Pretty In Pink

Echinopsis x Los Angeles

This is the third round of flowers for this Echinopsis hybrid this year. Since I transferred this cactus from a pot into my garden this past spring, it has produced a small offshoot and three rounds of flowers. I featured this same cactus earlier this year during its second flowering, which produced twelve flowers, ten of which opened at the same time.

The flowers open in the evening hours, and depending on the weather, will last about 24 hours. If it's too hot, the quickly wilt and dry up as the sun comes up. The flowers have a slight fragrance, but you have to get up close to catch it. It's a subtle and somewhat powdery scent.

The common names for Echinopsis are Sea Urchin Cactus, Easter Lilly Cactus, and Farm Cactus. Experts recommend that Echinopsis be given regular fertilizer throughout the summer, but I've not bothered. Now, I'm wondering if I would have had even more flowers had I followed a regular feeding schedule.