It's an "Easter Cactus"......well not really, but

Beautiful, Peggy!

yes-it looks like purple or lavendar-its fully open this morning -its the first time I've seen this bloom.
Peg

Very pretty, Peggy

Sandy,
I would think they survive, but so far I have never placed them into total darkness.
2 years ago I did a test and placed just a couple of them into the garage. When they did fine, all of the hybrids went into the garage last Fall. Perhaps you might want to test a sample plant first, before you overwinter them all in darkness?
(On the other hand, one of the pots was all the way back inside the garage and it is also fine now.)

Hi Ruk,

Thanks a lot for your input...i guess i could experiment...i dont have many epis to experiment with but hey, nothing like getting more to try!...although i could just put them in the the garage when the temps dipped below freezing or when we have a bit of a cold snap and then bring them back out again...I will have to try like you say....

Peggy, its a real beauty....I like the colours of the purple and red together.....

Here are a couple more pics from today. I think this one is 'Inauguration.'

Here is a wide shot of some of the epi's, lilies, and things:

Lovely, lovely Epis! I especially like your apricot one Clare!

After waiting so many years for a yellow.......now I have two! This one snuck up on me this morning, yet another bud to come in a few days. I think this was among the no-name cuttings in Pat's "grab bag" freebies late last summer.

Wow you guys, you outdo yourselves in the bloom department!....the yellow is stunning....they all are enough to drool over!....thanks for posting the pics...

Sandy

Wow is right, Candy! Two awesome yellows! Congrats on your freebie score! The red of mine is really a stunner. I'll get another picture of it tomorrow if it is still open. My small orange with the square stems is starting to bloom too. That one was a late bloomer last year.

Thanks, Sandy!

Gorgeous yellows!! And the inauguration is beautiful.

Some of you may remember that last year I split up some of the large pots of Epis that had become over crowded. A couple of the pots are elsewhere in the garden, but here are some of the pots that were repotted last year. Lots o' buds, some of them were knocked off when I moved and rearranged the pots this morning, but it looks like they will make a good showing this year and seem to not have missed a beat from the repotting experience.

**

***

That's good to know, Candy, in case I ever get around to repotting mine! LOL! I'm not sure that I ever will because it seems like a lot of work! You've got lots of buds there. I can't wait to see what they are. Those hairy buds are neat-looking. I wonder what those will be. I think my hairy ones are my small orange.

Here are a few pics today. This one is Paradise.

Candy, your patio looks fantastic by the way. I love the design of that brick floor. It really brings out the epi's and other cacti and succulents.

Edited to fix epi name.



This message was edited May 15, 2006 4:01 PM

Here it is again:

This is my apricot one:

I think this one is Saigon:

This is a small orange, blooming in the way back:

This one is Padre:

Here is a wide shot of my epi's, lilies, and amaryllis all blooming together:

Getting my yearly eye candy fix!

Looking awesome ladies!!! Ü

Thanks, Lilypon!

Candy, I just visited Epi's By Pat site and ended up buying some hybrid cuttings which are supposed to be fragrant and one species. I bought these:

E. GUATAMALENSE - (L) - Numerous narrow
spidery white inner
petals offset by shiny
orange pistel
Stock# 215
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
CREME de MENTHE
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
YOUNGNUN
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
WILLIAMCLARK
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
DEUTCHLAND
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was the picture of your white hybrid which enabled me! It is magnificent.

Clare,
I am really enjoying the show!! Gorgeous!

Around here the buds are progressing but I will surely not see any blooms until Memorial Day. Only the Epi phyllanthus has been flowering every so often. I moved this week the big Epi oxypetalum out onto the deck, by myself. It was a real job!!

Candy, your plants on the patio look terrific!!

Thanks, Ursula! I moved mine a few times as well, and boy, are they heavy! We need to watch our backs with these plants!

Thanks ladies! I'm spending way too much time fussing over these things, but it is a once a year event afterall. :-)

Visiting Pat's website is a dangerous game to play. LOL I speak from experience.

You know the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for." ? Are you getting bored with my YELLOWS yet? This one is actually white & yellow, with the "cup" or "bowl" being mainly white. This is in the same pot as the all yellow posted on May 10th, but upon closer inspection it is a seperate cutting. So now I have enough yellow and am ready for some of the old standby bright pinks and large whites. :-)

Ohhhh, I like!
Trying to resist Pat's, I may go visit Don Cravalho's though, he close enough. But I do think I need a bright happy yellow and that last one is especially pretty with the white.

Very pretty, Candy. That should look lovely with the other yellows. I actually looked for your yellows above but didn't see them, and I didn't really like the yellows that she did have on her site, but that is a good thing because I really don't need any more. LOL! Dangerous game indeed!

I moved one of my containers which had epi blooms because I couldn't see some of the blooms. Man, was it heavy! I have to find a new spot for it where the leaves won't drag on the ground.


This message was edited May 15, 2006 3:54 PM

That last one is Padre. I have no idea which one this is. It could be Tel Star.

This message was edited May 15, 2006 4:03 PM

This is the small orange:

I think this one is Saigon again:

So pretty Clare, every one of them is a winner!

The parade of pinks has begun around here......this first is from a no-name cutting received last summer, and the second image is one of my old-time pinks.

..

They are so pretty!! Beautiful pictures of the pink parade. And I would never argue with gorgeous reds and yellows.
Clare, I agree.
Moving heavy pots around can be a back/knee buster.
I am busy at the moment with moving all my plants outside. This year I placed all Epis on the deck together with many other Cacti and Succulents for ease of watering. But all the other plants get carried down the steps and through the house into the backyard. I inspect them, spray and repot if necessary and then place them into "the cage" for the outdoor season. I view this as my Spring-exercise-program. You know - warmup /take smaller pots at first, then work yourself up to the biggies. ;-)
Now if it would just get a bit warmer, I would be happy.

You asked in one of the posts above about the scent of Epi hybrids. We noticed last year that Edna Stoddard stinks!!!

Candy, that new no-name one is a stunner. There looks to be a lot of lavender in it. I love it! The epi's behind your new no-name one have the same look as the one I call my small orange. It is really more of a medium red, and in fact, I think it is Floradora. When my friend, Antoinette, sent me these cuttings a few years ago, she had some names of ones that she had purchased, but she didn't know which was which so I am able to put some names to them as they bloom, but since I can't be sure, I'll keep a question mark on the tag. Anyway, that one has a rather distinctive look to the leaves and often has square or three-sided stems. There is just no telling, though, given the thousands of hybrids. I have some old catelogs that someone sent me last year from the mid '70's, which list hundreds upon hundreds of names and descriptions.

LOL, Ursula! You have such a good attitude about it! That sounds like a rigorous exercise program! Do be careful on those steps! That is usually where my accidents happen:-) It is just so darn hard to see your feet when you have a big plant in your arms. I'm going to have to move some epi's around too soon, once they finish blooming. I'm afraid that, if I do it now, I will knock off too many buds. I think I need some plant stands like Candy's if I am going to do it right; otherwise, I will just place them on some empty pots which are turned over. I agree with you, Ursula, it needs to get warmer here too. We are experiencing May Gray sure to be followed by June Gloom. That's good to know about Edna Stoddard. I'll be sure to avoid that one. I would love to see pictures of your deck of you can post them here or on your web site. What is the "cage"? Do any of your epi's get full sun? I am tempted to move mine to an out-of-the-way location that would be perfect for them, but unfortunately, it is a full-sun spot, and mine tend to turn red in full sun.

Hi Guys! I got my Epi's from Pat yesterday. That was fast shipping! They came with some instructions and pictures of the flowers of the ones that I bought. No freebie, but that's cool. They are already planted. She indicated that she has a new forumula for epi soil, which is the following:

2 parts "Forest Humus" (OR good potting soil)
2 parts "Coir Fiber Pith" (Coco Peat)
1 part "Orchard Bark" 1/4" to 1/2"
1 part "Sponge Rock" (med)
Small amount of slow-release fertilzier (10-10-10)

Mix well.

Here is a bud of mine which I think might end up being Francis C., which is a yellow:

This is a cutting of E. crenatum, which broke off when I had to move my pots for some electricians. It is the only one with buds as the parent plant does not have them. The parent plant is fairly small and is potted with another Epi species. I should probably divide them eventually if possible. The E. crenatum that you see in the background is a different one. I am looking forward to these blooms and hope they won't be too heavy for the little cutting which may be still rooting.

I think this one is Inauguration:

Clare.......you are being a bad influence! Can't wait to see your yellow, they are a real change of pace from all the reds & pinks!
I will not order any more Epis.
I will not order any more Epis.
I will not order any more Epis.

I just can't do it! I keep telling myself it is just more to move later this summer/fall.

Right now, I am again lusting after Ursula's cage!! Think about it all the time as the best solution to hanging pots, critter management.......if you haven't seen her images yet, go there now and take a long long trip through her amazing collection. http://www.kammlott.net/ Maybe Ursula will pop in and link directly to an overall shot of the "cage"......it is an amazing structure. And I am hoping you are not overdoing it with all the moving Ursula.....I did mine slowly this year and although the "mess" lasted longer, I at least didn't incapacitate myself as I have in years past.

The Pink Parade is ramping up......wonderful warm weather for the last couple of weeks. We went straight from dreary cold wet winter into summer temps in the low 80's with unusually warm nights. I'm noticing that my Aeonium beds are suffering from the quick change, but everything else seems to be loving the warmth. Here's part of the Pinks....

And unlike the teaser in the title of this thread, here is an actual Easter Cactus which should probably be renamed my Memorial Day Cactus. :-)

I'm supposed to be dividing pond plants, but find myself ambling past the Epis every chance I get. :-)