Epiphyllium American Girl

This is one of the new American hybrids and unlike the older hybrids, it requires more warmth in the winter, so is better suited for the living room. Do bear in mind, though, that they will grow quite large. It is not as free-flowering as many other Epiphylliums, but they are well worth waiting for. As with all Epiphyliums, they are easy to propagate and the cut leaves can be left lying around for weeks before potting them up without drying out. It is even possible that they produce roots before you pot them up. Flowers can be produced after 3 or 4 years and can vary slightly in colour.

 

Epiphyllium American Girl

 

Epiphyllium Deutsche Kaiserin

A very easy Epiphyllum to grow and flower. It flowers profusely and always in the spring. It can produces flowers after two years from cuttings taken after flowering which is quick for an Epiphyllium; it usually takes 3 or 4 years. Cuttings taken in the winter will flower in the following spring because the flower bud is already formed before you take the cutting.
Deutsche Kaiserin is also known as Giant Empress.

 

Epiphyllium Deutsche Kaiserin

 

Epiphyllium Pitti Paetz

This is one of the new hybrids from Germany by Helmut Petzold. It is a very free-flowering plant and is highly scented. It is one of the early-flowering types and starts to flower in March going through to May, depending on the temperature. The lower the temperature, the longer the flowers stay open and on the plant.
The colour can vary according to the temperature, varying from pink to fawn. The cooler the conditions, the darker the colour.
The buds are formed in the winter, so if you take cuttings in very early spring (Jan.-Feb.) it is possible to have them in flower the same year (May-June), but if you take cuttings too early or too late, you won’t get any flowers that season.

 

Epiphyllium Pitti Paetz

 

Epiphyllium Frühlingsland

In the winter months, when there is very little in flower, this is one of the first Epiphylliums that comes into flower in my greenhouse. The greenhouse is kept at a minimum of 5°C and the plants are kept fairly dry; I only water the Epiphylliums roughly once a month during the winter and will increase watering to once a week when the weather gets warmer. The flowering period of most Epiphylliums is till May/June, but they will still need watering weekly till October/November. A number of other Epiphylliums are now showing flower buds, such as E. floribunda and E. friendship.

 

Epiphyllium Frühlingsland

 

Cultivation

Many people ask me how to grow the cuttings they have ordered from my webshop. Instead of answering each customer individually by mail, I have added a page to the website with cultivation notes for the various groups I sell: Ceropegia, Epiphyllium, Hoya, Impatiens, Rhipsalis and Stapelia. These are general notes on how to treat the cuttings once they arrive and how to grow them on. It is of course not a complete manual with every exception listed, but I thought that these instructions might be helpful.

 

Epiphyllium W.C. Clark

Some new Epiphyllium sorts have been added to my webshop, all with pictures of the flowers. One hybrid on my list, Epiphyllium W.C. Clark, is rather an unusual species, because the colour of the flower depends on the temperature. The higher the temperature, the more likely it is to have completely yellow flowers. If the temperature is too low for its liking, that is below room temperature, the flower will probably be white in the centre. This phenomenon is not restricted to this species, although it is not common. Another plant that displays colour variation is Schlumbergia Gold Charm which is reddish-pink when it is kept cold, but yellow when above room temperature.

Epiphyllium W.C. Clark