Well look who has come to visit us in the greenhouse today !
She is a little shy , peering out between other Epies , scabbling about as they do .
Some years ago I bought seeds from Terry Hewitt of Holly Gate Cactus Nursery . He had been experimenting with cross pollinating Epiphyllums to create maybe new hybrids . I was thrilled to take a part in his experiments , but sadly he passed away the following year and his cactus nursery closed down .
I had sown them and germinated them and have been bringing them all on . I was so sad when he died and even after all this time I haven't done anything with them . They are still in the same very large hanging pot . I need to tip them out and give each one it's own pot now . Nurture each one and bring them into flower and see what Terry had created .
This is the first one to flower , and I am pretty sure that this is Nopalxochia phyllanthoides also known as Disocactus phyllanthoides also known as the Nopalxochitl , but also more commonly known as Empress Josephine .
Wife of Napoleon Bonaparte , Empress Josephine 1763-1814 passionate collector of plants .
This lovely Nopalxochia phyllanthoides was brought from South America to add to her collection ...first flowering in Europe in May 1811 . It was one of her favourite plants in her grand glasshouse at the Chateau Malmaison on the outskirts of Paris .
So it seems that this tiny seed was not to be some extraordinary new hybrid ...but just to stay the same delightful species that nature has intended her to be .
💮 ...... and I really don't mind at all ! 💮
🐝🐝🦋🐝🐝
I had a wonderful Epiphyllum with flower of a rose maybe a little lighter than those of yours, and loved and cared for it so much, but it died after so many years, I don't understand why... maybe it needed more space, its pot had become probably too little, it was enormous. I miss it so much and it's so hard to find it in a nursery here in Northern Italy, alas!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend ahead, dear Daisy
X Daniela @ ~ My little old world ~ (Dany)