Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Rescue Cactus Blooms

Ferocactus cylindraceus
Luckily, this barrel cactus decided to put out flowers a few weeks early, otherwise, I would have nothing to offer this week. The usual bloom period starts sometime in July--usually mid-July, so it was only by chance that I saw this flower. This barrel is in my front yard, one of the few cacti I have there. I saw the bloom from a bedroom window, so grabbed my camera and got this shot.
This is a rescue cactus that I purchased for $5 from our local Cactus and Succulent Society. It it a mature barrel, but it hadn't bloomed in the two years I've had it--until this past weekend. I have several barrels, and all have slightly different colored flowers. This one has less orange or red in the center than my others, which you can see here.

18 comments:

The Apron Queen said...

What a beautiful cactus. I once stuck a cactus in my garage & completely forgot about it for a year or so. Came across it & it still looked great, so I brought it inside. Still thriving now!

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Claude said...

Great compass barrel. I've been thinking of getting a F. wislizenii, because they're supposedly winter hardy here. They're very impressive plants!

Suzanne said...

This flower is beautiful. I love the striped petals and the bright, vibrant color. The other varieties with more orange/red were stunning too!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful bloom!

Teri said...

This is one I have not seen before. Gosh it pretty and delicate.
I even did a Blooming Tuesday with you today.

Suzy said...

I have a large variety of flowers in my flowerbed but nothing compares to the beauty of a bloom on a thorny cactus! The color is awsome.
Thank you for stoppin' by and the lovely comment about my headers!
Suzy

kesslerdee said...

What a lovely surprise! I have a couple small barrel cactus but haven't ever seen them bloom- maybe this year!

Debra Kay said...

Maybe the cactus was saying thank you.

Anonymous said...

Your barrel cactus bloom is spectacular. Thanks for sharing.

Sugarplum Cottage said...

I must say I'm always anxious to see what you have posted each week. I love yellow so this photo was perfect. Your cactus are amazing,Hugs, Rose

Jean said...

Love the colors and the "barrel" shape of this cactus! Interesting, as always! Jean

beckie said...

They are all different aren't they? I think this one is my favorite though. Such a delicate stripe in the yellow. So glad it bloomed early and you could share it today.

vintage girl at heart said...

Love the barrel cactus. So rich and the texture is amazing!!!

Jocelyn H. Chilvers said...

Wonderful colors--looks like a setting sun.

Laurie and Chris said...

Cool cactus. Love the color.

Julie said...

Pretty little bloom...love the stripy colors!!!

kate smudges said...

The flower on this cactus is pretty. It's always a treat when an unexpected bloom happens.

MrBrownThumb said...

Hey No Rain.

Long time no see. I've missed visiting your blog and looking at your cool plants. The Ferocactus flower is really nice. It almost looks like a little flame.