Brilliant pop of color, courtesy of Echinopsis ‘First Light’

I haven’t been able to post much in the last few weeks because of a heavier than usual work schedule, but I’ll have a great garden to show you in a few days.

In the meantime, here’s a brilliant pop of color courtesy of Echinopsis ‘First Light’, flowering for the third time this year:

Echinopsis ‘First Light’, with yellow-flowering kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos ‘Harmony’) on the left and pearl bluebush (Maireana sedifolia) behind it. The skinny seed pods in the front are from an orange-flowering horned poppy (Glaucium flavum var. aurantiacum).

The spectacle is short-lived—the flowers only last one day. But the fact that the show is over so quickly makes is extra special, at least for me.

My Echinopsis ‘First Light’ originally came from Arizona; I bought it at Bach’s Cactus Nursery on my May 2021 trip. For some reason, this hybrid is hard to come by in California, but it’s very popular in Arizona. It’s easy to see why!

In case you’re curious, Echinopsis ‘First Light’ is a hybrid created by Tucson plant breeder Mark Dimmitt from two other hybrids: ‘Diehl’sche Hybride’ (Echinopsis candicans × Echinopsis eyriesii var. grandiflora) and ‘Newlands Orange’ (Echinopsis huascha ‘Gold’ × Echinopsis huascha ‘Red’). Based on the breeder code, HBG-ISI 93-5, it was registered in 1993.

© Gerhard Bock, 2022. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.