March Cactus

Look what's blooming at my house! This is not the norm for me. Beautiful, blooming Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus plants enter my home from the market, never to bloom again. I have tried everything! They've sat for a month in a dark closet, they've been fertilized, they've been placed in a room that has 12 hours of darkness, and they've been both ignored and watered. All to no avail. Whenever someone posts a beautiful, blooming specimen of such on their blog, I am sure to send them a comment, inquiring about their secret to success. Well, I don't know what happened, but after several years of such tactics, my claw-leafed "March" cactus decided to bloom. I am so delighted! It's been given a place of honor and I'm enjoying it to the hilt! You might wonder what I finally did to make it bloom. I am not sure, but I recently moved it to a spot right in front of the living room window. It may have wanted more light.

Comments and ideas welcome! I still have a Christmas cactus in pink that sends forth new leaves but no flowers. I'd like to see it in bloom as well.