What Is a Night-Blooming Cereus?
The night-blooming cereus, a native of Mexico, is one of the most unusual garden plants in existence. Its white, primrose-fragranced flowers, which are huge and spidery in appearance, bloom only late at night, and by dawn, they are spent. The plant itself, with its large, winged, strap-like leaves, adds structural interest to the garden, whether it is grown in the ground or in a hanging container. Sometimes called Queen of the Night, the night-blooming cereus is a type of cactus. There are about twenty species of the plant, which grows rapidly with little care in most gardens, and is a popular pass-along plant. Night-blooming cereus thrives in full sun to part shade, and—given the right environment—can climb rocks and trees. Beginning in early spring or summer, depending on geographic location, tiny buds form along the sides of the night-blooming cereus leaves. Care must be taken not to shake the plant or apply much pressure to the heavy leaves, or these buds will fall off. The buds de
