Cactus in cold climate gardens

Stann

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Jul 26, 2021
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It is possible to grow certain cactus in cold climates. There are cold hardy varieties. The real problem is the soil. Take a hot, sunny area of your lawn, make it twice as big as you might think you need, believe me you won't regret going bigger. Remove all the sod, replace it with 2 inches of sand and till it in. Once it's well mixed take the soil and take it into irregular rows about 4 inches high and plant your cactus pads or plants at 2 or 2 1/2 foot intervals. No need to water unless you're in a drought. Cover up the spaces between the ridges with more sand and you have the illusion of a desert. Placing other succulents such as Sedeums and Hen and Chicks along with an occasional Boulder or cauble stone and / or a piece of driftwood will add color, variety and texture to the landscape. It may sound like a lot of work but it's worth it and you'll have less lawn to mow. At
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My neighbors have roses, these are my roses.
 
I don't recall what variety it is, but I have a little cactus in a flowerpot on my front porch. And right now it's blooming with a pink and white flower.

I've had it out there on the enclosed porch for probably close to a decade now. And it seems to be surviving just fine. And I have no idea how old it was before I got it.

In the winters here in NW Ohio the temperature often gets well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. And I've never had to baby it. Never brought it indoors. It doesn't need to be watered. Heck, because it's got a roof over it, it doesn't even get rainwater. Zero maintenance. They are very hardy plants.
 
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I don't recall what variety it is, but I have a little cactus in a flowerpot on my front porch. And right now it's blooming with a pink and white flower.

I've had it out there on the enclosed porch for probably close to a decade now. And it seems to be surviving just fine. And I have no idea how old it was before I got it.

In the winters here in NW Ohio the temperature often gets well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. And I've never had to baby it. Never brought it indoors. It doesn't need to be watered. Zero maintenance. They are very hardy plants.
Thanks for sharing, how about showing me a picture I might be able to tell you what kind it is.
 
I don't recall what variety it is, but I have a little cactus in a flowerpot on my front porch. And right now it's blooming with a pink and white flower.

I've had it out there on the enclosed porch for probably close to a decade now. And it seems to be surviving just fine. And I have no idea how old it was before I got it.

In the winters here in NW Ohio the temperature often gets well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. And I've never had to baby it. Never brought it indoors. It doesn't need to be watered. Heck, because it's got a roof over it, it doesn't even get rainwater. Zero maintenance. They are very hardy plants.

Maybe its a Christmas cactus.

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Correct, I am surprised it has survived outside for you. Looks good too.

Correct, I'm surprised it has survived outdoors and it looks good too. A testament to the durability of the cacti.

Christmas cactus actually likes a cold spell and periods of darkness to set blooms.

Being on a covered porch may be the reason it survives.

I have an orchid cactus . Its huge and I have given away many cuttings. It has strappy leaves. Mine is 3 feet across and 3 feet tall. My daughters is as big as a rain barrel.

f6l78da1gf211.jpg
 
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Christmas cactus actually likes a cold spell and periods of darkness to set blooms.

Being on a covered porch may be the reason it survives.

I have an orchid cactus . Its huge and I have given away many cuttings. It has strappy leaves. Mine is 3 feet across and 3 feet tall. My daughters is as big as a rain barrel.

f6l78da1gf211.jpg
 
Christmas cactus actually likes a cold spell and periods of darkness to set blooms.

Being on a covered porch may be the reason it survives.

I have an orchid cactus . Its huge and I have given away many cuttings. It has strappy leaves. Mine is 3 feet across and 3 feet tall. My daughters is as big as a rain barrel.

f6l78da1gf211.jpg
Gorgeous, simply beautiful. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.
 
View attachment 519631
This is one of my pincushion cactus, they are very small but they have intense hot pink blooms.
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this is the yellow variety of Hardy prickly pear. It is a very prolific bloomer, one of my plants that I planted about 5 years ago is now about 7 foot in diameter. This past spring it had at least 300 blooms.
 
I have a few prickly pears but I find they do better in the shade here in Virginia than they do out in the full sun. They also don't get as needle-y there
 
I have a few prickly pears but I find they do better in the shade here in Virginia than they do out in the full sun. They also don't get as needle-y there
Are you near the coast, is your soil very sandy ? The ones I have in the shade don't bloom as profusely. How are your blooms ? What colors do you have ? I have two shades of pink and two varieties of the yellow. I got a lot of seedlings started, I'm hoping they've crossed and I'll get some new color combinations. I read that cactus occur all along the east coast as far north as Cape Cod. I'd like to go to Cape cod someday and search for some. Maybe the locals would tell me where to look for them. Nice talking, have a good night. Thanks, Stan.
 
Are you near the coast, is your soil very sandy ? The ones I have in the shade don't bloom as profusely. How are your blooms ? What colors do you have ? I have two shades of pink and two varieties of the yellow. I got a lot of seedlings started, I'm hoping they've crossed and I'll get some new color combinations. I read that cactus occur all along the east coast as far north as Cape Cod. I'd like to go to Cape cod someday and search for some. Maybe the locals would tell me where to look for them. Nice talking, have a good night. Thanks, Stan.

Mine are yellow. When they are in the full sun they tended not to bloom often by in the shade the bloom every year. No I am not on the coast. Mine are in pots and have been since they were given to me so I have no idea about the soil. It doesn't appear to be particularly sandy. I had some at my old house planted on a hillside in full sun and they just never looked as lush and green and had far more needles. The ones I keep in the shade now mostly have softer fleshier versions of needles as opposed to ever getting thorny.
 
I don't recall what variety it is, but I have a little cactus in a flowerpot on my front porch. And right now it's blooming with a pink and white flower.

I've had it out there on the enclosed porch for probably close to a decade now. And it seems to be surviving just fine. And I have no idea how old it was before I got it.

In the winters here in NW Ohio the temperature often gets well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. And I've never had to baby it. Never brought it indoors. It doesn't need to be watered. Heck, because it's got a roof over it, it doesn't even get rainwater. Zero maintenance. They are very hardy plants.

Maybe its a Christmas cactus.
 
View attachment 519631
This is one of my pincushion cactus, they are very small but they have intense hot pink blooms.
That's what mine kinda looks like. Now I remember. IIRC it's a pincushion cactus.

I've had it for years, but this is the first time that I've noticed it flowering. I've never noticed it flowering before this thread. But I've never really looked before either. I focus more on plants that I can eat.

It's just some little folk art looking metal thing of a floppy eared dog holding the little flowerpot, with elongated feet that go under the door that are used as a doorstop. A girlfriend gave it to me because when it gets windy the door would slam shut.
 
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That's what mine kinda looks like. Now I remember. IIRC it's a pincushion cactus.

I've had it for years, but this is the first time that I've noticed it flowering. I've never noticed it flowering before this thread. But I've never really looked before either. I focus more on plants that I can eat.

It's just some little folk art looking metal thing of a floppy eared dog holding the little flowerpot, with elongated feet that go under the door that are used as a doorstop. A girlfriend gave it to me because when it gets windy the door would slam shut.

Very pretty...........
 
Mine are yellow. When they are in the full sun they tended not to bloom often by in the shade the bloom every year. No I am not on the coast. Mine are in pots and have been since they were given to me so I have no idea about the soil. It doesn't appear to be particularly sandy. I had some at my old house planted on a hillside in full sun and they just never looked as lush and green and had far more needles. The ones I keep in the shade now mostly have softer fleshier versions of needles as opposed to ever getting thorny.
It probably goes with the moisture, the shaded ones having more don't require the needles, the ones out in the sun develop more needles because they dry out more between waterings. Enjoy ! I do.
That's what mine kinda looks like. Now I remember. IIRC it's a pincushion cactus.

I've had it for years, but this is the first time that I've noticed it flowering. I've never noticed it flowering before this thread. But I've never really looked before either. I focus more on plants that I can eat.

It's just some little folk art looking metal thing of a floppy eared dog holding the little flowerpot, with elongated feet that go under the door that are used as a doorstop. A girlfriend gave it to me because when it gets windy the door would slam shut.
After my prickly pear cactus bloom they often form fruits, red fruits that are edible. I've been told you can make jams, jellies and juices out of them. Never tried it. The yellow flowering prickly pears produce a lot of those red fruits, the pink flowering ones, not so much. Have a good day, thanks, Stan
 
I have a few prickly pears but I find they do better in the shade here in Virginia than they do out in the full sun. They also don't get as needle-y there
There is one in my back lot in central MN.
They typically are in southern part of state, but somehow this one seeded naturally further north. Two years ago it flowered. It is in a more shaded area in the woods.
It has been there the full twenty years I have lived here. I never have interfered with it.
 
There is one in my back lot in central MN.
They typically are in southern part of state, but somehow this one seeded naturally further north. Two years ago it flowered. It is in a more shaded area in the woods.
It has been there the full twenty years I have lived here. I never have interfered with it.

Someone may have tossed it there or it came in with other stuff at some point. They are super tough plants. When I was in high school, a co-worker who had pretty much about a 75% cacti covering on his property gave me a bunch of cuttings I put in a 5 gallon bucket. I stuck the bucket under the back porch and completely forgot about them. About 4 or 5 years later I stumbled upon them and most were still alive. They were shaded and without water all that time. I was amazed.
 
There is one in my back lot in central MN.
They typically are in southern part of state, but somehow this one seeded naturally further north. Two years ago it flowered. It is in a more shaded area in the woods.
It has been there the full twenty years I have lived here. I never have interfered with it.
What color were the flowers ? Is the plant growing in size ? Or is it just hanging on ? Thanks, Stan.
 

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