A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 prairie cactus

I would love to hear from anyone who likes to grow cold hardy cactus! And I'd like to learn more about succulents and yucca, ect. Donna

I've got some cold-hardy cacti I leave outside in a cold frame in the winter. This is to keep the snow/rain off them. Cold and wet will kill any succulent.
succulents are a very broad group of plants, from tree sized to very small, frost hardy to extremely tender, very tolerant of living outside where they evolved to basically impossible to grow in pots, ... What sorts of things do you want to know?

Margaret,
Hi! Well, mostly what types of succulents will grow in Southwest Nebraska outdoors, zone 4/5.
I have some Opuntia of various types growing in my cactus garden. One of the cactus is a wild cactus I collected. I wrote to the State of Nebraska and asked permission first. None of them flowered this spring but maybe next year.

Sempervivum!
And here's the place to get them http://www.squawmountaingardens.com

For cacti, Echinocereus coccineus, E. triglochidiatus, E. fendleri, E. mojavensis, and especially E. viridiflorus can stand the cold but will need protection against rain/snow. I keep mine in an unheated coldframe year round just to keep them dry enough. Some of these get big and bushy, all have wonderful flowers. There's a man in CT who gets seed from Mesa Garden and grows them outside. Most live, some die, but then he sells the ones that have prooven they can stand the winters here (also 4/5. The charts say 5 but every 5th winter or so is a 4). His name is John Spain and he can possibly be reached through this site http://www.bennyskaktus.dk/WHC&SA.htm
I don't know of much else that'll grow outside in these zones.

Ah, but this one will http://www.highcountrygardens.com/92970.html

We have a few "Hardy cactus" in our garden.... This Prickly Pear on the left, I picked from an apartment complex parking lot about 8 yrs ago.... it has never bloomed with the blooms that were on it when I collected it but hey... it has done well in a zone 5/6 for all that time!. And just to the right of the prickly pear in the same photo is a "Crystal Tide" Sorry but I dont know the Latin name for it. And then there is this one! I have no clue what the name is for this one. We bought it one afternoon at the KCCSS Meeting. I cut the bottom out of the pot and then planted it thinking it would help to leave the pot around it to protect it. I think it has helped!I think it helped promote 'deep' root growth and it has been in this spot for two years now! As you can see it has sent up ten to twelve new shoots over the last year! Granted, we had a mild winter so it is yet to be seen whether it can handle a 'cold' one. Even tho we got down to sub zero several times this last year! Here is one more that I could use some help with... Tr _ _ _ phora ... and if you can finish that name I would appreciate it! The tag has faded Cyndi and I are always on the lookoout for cactus that can take our winters so any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks

Hi, the one that you claim is Tr___phora, well I don't think its that cause it does not look like a Tephrocactus also called paper spined cactus which is a relative of the Opuntias.
The cactus in question looks more like a form of Opuntia, By the way do you have any pads to trade of it? For I am looking for cold hardy Opuntias. I think it is O. polyacantha, do you know what color the flowers where? Let me know then I can ID it for sure!

farmerted361:)