Oh, What a Night (Blooming)!

14 years ago

The last time Epiphyllums bloomed, I forgot to back after dark and check and missed the blooms, thinking it would be the next night. You only get one chance. So, I moved them to the carport ledge so I wouldn't have to brave the dark.

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By 8 o'clock blooms were beginning to crack open, but you still couldn't smell the fragrance to come.

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Hamming it up for the camera, Ike of the Jungle.

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By 10 pm, the fragrance was incredible and the blooms were almost fully open.

Flower Lady has these growing up a tree in south Florida. Here they are potted plants, and a big deal when they bloom. There were 4 blooms, more buds to bloom later.

Different shots of the same blossoms are on my blog, if you want to see more. Every time they bloom, I'll all excited at the beauty and fragrance from such an awkward, ungainly plant.

Nell

Here is a link that might be useful: Seedscatterer Pics

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Comments (6)

aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
14 years ago
Nell, what can I say besides gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous, the fragrance of this one is intoxicating. I'm now the proud mom of one of these, a garden web friend shared a couple of cuttings with me. I hope I have blooms in the next year or so, until then I'll just have to enjoy yours.

Annette
token28001
14 years ago
I'm like this about datura. Can you describe the smell? What's it like?
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Nell Jean
Original Author
14 years ago
Heavier and sweeter than Datura. Takes your breath away if you stand too close for long. You couldn't stand to have them inside in a small room, I've tried it. I guess that's what they mean by an 'intoxicating' scent. The next morning they're all limp and the fragrance is gone, unlike a Datura, which holds its shape and fragrance well into the next day.
Annie
14 years ago
They remind me of the fragrance of Ginger plant blossoms or Gardenia.

Hard to catch them in the act though. I have completely missed them several times. Darn it!
gldno1
14 years ago
Congratulations on catching them this time!

Anything that blooms only at night here is just a lost cause!
Can't get my sleep pattern changed!

I guess why I can't catch the datura bug is here we have a native, very poisonous one called Jimsonweed, datura stramonium. I swear the bloom and the seed pods look like all the rest. It opens in the evening with a strong fragrance and closes in the early morning. We used to cut them down every time we saw one. I just can't seem to get past that. The bloom is always white.
Annie
14 years ago
To my surprise, I found a little Datura plant two days ago growing where I grew them three years ago! I dug the Bermuda out from around it mulched and watered it. It rained that night all night and into the morning and then again all last night and this morning. Yippee!

Suppose it's too late to plant my purple and white Datura (Devil's Trumpet)? First frost dates here range from late October thru early November (on the average). How long do they take to get to bloom?

Night blooming flowers have the sweetest fragrances, don't they? My Night-blooming Cereus got frozen back this past winter in the greenhouse when our power went off. It is coming back out but so slowly. No blooms this year.

~Annie