Christmas Cactus . . . The perfect passalong plant!!

Is it a Thanksgiving cactus, or a Christmas cactus?

What one thinks of as Christmas Cactus is more likely to be Thanksgiving Cactus since it mostly is what is sold around the holidays. Plants that bloom around Thanksgiving are the species Schlumbergera truncata. True Christmas Cactus blooms later into December and comes from the species Schlumbergera x buckleyi, a hybrid produced in the late 1840s in England.

In addition to bloom time, one can distinguish between the two by examining their stem segments or “leaves”. Thanksgiving Cactus segments have sides with pointed lobes along the edges while Christmas Cactus segments are smooth sided and have no pointy edges.

Bloom form is another indicator of species difference. True Christmas Cactus blooms have Continue reading

Find the Winter, 2019 Newsletter Here

Find the Master Gardener, Winter 2019-20 Newsletter, “Through the Vine” posted here in PDF format. Articles include:

  • The History of Holly as Symbolic Decor
  • A message from our MG Coordinator
  • Connie Smith & Paul Hang awarded Outstanding MGV Coordinators of 2019!! Green Machine winners, MGV totals for 2018
  • Favorite Holiday plants and their Origins
  • Dragon Lights – Columbus, Ohio
  • Winter Gardening for Old Folks
  • Book review: The Drunken Botanist
  • My Homesteading Journey
  • Plants on the Ground
  • The Columbus Garden Railway Society 2019 Fall Garden Tour
  • Shakespeare Gardens
  • Book review: The Forbidden Garden
  • Upcoming Events and Activities