The Garden Thread - November, 2025

November 1, 2025 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Ooo! Don’t lose that treasure! :)

[goodnesswins]

side question...what website do you use to post pictures from? I have account at imgur....but it is so full of crap....I find it hard to navigate.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

What a great day you had! I have never heard of ‘Arkansas Black’ - sounds wonderful!

For some winter reading for apple lovers I’ll again recommend, ‘The Orchard: A Memoir’ by Adele Crockett Robertson.

“Recounts a young, single woman’s laborious struggle to save her New England apple orchard from going under during the Depression.”

[metmom]

How to Make Sure Your Christmas Cactus Gets Enough Light So It Actually Blooms

The Spruce

https://www.thespruce.com/how-much-light-does-christmas-cactus-need-11846412

[goodnesswins]

Thank you...no wonder mine has problems...almost impossible to get those conditions in our house...will have to try, tho...next year...esp direct sunlight

[metmom]

I have two and they were next to each other on the deck, and one flowered and one didn’t.

Go figure.

[MomwithHope]

Thanks for posting the picture she looks gorgeous.

[Albion Wilde]

Wonderful article — many thanks! Saved to hard drive!

[FamiliarFace]

Ok, so I’ve got the light requirements right, but should I fertilize at all while it’s still in the dark room? Or just water it sparingly? I’m confused.

[Paul R.]

I put some of my plants back outside until I can get “inside” a little better organized. It looks like no freezes again for us until Thanksgiving, although early this next Monday morning frost looks likely, so I’ll have to cover said plants or bring ‘em back in.

With luck maybe I can get over to the trout pond, once it warms up a bit Monday, and there will be a couple left. Today would have been a lot better, but I needed to work on our car.

[Paul R.]

BTW, I briefly posted about “Air Layering” last month — here’s a vid that functions nicely as a tutorial and includes an interesting experiment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c9fT5IrI1g

[FamiliarFace]

I did the same thing with at least half of the plants I’ve brought inside. They will get more sunlight outside and the temps won’t harm them. I might bring them back in tomorrow night, but they’ve been outside since Friday mid-morning. We will be back to sub freezing temps on Monday, but I’ll take every extra day outside for them that I can get.

[metmom]

Honestly, I don’t know.

The one article seemed to indicate that it was best to wait until late winter, after it flowered to fertilize.

I have never fertilized mine. Matter of fact, it’s not in cactus mix either I just always use the store potting mix.

[Liz]

TRUFFLE TART
Very easy, very fast, very impressive. Very rich.

CHOCOLATE WAFER CRUST: 1 1/2 c chocolate wafer crumbs 6 tb sweet butter. Melt butter; blend w/ crumbs. Pat into 9" tart pan. Bake 300 deg 15 min, cool, and fill.

FILLING: 12 oz semi sweet chocolate 1/2 c h/cream 1 stick sweet butter, in bits 2 Tb Kahlua. Method--heat combined chocolate, cream, butter, and Kalhua over moderately low heat, stirring smooth. Cool offheat 30 min at room temp. Pour into cooled tart shell; refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

SAUCE: 1/2 c h/cream 4 tb sugar 1/4 c butter 1-1 1/2 tsp. finely ground Espresso coffee In a saucepan, combine cream, sugar and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture boils. Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in espresso grounds. To serve, spoon warm sauce on a rimmed plate. Top w/ wedge of tart garnished w/ chocolate curls.

KAHLUA CREAM: 1/2 pt h/cream 1-3 tb Kahlua 1-3 tbl conf Whip cream to consistency of pudding. Gradually add conf, beating to soft peaks. Gradually drizzle in Kahlua, beating to desired consistency.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

A lot of us are using Postimages.

http://www.postimages.org

[Diana in Wisconsin]

In 10 years your, ‘Baby Peach’ will be ‘Miss Peach!’ :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I fertilize mine year-round, though with a light application - about 1/2 of what’s normally called for on the Miracle Grow package.

The change in the light really does make a difference, though.

Mine is in a south-facing window and the sun does all the work for me. I never move her, and with the angle of the sun changing from summer to fall, that seems to be enough of a change for her to trigger blooming.

Mine will bloom starting now (it’s in bud) and then in February and then sometimes in the spring again. I don’t move her outside for the summer, since she seems to be very happy right where she is, year-round.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[FamiliarFace]

My only south windows are on the front side of the house, where I would never get to see her. Our sunroom faces north, but there are windows on each side so it does have a lot of filtered light in there, just never anything direct. It is filled with houseplants. In the past, I’ve kept my Christmas cacti in there, and my first one lasted several years, but gave up the ghost last season. I probably should have repotted it a year or two before. This one was new last year. It only bloomed once. When it showed signs of life in the summer when I had put it in my reject pile, I decided to see if I could have success with it. I love a pretty Christmas cactus. I just need it to bloom some!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Yeah, that kind of is the POINT of having them! ;)