A Christmas Cactus

For many years I have wanted a Christmas cactus. My mother has had several varieties and colors throughout the years. When I worked in the corporate world, co-workers would bring them into the office each year around this time when they started blooming. But I never owned one myself.


It was the day after Christmas last year in Tennessee when I went with my mother to Lowe's. While she was shopping for those after-Christmas specials, I wandered around the garden center.


On the lowest shelf of a 70% off section, I spied a few small pots of struggling Christmas cactus. You couldn't really tell what color the blooms would be. But I kept coming back and looking at sad little pots, figuring they were a lost cause and wasted money.


I finally decided to claim one for my own and brought it all the way back home to Pensacola Beach, where it sat on my patio through winter, spring, summer and fall. Slowly it made itself at home and began filling out. In late summer leaf tips began setting tiny buds. A couple of weeks ago I noticed the buds were almost ready to burst open, so with great anticipation I moved the plant into the house.

At last, this week, I've been rewarded with these spectacular blooms, which I share with you, and a reminder that with enough love, nothing is a lost cause!

Merry Christmas cactus from Pensacola Beach!