discovered mine very neglected with weeds in their pots but in flower down the far end of my greenhouse the other day. I felt like a very bad gardener. They deserve much better.
ReplyDeleteThey don't seem to need much do they? I think you're probably doing exactly what they need by the sound of it. I know I don't do much at all with mine, other than the occasional watering and a bit of a feed around mid-Autumn.
DeleteWe call them Schumbergia here and as a houseplant they can last for decades though they flower better when they are left outdoors in our summer. I think their flowers are just so pretty aswell.
ReplyDeleteCrab claw, that's a new name for me. If only mine had shown more than a few lonely blooms. This one is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteSorry for being absent for such a long time, I am slowly trying to catch up with things, visiting your blog included :-)
ReplyDeleteBernie, you are one of my favourite bloggers, so I want to nominate you for the Illuminating Blogger Award for illuminating, informative blog content.
Here are the details:
http://foodstoriesblog.com/illuminating-blogger-award/
Awards like this one are a nice way link blogs and meet other bloggers :-)
Take care.
Gorgeous entry~
ReplyDeleteThey are really most spectacular, to my great envy!
ReplyDeletenice posting.. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete