I’ve had this cactus garden for a number of years. In this early spring I noticed a bud forming in the centre of one plant. And then a shoot. The shoot kept growing and growing. The shoot is now thirteen inches long! It grows toward the sunlight in a south facing window.

About a week ago I noticed the second bud. This one stayed a small bud for a long time. And then suddenly, it shot upward on a stem that is now five inches long. This one has been growing straight upward.

Cactus flowers aren’t always especially beautiful. Certainly, these won’t compare with something like an orchid or rose. However, they bloom rarely for me– at the most one a year. And sometimes every few years. So I feel excited as only a “plant lady” would watching and waiting for it to bloom. I’m also excited because somehow I managed to get these two buds, which feel like “plant success.” In a way I am more excited about this rare bloom than all the lovely orchid blooms I have.

Also, I am sure that because of all the Covid restrictions, and because there are less places to go and less distractions, I am looking much more closely at small things and getting excited about these little things. I know I am not alone. For instance, the other day I spoke to someone who was eagerly waiting to see the hummingbirds return. She laughed at her own level at excitement as she heard they were nearer her region. She was looking for small things to anticipate. Small things in our surroundings– in particular in the natural world– are catching our attention now that we are not rushing about as much.

Also, we are longing for blooms in our world; colour and beauty to lift our spirits.

I water cactuses almost not at all from November into early spring. Giving them a period of dormancy. Then I start watering and fertilizing in the spring. This seems to increase the chances of a bloom.

I will share a follow up post with photos of the cactus buds in bloom… meanwhile, I wait in hopeful anticipation…