i think yucca,sage,pricly pear could survive nuclear winter. i had friends try to burn it out and not be successful. this stuff grows in baked kitty litter soil. temps in southern colorado are brutally hot and cold with snow in the winter.
I've explored a little bit of southern Colorado. My cane cholla is originally from the Pueblo, CO area. I didn't know there was a supermax out there until I drove past it.
I'm attempting some cold hardy Echinocereus (hedgehog/claret cup) species of cactus. I've done my research, prepared their soil and with any luck they'll survive our cold/wet winter months outside. Here's a real beauty.
in order to make room for my new plants I had to remove some of the others that were crowding the garden
these are yellow flowering Opuntia (prickly pear) and if somebody wants them come and get 'em before I toss them out.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13211885#post13211885 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RyanEG My dad keeps those cold hardy Prickly Pear in Michigan(native there) they are an really nice looking species.
in fact, that's where the prickly pear in that picture originally came from
many people don't realize it but cacti occur naturally everywhere in the USA except for 3 states. I just added several new species of prickly pear to my garden. I've now got some that flower red, lavender, purple and pink in addition to the yellow ones that I've kept outdoors for many years now. Summer of 2010 should be spectacular in the garden :dance:
it's been a long harsh winter but two of my four Echinocereus (hedgehog cactus) survived outside in the garden without any special treatment. I don't think there are many people growing this type of cactus outdoors in upstate NY.
donkey tail spurge (Euphorbia spp.) is in full bloom right now and threatening to take over the rock garden. Silver Cholla (foreground) and Sedum (background) also made it through the winter just fine.
now picture how nice this Opuntia ("purple desert") will contrast with those plants above once it forms a nice stand!
I just bought 4 cacti from Home Depot a couple months ago nothing special but I've been getting into gardening a lot lately just bought a monkey puzzle tree offline should be here tomorrow and my jade is getting huge! Guess this all stemmed from reefing ha
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14954134#post14954134 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Capt_Cully Looking good Gary! Unfortunately my Black Thumb strikes again. Not a lot of cacti left out side. Just a few chickens and hens
sadly, I cannot recommend a good website.
In fact, the administrator of our coldhardy cactus website has gone on vacation and suspended all new posts until he returns :lol:
two good books for growing cactus and succulents outdoors in our area are
*Growing Winter Hardy Cacti (by John N. Spain)
and
*Cactus in the Snow (by Bruce Brethaur)
these are very inexpensive no frills books and they're great!
Now... onto the reason I dug up this thread. After endless DECADES of failing to be able to keep any hedgehog cactus species alive as a potted houseplant my Echinocereus perbellus is about to bloom outside in my rock garden. Oh yeah, baby. This plant survived outside and unprotected all winter long buried in an upstate New York snowdrift. This event (to me) is similar to the first time I discovered someone could grow Acropora in an aquarium. As Billy would say.... it's HUGE. So is the flower bud below (almost as big as the plant itself). As a matter of fact, when this baby opens up sometime in the next couple of days the flower will entirely hide the plant itself. Kewl.
I thought this flower would have opened by today but it just keeps growing larger and larger.
Scott- I've been growing 'Micky Mouse ears' prickly pear type cacti outdoors here for many years. A good number of people that I know of in northern climates grow them- including the Helinski's in Buffalo.
'Ball type' cactus are another story altogether. Not many people grow 'em around here. Trying to find fellow enthusiasts in NY state is like looking for a needle in a haystack. There's a fellow in Alden and one downstate (in Tuxedo Park) into growing these plants but other than that I really don't know of anyone around here. This past winter was my first attempt at growing Echinocereus outside and it's going well with minimal expense. Looks like I'll be trying some more.
Wait'll you see the bloom open up on this thing
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10346085#post10346085 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gary Majchrzak Delosperma cooperi is a kewl winter hardy succulent in our zone as long as it's in an area of good drainage. This plant is originally from South Africa. The sun reflects off of the plant giving it the appearance of 'ice', and it's often called "Ice Plant".
Any idea how long it'll keep that flower? Again, I know nothing about cacti. Are they self-pollinators? (I see both male and female flower parts in your pic.) Do these develop fruit?
I honestly don't know the answers to to your questions, Scott.
I've never been able to keep any Echinocereus alive for an extended period of time.
Regarding cactus in general, some of my cactus bloom at night and some during the day. (I've had both hummingbirds and bats at their flowers.) Some retain blooms for several days and some keep blooms for only 12 hours.
I've had Opuntia develop fruit and seed.
Hopefully this Echinocereus plant will reproduce and form a nice big clump.
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