Gardening at night…

These cacti are a fairly common occurrence in Durban and other parts of South Africa. They have an amazing flower that only opens at night and early morning. Commonly known as the Princess / Queen of the Night, the nightblooming cereus, which I have in my garden and had always assumed was indigenous, does in fact originate from Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America.

And as bev18 from Port Alfred comment on this blog:

“We in South Africa regard this plant as an alien invader. It grows all over the place and although I admired it for many years, it was not until a friend of mine showed me the edible portion that I really began to appreciate it. The flower, in the correct conditions, grows into an interesting fruit which when chilled and sliced, is delicious. Not unlike a Kiwi fruit.”

Aesthetic and delicious. Should I chop it?

Queen of the Night 01

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Fleeting flower

Here is a picture of my cactus flower which only lasted a day.  It had a slight fragrance.  Does anyone have more details on the plant or flower?  I am interested to know if it is indigenous.

Fleeting flower.

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My first plant (and post)

This was the first plant I bought so I think its fitting that it feature in my first post on gardening.  I got it from the farmers market in Westville and its been with me for over five years.  It sparked my interest in plants and was the first of many succulents and cacti I bought and still have.

Its spines are long and sharp and feel a bit like an animal’s claw.  It is very slow growing and hasn’t flowered in the time I have had it. I have no idea of its name or if it is in fact indigenous to South Africa so if any one recognises it, please comment.

My first cactus