Selenicereus, or the “Queen of the Night,” has a delightful fragrant flower blooming at sunset, which fades by morning. The botanical gardens organize special night excursions for those wishing to see this spectacle. Local newspapers write about the happy owners of flowering Selenicereus. Unfortunately, there are few such amateur flower growers.

Selenicereus blooms

Selenicereus ( Selenicereus) is a cactus of the tropical forests and coasts of Central and South America. It grows in forests, on the coast, on rocks and as an epiphyte on trees. It has hanging or creeping ribbed stems up to 2.5 cm thick. In nature, they are longer. Tough aerial roots hang from thin, prickly shoots. Selenicereus appears unattractive most of the time. Who would like a voluminous tangle of intertwined shoots with thorns? And where can I find a place for it? In April, buds appear on the stems. At first these are tiny fluffy balls, which gradually increase in size, and then form into large buds. Finally, before sunset, a miracle happens: a huge white flower with countless petals and golden sepals opens. Its diameter is up to 35 cm! The room is filled with a vanilla-honey aroma. By morning the flower fades.

The whims of the flowers “Queen of the Night”

Selenicereus grandiflora ( S. grandiflorus) and its hybrids are called “moonflower” or “Queen of the Night”. Is this cactus capricious? Most likely no. It just has its weak points. Selenicereus gets used to the conditions of detention and quickly adapts to any changes. But in the first days he finds himself under the influence of stress. It reacts to it by refusing to bloom and even drying out the buds ready to bloom. This year, the stress for our “Queen of the Night” was that we opened the windows of the loggia, which are located two meters from the cactus. Selenicereus reacted to this instantly: within a few hours a huge bud fell off. The second bud at this time was a small fluffy ball. The cactus had enough time to adapt to the open windows, so this bud produced a wonderful flower. Even electric lighting turned on at night or frequent camera flashes can cause a bud to fall off or a huge flower to quickly wither. Perhaps the bright light causes the “Queen of the Night” to get confused about the time of day and believe that it is morning. Selenicereus is adapted to flowering in the dark; in nature, it is pollinated by moth moths.

The “Queen of the Night” grew up in the room until she grew a lot

How to care for Selenicereus?

Lighting. Selenicereus should grow in a bright place. A pot with it can even stand in a room if it is light there. Our cactus has grown too long shoots and no longer fits in the room. A few years ago we had to hang it on a glass loggia facing southwest. There's a lot of light and space. We liked the other option - thinning the stems and shortening the aerial roots - less. Many cactus lovers are helped by a support to which the shoots are tied. Excess sun on the loggia leads to the fact that in summer the cactus acquires a reddish tint; in winter, all the “tan” disappears.

Watering. In the spring, especially during the appearance of buds, spraying with warm water is useful. Young plants can be rinsed in the shower. In summer, the cactus is watered regularly (avoiding waterlogging). From November to March, Selenicereus rests. During this dormant period I water rarely. The cactus winters on the loggia at temperatures from +12 to 15? C.
Transfer. It is best to replant Selenicereus in early spring. The container must have good drainage. I have not replanted the “Queen of the Night” for several years, as it is difficult to do due to its size. So far this has not affected the quality of flowering. Selenicereus requires a more nutritious soil mixture than most other cacti. To prevent the thorny shoots from leaving numerous splinters on your hands, it is better to work in old leather mittens or gloves.

Feeding. The “Queen of the Night” is fed with special fertilizers for cacti (in reduced concentration). If you feed it organic matter, it will fatten to the detriment of flowering.

Where can I get “Queen of the Night”?

The “Queen of the Night” can be found... in the trash heap. Few people come to terms with the fact that a thorny “monster” with long curved stems is growing in the house. And they throw it away without waiting for flowering. The easiest way is to grow selenicereus from cuttings that are pre-dried. You can sow seeds and wait 4–5 years for flowering. In stores, small Selenicereus are often sold as “assorted mini cacti.” “Queen of the Night” also happens in nurseries. In one greenhouse near Moscow, for a long time, an adult Selenicereus was sold with a tag, but which said: “Ampelous cactus.” Nobody bought it: it was unclear how to stuff this prickly miracle into a car and take it home.

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My strawberry beds have been around for ten years. Naturally, I update the bushes. Previously, when May and June were dry, I took two buckets of delicious berries and another half a bucket of berries covered with gray rot from my “plantation.” If the beginning of summer was rainy, then I got two buckets of gray rot and only half a bucket of ripe strawberries. It's a shame to share the harvest with some rot! I started an attack on this bullshit. So, step by step - why my strawberries never get gray rot.

For the vast majority of my friends, the idea of ​​“not digging” sounds completely outlandish. But to be honest, my husband (also of the old agrotechnical variety) looks with pain at the undug beds. Although everything grows and bears fruit beautifully on them. Therefore, in the spring, I allow him to dig up something, so as not to radically change his worldview. We are gradually learning: sudden changes in habits are not for everyone. I will share my experience of farming “without a shovel”.

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As a child, I was delighted with fairy tales where the main character cleverly hid from pursuit. He stuck branches from a bush into the ground, and a dense, impenetrable green forest immediately grew behind him. I have been experimenting with twigs since I was four years old. So, summer cuttings are a great opportunity to get a young seedling of the desired variety. The procedure is simple, quick, and almost always even beginners succeed. Unsuccessful cuttings are associated with obvious neglect of its basic principles.

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Among the plants that came to us from Latin American rain forests, the magnificent walking iris is far from their most modest representative. Due to its heat-loving nature, it remains an indoor crop for countries with harsh winters. Without losing any of its rather large size, indoor neomarika looks elegant and very exotic. Flowers that can compete with orchids are a worthy reward for the special conditions that will have to be created for this plant.

Tomatoes “under the snow” are delicious and beautiful tomato preparations for the winter, which got their name due to their resemblance to glass snow globes. In this recipe I will tell you how to cook pickled cherry tomatoes with garlic and dill. The role of snow in the marinade filling is played by finely chopped garlic. If you gently shake the jar of pickles or turn it upside down, the garlic will spin in a dizzying whirlwind, no worse than artificial snowflakes in a glass ball.

Of the soil fertilizers, the highest content of calcium, but inaccessible, is found in lime fertilizers - limestone and dolomite flour (natural origin), conversion calcium carbonate, a waste product from the production of nitrogen fertilizers, but purer in composition than previous products. The action of these fertilizers is very slow. Typically, liming is carried out in the fall so that part of the applied fertilizer dissolves in the soil and becomes available to plants in the spring.

It seems like just yesterday it was spring. But now summer is already at its zenith, mid-July has arrived. At this time, all plants spend a lot of energy, micro- and macroelements to maintain the complex processes taking place inside them. And in order to provide them with abundant flowering, improve the taste of the fruits and help them survive the winter better, it is necessary to apply fertilizers in a timely and correct manner, that is, carry out multi-purpose fertilizing. At the same time, nitrogen in them should be kept to a minimum.

Any gardener knows that there is no more tedious and thankless task than fighting weeds. Too much effort and time is spent on weeding by hand or with the help of hoes and flat cutters, and the result, even if it pleases, does not last long. You won’t have time to walk through the area to the end, and weeds will already appear again in the weeded areas. And this is on an already inhabited site, and what can we say about virgin soil! We’ll tell you in this article how to quickly and permanently get rid of weeds.

Summer is not only the summer season, sun, vacation, warm sea, but also fresh vegetables, berries and fruits. However, today, when looking at market stalls, the question increasingly arises: is it possible to eat such early watermelons, melons, cucumbers, corn, tomatoes, etc., that have not yet been able to ripen in the open ground? Are early vegetables and fruits dangerous? Do early watermelons and melons fall into the category of nitrate products that can cause poisoning?

Minced pies in a frying pan - delicious pies-rolls made from delicate curd dough with homemade minced meat and spicy seasonings. Such pies can be prepared in half an hour, quickly fried in a frying pan and immediately served piping hot. An ideal dish for a situation when guests are already on the doorstep. Fried pies according to this recipe turn out to be very juicy, are easy to prepare, and look festive, so I advise you to add the recipe to your collection of holiday snacks - it will come in handy and you will love it!

Irises are spectacular, luxurious, attractive flowers that have long been firmly established in our gardens. But, as usual, in any large family there are both favored darlings and “poor relatives” deprived of attention. Thus, at one time, the surprisingly unpretentious and hardy Siberian irises turned out to be undeservedly relegated to the background - a real find for gardeners, especially in the northern regions. But now the time has come for them to be recognized.

Luxurious pastel caps of hydrangeas are equally impressive on garden bushes and on much more modest potted plants. The flowering of hydrangeas - their main advantage - can be fully appreciated regardless of the form of cultivation. These moisture-loving beauties with a special “elite” status grow well in the home format. They require very careful selection of temperatures, and are generally demanding in terms of conditions and care, but they also have few competitors.

Cactus "Queen of the Night" is a rare and unique plant. It earned its unique fame because it blooms only once a year, and even then only at night. The Queen of the Night cactus is also called the dragon flower.

There is one beautiful legend associated with him.

But all good things come to an end sooner or later. The end of peaceful life in this kingdom has come. No one knows where this evil dragon came from and why he decided to attack this small kingdom. But he demanded that huge chambers be built for himself from gold and precious stones, and the floors covered with carpets. The dragon warned that if the inhabitants of the small kingdom did not fulfill his demands, he would eat the most beautiful girl every day. People became desperate because all they had was love and kindness. They were so poor that they didn't even have carpets. But they could not explain this to the evil dragon - he simply did not want to listen to them. And then the beautiful queen came out to meet the fire-breathing serpent.

She asked him not to touch the defenseless people and invited him to eat herself instead of all the beauties of the kingdom. The dragon became thoughtful and promised not to touch anyone, but on the condition that the queen would give him all her beauty, and she herself would become an ugly monster like him. The girl happily agreed and extended her hands to the beast. At that same moment, the terrible fire-breathing monster turned into the most beautiful woman, and the queen - into a completely inconspicuous prickly cactus, somewhat reminiscent of a winged serpent.

But no matter what the appearance, nothing can destroy. From then until now, one night a year, the “Queen of the Night” cactus gives people a most wonderful flower that can heal broken hearts. After all, kindness and a generous heart are eternal, unlike beauty, which blooms and fades.

The Queen of the Night cactus is used in homeopathy. Its young stems and flowers, from which the tincture is made, are most valued. In medicine, when using extracts from this plant, the source material is first carefully examined, since it often happens that unscrupulous suppliers bring not the “Queen of the Night” cactus (photo attached), but the common prickly pear.

The resulting homeopathic remedy is used in the treatment of angina pectoris, neuroses, and to restore weak heart muscles. However, almost all cacti (photos and names are given) are often used in homeopathy, but their healing properties have been studied very little. No researchers have yet provided any precise data on the effect of alkaloids contained in the cactus, which have a positive effect on the heart.

Currently, the Queen of the Night cactus is increasingly attracting the attention of scientists involved in the development and research of drugs designed to improve cardiac function. After all, as the legend says, this cactus is able to heal sick human hearts. It may well turn out that in this unsightly flower lies the salvation of the lives of many thousands of people. Like in the legend.

In the project “50 Places and Events...” published on several popular travel sites, I proceeded from the premise that in the summer you need to walk more in order to see as much as possible of what is “outside” in good weather. And, therefore, I classified the Botanical Garden in the second part: autumn-winter-spring. What to do if the weather suddenly turns bad in summer? We decided to go... to the Botanical Garden!

The usual reason for this, as a rule, is the flowering of the “Queen of the Night”. And the flowering of the “Queen of the Night” is a separate St. Petersburg attraction. At the beginning of June, the media (previously on the radio) broadcast a message: “Attention, today the “Queen of the Night” is expected to bloom in the Botanical Garden. We invite everyone to the garden." Well, just think - the cactus has blossomed... Many people have them blooming on their windows. But THIS is not an ordinary cactus, it is the “Queen of the Night” - Selenicereus grandiflora.

It comes from the tropical rainforests of Eastern Mexico and the Caribbean and Bahamas coasts. In life, he is a vine that does not attract attention until the time of flowering comes. But when it blooms... The white petals are surrounded by a golden halo of sepals, and the yellow stamens and pistil emanating from the center emit a faint aroma of vanilla. And it is called so - “Queen of the Night”, because its fantastic huge flowers (up to 35 cm in diameter) have a whim to bloom only one single night, and die the next morning. In the Botanical Garden, this is the oldest surviving plant and it has been blooming there, scary to say, since 1824.

And thousands of people go, despite the night, increased ticket prices and non-working transport - it’s worth it! The year before last, the pioneer brother managed to see the main thing - a flowering plant. He talks about it like this.

» In my entire life I somehow still haven’t gotten there. I heard or read an announcement, sighed: “Eh...” - every time something got in the way, or I already missed it - it happened last night. So today - I read it on the Internet in the morning and forgot - we went for a walk, this, that... And now in the evening, eleven o’clock at night, I’m sitting at home alone (my daughter left to open a visa on the “Princess Anastasia” before going to Iceland) and then a “sudden owl”... And I ask myself: “Why are you sitting? Let's!" I break down, dress warmly and run to the metro, go to the Petrogradskaya station and head to the entrance to the Botanical Garden.

I expected to see a queue, but no - everything is calm, although people are approaching from all sides. The garden also earns a decent amount of money from this event - on ordinary days, an “adult” ticket costs 220 rubles, and for “The Queen...” - 250. There is a very special atmosphere in the garden itself - people leisurely stroll, photograph the “remains” of spring luxury, a buffet will be set up for the needs of those walking... The last time I was there was a few years ago, I watched azaleas bloom in the greenhouses in the mud, slush and cold of early spring

Every year, in mid-June, one of the tropical greenhouses of the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden is open to the public until late at night - at this time the amazing “Queen of the Night” cactus, which settled in the northern capital back in 1824, blooms. The scientific name of the plant Selenicereus comes from the words “selena” - moon and “cereus” - “wax candle-like”, which translated means “moon flower” or “blooming in the night”. There are several species of Selenicereus, which are called the “Queen of the Night”. Selenicereus macdonaldiae grows and blooms in the Botanical Garden of St. Petersburg. With the help of aerial “grasping” roots, the long, curved stems of Selenicereus, reminiscent of snakes, can climb high up. That is why it is also called the “snake” cactus.

More than 30 years ago, in the botanical greenhouse of Leningrad University, I was given a small cutting of a cactus. It took root and grew for many years, curling its lashes around the window. But at the 25th year of life, at the beginning of June, a small furry tubercle (areola) appeared on the stem. Two weeks passed, and the tubercle grew, although only by 5 cm, and over the next two days it stretched to almost 27 cm and at the end a large bud appeared, covered with long gray hairs. At about nine o'clock in the evening the bud burst and began to open. By midnight, the flower, 27 cm in diameter and almost the same size in length, had fully opened. The outer narrow brown-yellow petals straightened out, and we saw many inner snow-white petals surrounding a bunch of long stamens with yellow anther boxes at the ends. We couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, but by five o’clock in the morning the flower’s petals suddenly drooped and hung like a washcloth, and all that was left of the magnificent bud was a brown, wilted flower. It became clear why this plant is called the “Queen of the Night”. In the following years, the amazing sight was repeated, and one day Selenicereus even produced two huge flowers with a pleasant aroma of vanilla. In general, Selenicereus flowering at home is a rather rare occurrence.

Selenicereus is native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. “Queen of the Night” is not only found growing wild there, but is also widely cultivated - its freshly harvested stems and flowers are used in homeopathy.

The first mention of Selenicereus as a popular fruit dates back to the 13th century. Its sweet and sour fruits, which the Spaniards called pitahayas, were known to the Indian tribes of modern California. Pitahayas were valued not only for their excellent taste, but also for their large yields.

To this day, the “Queen of the Night” is grown on small farms in Southern Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Colombia, Vietnam, where the fruit is known as Dragon Fruit, and also in Israel (in the Negev Desert). The fruits of the cactus are “berries” up to 8 cm long, pale red, juicy, fleshy in taste, with a large number of small seeds, somewhat similar to gooseberries.

Selenicereus is used mainly in southern countries as a fruit or medicinal plant. We northerners prefer to admire the flowering of this plant in botanical gardens.

Nowadays, the “Queen of the Night” blooms in many city and university botanical gardens in Europe: in Moscow, Kiev, Minsk, Tyumen, Perm, Yalta, Tallinn, Tartu and other cities. Belgium and Japan have collections of Selenicereus.

Someone said that St. Petersburg has four Russian wonders of the world: the golden storerooms of the Hermitage, the Great Cascade of Fountains in Peterhof, the Amber Room in Tsarskoe Selo and the “Queen of the Night” cactus in the botanical garden.

The Queen of the Night cactus blooms once a year. This happens on one of the days in June at dusk and lasts only a few hours. The photo captures the moments of its flowering in the author’s apartment.

Reference. The Imperial Botanical Garden appeared in St. Petersburg in 1823 on the site of the Apothecary Garden, founded by Peter I. The first apothecary gardens were established for the purpose of growing medicinal herbs and were under the administration of the Apothecary Order, the main responsibility of which was the production of medicines for the royal pharmacies.

The Imperial Botanical Garden had a rich collection of amazing plants from all over the world - more than 1000 cacti. One of the “patriarchs” of this collection is the oldest cactus in Europe, “Queen of the Night,” which survived both the siege of Leningrad and the instability of the perestroika years. It still grows in the greenhouse, completely entwining one of the walls with creeping shoots. The cactus blooms almost every year, producing up to hundreds of buds.