Bloom Watch #1 – The Queen Is In Charge
May 18, 2020It is that time of the year again and although we may not be able to spend it together this year, I am hoping we can still enjoy the trip together. I spent a couple of hours checking in with the Queen and she seems to ready to mess with my head again. There are buds that range from fuzz balls to actual buds. Nothing to the stall size yet. These numbers will continue to change over the next few weeks as some new ones arrive and some abort. We have been on this trip before so you know how it can go when the Queen is in charge.
In the Queen’s court there has been much more action.
The Peniocereus marianus started producing buds in December but in the end the ground squirrels managed to eat all but five of the 50 buds before they could flower. My plant at home only had one flower this year. The P. serpentinus has had 35 flowers so far with more coming. My P. johnstonii has had 15 flowers so far and it still has 9 buds to come. My P. viperinus has had 70 flowers so far with the total going above 100 before it is over. I am trying to cross the P. viperinus with the P. johnstonii again this year. We’ll see what happens. My P. rosei has a bud for the first time and it will be interesting to see what the flower looks like. My P. fosterianus is also budding up and it looks like it will be quite a show again this year. The rest of the court is still holding out although I expect several will play in the end.
Hope you are all staying healthy and keeping your sanity during these troubling times. More to come in the weeks to follow.
Until Next Time – Lee Mason, Director of General Services, Tohono Chul
