On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 22:56:49 +0100, martin wrote:

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 21:01:34 +0000, Kay Easton
wrote:

In article , Rhiannon S
writes
I got a christmas cactus as a yule present for someone today. My question is,
how do I keep it flowering until the day? I got one which had only one flower
fully out and lots of buds.

Keep it cool (but not too close to freezing)

I've had a Christmas cactus since 1968, each year it has flowered a
little bit earlier, this year it started flowering in October.

Many 'seasonal' plants are greenhouse grown under conditions designed
to deliver peak display at a time unnatural for the plant. Bulbs sold
for early winter bloom (Amaryllis, Narcissus) have been artificially
conditioned to spring into life and bloom (indoors) when they are
planted/watered. If you maintain them over time, they will gradually
revert to normal seasonal response.