Yesterday morning, I snuck over to the neighbors and took a few pics of their Argentine Giant cactus as it was blooming.
I didn’t think they’d notice as I snapped a few pics and stepped around this giant to see the other side.
This giant had some blooms at Easter (which I posted about here) and is now blooming again. I could see from all the buds that it would be blooming again in a day or two.
Imagine our surprise when Tu-Na Helper and I heard a knock on our patio door about 5:00 in the afternoon.
This is the same cactus just 8 hours later.
“Karen, come get your camera.” The voice said. “You should see my cactus now.”
Each flower is 6-7 inches in diameter and 8-9″ long. They only last 24 hours.
Our next door neighbor had heard that I had been over taking pictures of his cactus in the morning.
This cactus is covered with stickers and buds!
I was not disappointed. In fact, I was surprised to see just how many buds had opened in just a few hours.
There are lots of buds so it will be blooming for awhile. I’ll have to check on it again in a few days. Maybe I should check on it twice a day!
“Tu-Na Helper, dear, can we have one of those Argentine Giants in our yard, please,” I asked.
So he took two arms from a different neighbor’s Argentine Giant (who had offered them) and stuck them in our yard. I should see blooms in 3 years.
Update: See here for the latest look at the neighbor’s cactus as it explodes in blossoms.
What I Learned Today:
- I would not make a good spy as I get caught easily.
- Or maybe it’s that nothing gets past the neighbors.
- Our windows are very thin.
- I’ll be seeing more cacti blooms as we’ve got tickets to the Desert Botanical Gardens and are planning on going there on Sunday.
Question: What’s the biggest flower or the most unusual flower you’ve seen?
Thanks for stopping by and do come again.
Karen, Tu-Na Quilts
Linking to:
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts
Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats 
You are a great photographer! Nice photos!
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such a beautiful plant and to think it will grow from just sticking it the yard – I can’t for the life of me think of an usual plant that I have seen recently or flower – just the same old stuff around here – are you staying in Arizona a little longer than normal with hopes that all the snow well be gone when you head north? our son in law got the snow blower out the day before yesterday in WI lol
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Wow! That cactus is amazing! I’ve never seen one with so many flowers. Too bad they only last 24 hours. Great pictures, Karen!
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Beautiful! When I lived in Florida, I found a cactus in a pot that was gray & dead looking, left by a previous owner. I threw it in a trash heap behind the shed. About 6 months later I decided it was time to clean up the trash heap & found the cactus with the most beautiful magenta bloom!
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Oh, wow! Just beautiful. It amazing how many more blooms there were in a few short hours.
Thank you for sharing these! I have never seen a cactus in bloom! The largest blooms I’ve seen are in the Caribbean.
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The idea of you sneaking over to take pictures has me giggling, and then I saw the two cacti you planted and it made me giggle a bit more (sorry, but they look so naked, just sticking there, I think they need hats or something). The blooms are beautiful. I think the largest bloom I’ve seen has been a dinner plate size hibiscus. I have a spy movie soundtrack in my head now, and I’m going to begin calling you “Double O Tu-Na” — it almost has the same ring as 007.
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Karen, Perhaps you weren’t made to be a spy, perhaps you were made to be a nature photographer/journalist. Your photos are great and your stories make me laugh. Unfortunately here on PEI, the flowers don’t grow very big. The biggest living things I ever saw were the Redwoods in Northern California.
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Those are beautiful! I can see why you made the effort to catch them in their glory.
Cheers
Terry
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Wow, the blooms are amazing! The most exotic plant I’ve seen is the corpse flower, though not in bloom. An orchid grower in Minnesota invited my husband and I into his back greenhouses where he had many of the plants in various stages of growth. Then he showed us orchid hybrids that he and his scientist were developing. It was the best flower tour ever!
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Wowzers. Those blooms are incredible. Your pictures are incredible. I look forward to viewing your blooms in 3 years… Good luck.
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Karen,
Love, love, LOVE this!! So amazingly beautiful! Is this the time when they normally start blooming? I visited friends in Tempe, AZ in February 2017 and saw no blooms. I’m guessing it was too early. So, you’re not cut out to be a spy – I think you have plenty on your plate without that vocation. ~smile~ Roseanne
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Beautiful blooms – can’t believe the size. Too bad, they only last such a short while. Yes, I too would check on them twice a day – how awesome. Great pics. Maybe Tuna-helper will surprise you with a bigger and proper cactus. Tell him you are worth it :)!
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Those are such beautiful blooms, so large and so many on the cactus.
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Wow! Thanks for sharing this incredible cactus. Yes, you must not be very sneaky.
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Oh my goodness that is an amazing cactus! I so enjoyed looking at the photos 😀
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Well, I think it’s a good thing you were caught so you could go back and get more pictures!!!!
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