in the night garden

I have had my night blooming cereus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) for two years now, and did wrong by it the first year with too much sun, and got wiser, but still abused it when it stretched four feet out into traffic and kept it in a tiny pot, and  did a little bit better by it this year but mostly ignored it, and still managed to kick it every oncet in a while in passing, and brought it in from the cold a week ago, and stuck it in the basement, crammed it between two far-more-nurtured bananas, and  moved it today to make room for another banana, and I was surprised, nay, shaken, to see that I am finally getting my first bloom.

I bought it after a dozen years spent coveting the sally mann image of the same name, arguably the most beautiful photograph of the twentieth century (so decreed by yours truly, among others far wiser, I’m sure) . My neglect has been rewarded with the promise of a beautiful bloom, seen in budding stage above. Stay tuned for a pic in all it glory.

In contrast, I have had my buddha’s hand citron nigh on three weeks now. I stuck it in the winter garden under the light, and it is so covered in flower buds I am downright shocked. Shocked, I say! To top that, it has two small fruit already, pictured below is the larger:

Suck it monkeys (though it may be somewhat tart).