Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata)

Last January, my friend Nancy had a bunch of women over for dinner, wine and games, and she gifted each of us with a Christmas cactus she'd grown from a cutting.  Nancy is the gardener in our group who fields the questions about propagation.  We're lucky to have her as a resource and a friend.

The plant didn't look like much, a few short green fronds.  I don't buy houseplants any more.  They don't last long in our home.  I forget them or overwater them or the cats eat them.  When I got this one home, I put it in a sheltered kitchen window.  The cats didn't eat it.  I tried to remember to water it a couple of times a month.  Turns out that's all it wants.

The coffee cup became part of the window scenery and I didn't pay attention as the green fronds grew into a small fountain.  Then two days before Christmas a spray of lovely pink buds caught my eye.  The flowers opened on Christmas day, a glowing reminder of friendship.

Here's hoping that next year we all have more bloom in our lives.  Have a good New Year, friends.

For my gardening friends, the Christmas Cactus is a smallish (6-18 inches, depending on cultivar) tropical succulent that makes an undemanding houseplant for a filtered-sun location.  Widely available in nurseries or ask a friend to break off a couple of sections at joints, allow them to callus over and then plant in good potting soil.  

Next year, you can be Santa Nancy.