Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera)

I bought my husband this lovely specimen over a decade ago. It arrived in the mail covered with buds. Within a week it was laden with magnificent blooms, a testament to the climate-controlled greenhouse it came from. It didn’t bloom again for a few years, until it found the perfect home in our kitchen window.

The Schlumbergera puts out flowers two or three times a year, usually May and November and occasionally January. I was congratulating myself for reviving this plant, till I read here how easy they are to grow. Apparently all it needed was the indirect light and humidity the kitchen had to offer, and Mother Nature took care of the rest.

Window plants are quite cheering, especially during the colder months. Washing dishes is less of a chore when you have lovely fuchsia blooms holding court on the sill.