I think I have said previously that I am not the most patient of people generally, yet when it comes to plants and the garden I seem to have endless patience - sometimes not even realising I am waiting for something to happen.
![Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/784/7845152/patience-is-a-virtue-the-cactus-flowers-L-cVkNgs.jpeg)
The Cleistocactus coladmononis is a case in point for this. I did not know I was waiting, but it turned out I was. Don't ask me why Flossy is cuddling it in this photo, I think it was the warmest spot and she was not going to miss out.
Anyhoo - back to the start. I bought this plant in 2017 at a visit to the Hampton Court Flower Show.
![Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/784/7845152/patience-is-a-virtue-the-cactus-flowers-L-Rp7BXx.jpeg)
There she is, swaddled like the baby that she is at this point. These are such fabulous plants and whilst I was not certain I could keep her alive, I really wanted to give it a go. She found her spot in the conservatory and I let her be.
Two years pass and then there is an incident.....
![Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/784/7845152/patience-is-a-virtue-the-cactus-flowers-L-Qrx556.jpeg)
She was growing really well, but some idiot (moi?) knocked her off the windowsill and she broke a limb. I tried to bind it back together but I quickly worked out this was a fool's errand. I neatened up the wound and planted the broken off bit to see if it would grow. Dear reader it did, I now have two of these lovely plants. Harmony was restored and the plant continued to grow well.
and then the other day I saw this!
![Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/784/7845152/patience-is-a-virtue-the-cactus-flowers-L-Pp4Fo2.jpeg)
Was I surprised? Was I excited? You betcha!
![Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/784/7845152/patience-is-a-virtue-the-cactus-flowers-L-mxy2JL.jpeg)
The sheer delight of when the flowers opened is hard to measure: is there a measure for this? It would be similar to the Richter Scale as it would measure magnitude. I think it would be called the Wowsers Scale - that is what I would/will call it and these flowers are definitely a 7 or 8, actually already leaning definitely into the 8. Hmm, I think I shall have to develop this further: expect more at some point.
![Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/784/7845152/patience-is-a-virtue-the-cactus-flowers-L-Jhz6Gl.jpeg)
The plant itself is now trying to tak over this corner of the conservatory, but K9 keeps an eye on it in case it starts to wiggle.
![Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers Patience is a virtue - the cactus flowers](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/784/7845152/patience-is-a-virtue-the-cactus-flowers-L-Y4CWmA.jpeg)
and if you look closely you can see the broken end of the limb from a couple of years ago. The plant just kept growing. So whilst I tend to think of cactii as not as easy as I would wish, this was has been a joy to grow. Admittedly I am not great at houseplants and they often dry to death in my house - so many cactii are my spirit plant.
Take care and be kind.