Lovely!

What is it, or variety I mean? I have never heard of a hardy cactus, I would love to add one to my gardens up here in WI!

Thank you for posting!

Keriann~

Hi Keriann, thank you. I cannot be of much help with specific name they are Opuntia cactus is all I know. I received them in trades.

Those are beautiful. I have a lavender one but don't know if I got any pics of it while it was in bloom.

Fun to see pictures of those all the way up in PA. They grow like weeds down here. We call them Prickly Pear because the flowers form a pear shaped fruit. You can use them for jelly, but I never want to go to the trouble. The cactus ears or pads can be cut up and fried for Nopales.

There are a number of hardy cactus varieties out there. Look for those that grow well in the high deserts of New Mexico. We got down in the low teens this past winter and the Opuntia was not affected at all. Yuccas can also take the cold.

Thank you Rock for the info. I am trying to put in a large cactus garden. I get a lot of comments on the small selection I have now. I am hopping to have a very latge dessert area.

fool4flowers,I hope you can find a pic to post. Would you consider doing a trade?

Those are pretty marquest. You might like some of the agaves, some are pretty hardy. I have one that can go down to 0 F. It stays pretty small and cute, can't recall the name right now, but it is a bluish green and makes lots of babies. Email me if you want one :)

Mine are yellow but I just love your orange ones. Sometimes I eat the fruit but I usually just leave it for the critters. I've never tried the pads but the kid's nanny used to use them all the time. She almost decimated my cactus patch. lol

Such pretty blooms!

Karen

Marquest: do they bloom all summer? and how do your temps get? and how fast and large do they grow for you?

Sorry for all the questions but I love them!

Keriann~

Keriann, you are asking the same questions I asked when I first saw them.

Weather.....I have pretty cold winters. Our cold weather starts in Oct. We have had snow for halloween. Snow from Dec - April. Avg winter snow fall 35" They lay down and look dead but as soon as Spring arrives they sit up, pump up and come alive.

Bloom.....They start to bloom in June and once established I get blooms for about a month. The blooms only last one day like a daylily. I have 3 different kinds. The pink ones bloom first then my orange/yellow blooms and my solid yellow blooms last.

They spread and can take over an area. In my climate I would say not a lot. I have a neighbor that did her entire hillside that is about 8' x 5'.

They hurt if you touch them so you have to be sure you are up for careful weeding. I have a lot of room so I could dedicate a spot for them that is lots of gravel and lots of sun so it makes it very hard for a weed to survive the conditions of that much sun and dry conditions. This is not regular garden plant. It is perfect if you have a dry sunny spot that nothing usually grows.

Mine are in a pot that Kylie gave me. I'll see if it can be divided after they finish blooming. They bloom in the morning and I don't usually get to work early enough. I think I took a pic with my cell phone one day. Let me look for it.

Well its not on my phone anymore. I'll see if Kylie still has the pic. I remember forwarding it to her.

Oh, thank you so much!

I have to find a spot in the yard for them, what a great idea, a little desert area.

I am traveling this weekend so I will keep my eyes peeled for them!

Thank you again for sharing-another plant to add.

I am still looking for room for the 13 brugs I just started : )

When in doubt, make room right? : )

Keriann~

If any of you down there in warm weather that grow these as weeds, I would love to take some weeds off your hands :)

keriann,
The prickley pear will grow from a single pad. Just stick it in the dirt and it will root and multiply.
The pads taste like green beans to me and when prepared they look similar. use young leaves,remove stickers and cut up into strips, boil with seasonings as desired.
They are hard to get rid of once established. down here they are an invasive species.

pa

They grow like weeds here, lots of people have them, it is all I can do to keep myself from stealing the fruit, since most seem to leave it to rot. (yum yum) I don't grow them because I just cannot spare the space in my mostly shady yard.

Very pretty flowers, I don't think I have ever seen any that weren't yellow! Doe it influence the colour of the fruit? I know the pears come in different colours.

Frances

Here is a pic of the one Kristy was referring to.. They are Native here..I can probably come up with more than a handful... Most of our land is cleared for Wheat and Hay fields..Paddle cactus I have plenty of..LOL

Kylie
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In my area people tend to inherit these from a relative. I didn't, but today I was able to acquire a few leaves at a local flea market, and will try to get them to grow.

Mine has the longest spines of any like this I have seen, though--at least a half an inch long. Ouch.

I would love to grow enough that I could try eating a few of the leaves. I tried with another type a few years ago, but it gradually died out due to lack of sun.