The biggest surprise I discover as a Northern gardener – now living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is that I can grow and harvest fresh lemons from the plants I grow in the ground or in pots. And even though it is late February as I write this, I am almost overwhelmed by the scent of lemon blossoms as I open my Calgary garage, flip on the lights and enter the otherwise dull, cold space.
This year as my holiday cactus comes into bloom I take a closer look at the plant Mom called a Christmas cactus. And I suddenly realize it is not a Christmas cactus at all. It is the more common Thanksgiving cactus. It has pointy parts on the green stems because like other cactus there are no true leaves, only flattened green stems. But both plants are the easiest gift plant ever so take a cutting of your plant now and share it with friends and family this season.
