I have some spectacular and large cactuses in my garden, many taller than I am. I don’t
know all of their names (some came with the house). Some (like the prickly pears)
have many blooms that open all summer. Prickly pears will have
buds and blooms and fruit all at once on one plant. Other cactuses just have
a few huge flowers once a year. A cactus I planted when it was about a foot
tall has grown over six feet. It bloomed for the first time last month. The blooms
last for just a few hours and then crumple. Here are the bloom cycles of some of
my favorite cactus plants:
Black fuzzy buds turn green
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Green bud swells and turns pink
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Almost open
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Huge pink, yellow, white bloom
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Two flowers open together
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Night bloom profile
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Seeds after flowers
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Prickly pear flowers
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Prickly pear fruit and flowers
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More prickly pear flowers
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Starting bud appears
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Bud and stem grow
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Two buds turn pink at once
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Almost open
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Yellow bloom fully opens
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Two bloom together
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Profile shows no needles
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Looking inside
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Flower soon crumples
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Bloom turns black
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Dead flower falls
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Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson
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