My mother-in law didn’t listen to that advice. She placed hers in the family room of the basement until they started to bloom, then she brought them up to the second floor. She may not have used the family room often enough to get them the darkness they required. Who knows?

It inspired me to try them, particularly since she was so kind to root one piece for me. They started to bloom in my old home after a few days of being placed in an upstairs bedroom that was not dark. In this home, bloom was sporadic until I followed my readers’ advice. In the comments, many of you said that you had taken them out for the summer. You left them there until they were at risk of being frosted. It is not necessary to do this at the first frost. If the frost is only light, and the plants are on a porch or hung from a branch, they may not be affected.

They bloom now, not at Thanksgiving orChristmas. They have bloomed abundantly now, just a few days after coming indoors.

My most prolific work Christmas A Thanksgiving cactus that my mother gave me.

The leaves on the cactus indicate it is a Thanksgiving Cactus, even though it was purchased by my mother in bloom in December. The Laidback Gardener The differences are clearly shown. My Christmas cactus, which was given to me by my mother-in law (not shown), and that I have had for a long time, is now just starting to set buds. It may even bloom before Thanksgiving. The leaves indicate that it is a Christmas cactus.

It is a “Thanksgiving Cactus” that blooms well before Thanksgiving but not as quickly as my mother’s.

One of my best friends told me she does not care about light or temperature. She withholds the water for a few weeks, then water her zygocactus again. Matt Mattus, Growing With Plants, says that withholding water in order to induce flowering is a myth. It works for me! I found that exposing the plants to a sudden change in temperature in early autumn worked well for me.

Lesson Learned: It takes a variety of factors to get these plants blooming. It also varies by plant. Try a different technique or a combination if one doesn’t work.

This is the paperwhite narcissus ‘Wintersun.’

My husband complained about the smell when I first grew Paperwhite Narcissus. Then I found an article in the Old House Gardens Newsletter: “The more yellow the flowers (cups or petals) the better their scent (inherited by Narcissus tazetta orientalis The more white the’manure-like’ scent, the more it is inherited. N. papyraceous ).” Learn from the experience:

Paperwhites don’t all smell bad! This year, I am growing ‘Wintersun.’ I bought it from Colourblends. When the flowers are first opened, they have a wonderful fragrance. As the flowers age, however, the scent changes and becomes less pleasant. They are not scented unless my nose is close to them. They look so beautiful!