Hardy Cacti

Other plants we have or landscape elements like ponds.

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needmore
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Hardy Cacti

Post by needmore »

This top pic has the surviving 3 of 8 hardy cacti planted 3 springs ago, they do just fine with the cold but not wet cold in zone 6, I bet Mr. Hollenback can grow them in his area. The bones are to make them think they are still in the high desert. The second photo are prickly pears that are very tough and have beautiful flowers. My Nigra has hidden some of them so I can pull & send a few if desired.


<img src= "http://www.bambooweb.info/images/crafts/cacti2.JPG">


<img src= "http://www.bambooweb.info/images/crafts/prickly.JPG">
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
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CadyG
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RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by CadyG »

Nice opuntia you have there, Brad. Mine are still in their post-winter wilt stage, but they'll green up in the next couple weeks. In Mass. we have wild natural stands of it in the areas where glacial drumlins and moraines have left gravely ground with sharp drainage in full sun.

There are a half dozen or more species of cactus besides prickly pear that grow in zones 5-6, and if you have the sun for them, it's a kick to grow them. There is a guy in zone 5 Connecticut who has a half acre of cactus and succulents, 90% he keeps outside year-round - the more frost-tender types are in containers that overwinter in the greenhouse. I saw a writeup on his collection and the photos revealed a remarkable garden.
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RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by Iowaboo »

Are there any tall species for cold climates?

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Eric Layton
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RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by Eric Layton »

Lance,
There is a grower just up the street from me that grows cold-hardy cacti. He has a picture of a 22-foot tall inflorescence. Is that tall enough for ya!

<img src= "http://www.bennyskaktus.dk/images/other ... ons_02.JPG">

A couple of web sites about Robert Johnson.

http://www.bennyskaktus.dk/Johnson.htm
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600143460,00.html
http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping ... t=7&id=535
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RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by Iowaboo »

Wow, that's a crazy pic. REminds me of a bamboo shoot, so tall and thin.

I think most cactus wouldn't be able to handle the cool wet conditions we can have here. Probably why I haven't bought any lizards to mess around with.
Who wouldn't want one of these beauts
http://www.rpzoo.com/animals/tegu.html
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Out west, it could look promising, in dry winter locations.

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RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by bambooweb »

Nice Prickly Pear. I did not know that there were any other cacti that were hardy.
My grandparents had Prickly Pear but they also lived in an area of Washington State that was full of Rattlesnakes and Scorpions so it seemed natural.

I do have a number of Yucca plants that I moved from my Grandparents, but I do not know what happened to their Prickly Pear.

Bill
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Like Kyuzo (pictured above) in "The Seven Samurai," I've "...Killed (more than) two..." bamboos.

RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by CadyG »

Lance,
Is that a tegu? We used to have 'em at the science museum where I worked. Love those lizards.

Bill,
There are a bunch of cacti that can take sub-0F weather. Check out:
http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cubase/hardycacti.html
Cady G.
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RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by Iowaboo »

Is that a tegu? We used to have 'em at the science museum where I worked. Love those lizards.
Yeah, pic of argentine tegu. I would like to have one, but my time/money is alotted to my love of plants.
Its interesting what they can eat, also.
agamainternational wrote:Her varied diet was also a surprise to me. I knew that she would eat meat, eggs, bugs, mice and such, but I learned that she also liked fruit, vegetables (cooked and raw), dog or cat food, melted ice cream, and even bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. There were very few normal people foods that she wouldn't eat.
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RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by Thuja »

Here's a pic of my Prickly Pear and newly planted Delosperma (Iceplant) garden.
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Don't know if it will last, but it will be good for the summer at least.
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RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by Iowaboo »

I'm guessing a silly rabbit ate the iceplant we had growing here. Nawed to the ground. hmm :cry:
Isn't iceplant invasive in locations. I'm guessing, not in the midwest?


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RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by Thuja »

That's a good point about rabbits. Two years ago, I planted Dorotheanthus (Livingstone Daisy/Iceplant) and the rabbit ate all those just as they were about to flower. Maybe I need an invisible fence.
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RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by foxd »

I found a lone surviver of my Sempervivum that I bought at the Dayton Hamfest Fleamarket nearly two years ago. They did well up until late last summer then they started disappearing. I think something decided they were edible.

I have a different one I bought at Lowes last year which I planted on another side of the house in a less sheltered location. So far nothing has started eating it and it seems to like the location a lot.

http://www.succulent-plant.com/sempervivum.html
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Like Kyuzo (pictured above) in "The Seven Samurai," I've "...Killed (more than) two..." bamboos.

RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by CadyG »

Mike,
There are opuntia and several other genera with species hardy to -30F. I think you could easily find cacti that will weather your weather, if you provide full sun and sharp drainage. Check out the link I put in my above post for Bill, and you'll see a list of mighty hardy cacti.
Cady G.
"Killed two..." -- Seiji Miyaguchi/Kyuzo
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RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by Jeff: Igor's Apprentice »

I'm eager to try my Trichocereus outside which I've seen rated for 7b. They grow about 30' tall and come from mountainous parts of Argentina. Have to work out the drainage and winter humidity thing first though.
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Like Kyuzo (pictured above) in "The Seven Samurai," I've "...Killed (more than) two..." bamboos.

RE: Hardy Cacti

Post by CadyG »

Microclimates are a big boon as well. If you have a sheltered spot next to the house or other building that gets lots of sun, probably you can push for one or even two zones higher than your region's climate zone.

You can create a microclimate by putting stone mulch (gravel, boulders, etc.) in a sunny area. Rock absorbs solar energy and radiates the heat back out at night, keeping the ambient temperatures warmer than would bare soil or organic mulch.

Most hardcore gardeners are in zonal denial. We're always pushing the envelope with plants that are thought to need warmer or cooler climates than what we have.
Cady G.
"Killed two..." -- Seiji Miyaguchi/Kyuzo
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