Warning
Cactus specimens with spines need to be handled carefully—avoid getting stuck by wearing thick gardening gloves.
1:) Beavertail Cactus (Optunia basilaris)
Beavertail is a prickly pear cactus with pads that are mostly blue-green. It grows to about 20 inches high and up to 6 feet wide. Beavertail has dark cherry pink flowers that almost glow and smell like watermelon. It blooms late winter to early summer and is ideal for desert landscaping and drought-tolerant gardens. Beavertail looks great teamed with Angelita daisy and barrel cactus. Potted plants benefit from a diluted cactus fertilizer once a year, but plants in garden settings do not need to be fertilized.
USDA Growing Zones: 8 to 10
Color Varieties: Pink
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Well-drained loam or sand
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| source photo: thespruce.com |
2:) Blue Flame Cactus (Myrtillocactus geometrizans)
Blue flame cactus is also known as bilberry cactus, garambullo, or whortleberry. It can grow to 13 feet high and 8 to 12 feet wide. Crested species are usually smaller. In its natural habitat, blue flame forms dense, cactus forests and can reach heights of 30 feet. It is most recognized for its upright candelabra shape, blue-green color, and purple fruit that looks and tastes like a cross between a blueberry and cranberry. Like many cacti, blue flame is stunningly staged with gravel mix and rocks in a container. If you live in a region that can support it in-ground, this cactus can be the focal point of a drought-tolerant cactus or succulent garden.
USDA Growing Zones: 9a to 11b
Color Varieties: Greenish white with blue berries
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Well-drained soil mix with gravel
3:) Candelabra Cactus (Myrtillocactus cochal)
Candelabra cacti can reach about 10 feet tall and wide. Their cup-shaped flowers open during the day and close in the evening; the fruits are edible, although somewhat acidic. In its native habitat, candelabra cacti grow on hillsides, so planting on slopes gives it a natural look. It is also beautiful in xeriscape and rock gardens with other succulents and drought-tolerant plants. Like most cacti, candelabra cactus has good drought resistance, but it likes more water than most and will grow faster if you give it extra irrigation during the hottest part of the summer.
USDA Growing Zones: 9b to 11b
Color Varieties: Ivory
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Impoverished soil intended for cacti
4:) Claret Cup Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus)
Claret cup cactus is also called hedgehog, Mojave mound cactus, and kingcup cactus. It has the potential to grow to 3 feet high and up to 6 feet wide. Its fruit is juicy, tastes like strawberries, and turns bright orange as it ripens. In landscaping design, consider planting claret cup cactus with sage, poppies, yucca, penstemon, and native grasses. Claret cup cactus prefers a soil that contains more gravel than traditional cactus/succulent mixes.
USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
Color Varieties: Bright red
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Prefer soils of volcanic origins
5:) Golden Ball Cactus (Parodia leninghausii or Notocactus leninghausii)
Golden ball cactus also goes by the name lemon ball cactus or yellow tower. It grows about 3 feet tall. Golden ball forms in clusters and is a smart choice for fire-resistant landscaping. Single specimens are striking in containers. Not to be confused with golden barrel cactus, golden ball starts out globular in shape, then becomes more columnar. It is an excellent choice for beginning cactus gardeners. Golden ball cactus does best if it gets some shade during the hottest hours of the day.
USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11
Color Varieties: Yellow with spines
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Soil Needs: Rich, fast-draining cactus mix
6:) Golden Barrel Cactus (Echinocactus grusonii)
Golden barrel cactus can grow up to 4 feet tall. This iconic round cactus is easily recognizable and probably the most popular type used in drought-tolerant areas. Plant several in a grid for visually striking landscape design in a front or backyard. Younger plants prefer some light shade, but once mature, golden barrel cactus thrives in full sun.
USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11
Color Varieties: Golden yellow
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Rich, fast-draining cactus mix
7:) Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus engelmanii)
Strawberry hedgehog cactus can go by many names: strawberry cactus, saint's cactus, purple torch, or Engelmann's hedgehog cactus. Hedgehog cacti are small and have free-branching clusters or mounds of erect stems that are sometimes prostrate. It grows to about 28 inches tall. All Echinocereus have ornamental spines that densely cover the surfaces of the plants and are especially sharp. It looks attractive in rock and drought-tolerant gardens with other succulents and wildflowers. Outdoors, strawberry hedgehog cactus tolerates light shade, but if you grow it indoors as a container plant, give it the sunniest spot you can find.
USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
Color Varieties: Purple-magenta
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Typical fast-draining cactus mix
8:) Mexican Fence Post Cactus (Pachycereus marginatus, sometimes sold as Stenocereus marginatus)
Mexican fence post cactus can grow up to 16 feet high. Individual stems are 3 to 8 inches in diameter. Its blooms appear in mid-to-late spring and are evident along the cactus' ribs near the growing tip and down its sides. Pachycereus marginatus responds well to frequent watering when it is hot outside. During frost, protect the plant by placing Styrofoam cups or burlap over growing tips.
This showy columnar cactus has upright growth that is actually used as a living fence in Mexico and other regions where it grows well. Plant it near a brightly colored wall for a dramatic effect or in containers with native flowers. If you have ever visited the home of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Mexico City, you might recognize these cacti as the same type that border their property.
USDA Growing Zones: 9b to 11b
Color Varieties: Reddish pink
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Well-draining soil
9:) Mammillaria Polyedra
Most of the 300 species of Mammillarias are native to Mexico, with the others native to southwestern United States, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Mammillaria polyedra grows up to 12 inches tall and 5 inches wide with 1-inch blooms. Mammillaria polyedra starts out as an individual plant, then eventually forms dense clusters. Pair them with other taller cacti, succulents, native grasses, native shrubs, and flowers. Unlike most cacti, mammillaria doesn't like more than about 4 hours of direct sun each day; bright, indirect light is best.
USDA Growing Zones: 8 to 10
Color Varieties: White or red
Sun Exposure: Strong indirect sun
Soil Needs: Rich, fast-draining cactus mix
10:) Old Man Cactus (Cephalocereus senilis)
Old man cactus is also called the old man of Mexico or Cousin It—a reference to a character in The Addams Family television show. One of the most popular cacti, this genus can be identified by tall, columnar or branching growth and is often covered by long, woolly hair. Species propagate easily from seed or cuttings. Some collectors wash the "hair" of this species to keep it white. Old man cactus can reach heights of up to 49 feet, and its side stems produce blooms at night in mid-spring after it reaches heights of 20 feet or more. In drought-tolerant gardens, the "old man" looks good in clusters or when planted on either side of an entryway.
USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 10
Color Varieties: Yellowish-pink
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Needs: Cactus mix
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