Desert Perennial. Related to yuccas, they have large infloresences on tall stalks. Prefers lots of sun and very little water.
Cactus and Succulents - Full Sun
Nolina longifolia
Slow growing with arching large heads of thin, silvery-green, somewhat drooping foliage. Mature plants produce 4ft bloom stalks in Spring covered with small cream colered fragrant flowers.
Nolina matapensis
Succulent, 1/2″ wide soft pointed leaves form a large 5ft. dia. head on a slow growing trunk. Fine, creamy blooms on a tall spike.
Nolina nelsonii
Slow growing with arching lightly serrated, but blunt, leaves. Mature plants produce 4ft bloom stalks in the Spring covered in thousands of small creamy yellow fragrant flowers.
Notocactus roseiflorus
Parodia rutilans v. roseiflorus
Generally solitary, black spines fade to grey. Purple bloom w/whitish centers only open in heat (80F+)
Obregonia denegrii
Globular, solitary plant to 5″d. with thick taproot; spiral leaves. Collected to near extinction, it is found in limestone soils in the Chihuahuan Desert.
Olneya tesota
Slow-growing, thorny, deciduous tree with swollen trunk/caudex
Operculicarya decaryi
Succulent bonsai tree in the Cashew Family (Anacardiaceae) with thickened roots that can be further exposed as the plant grows. Deciduous. Slow growing, no frost. Small pinnate leaves are a little bit larger and greener in shade; Tiny and deep red in full sun.
Opuntia “Baby Rita”
Small pads, will grow 3 feet tall. Very spiny pads turn purple in winter.
Opuntia “Big Sky”
O. engelmanii “Big Sky”
Large brown spines, 8-10″ pads. Will grow 6 to 8 feet tall. A robust and large selection.
Opuntia “Desert Gem”
O. rufida “Desert Gem”
Small prickly pear with lots of glochids to 10″ w/orange flowers
Opuntia “Fiesta”
Fast growing to 2ft, hot pink flowers. Covered in long white 4″ spines that glow silver when backlit. Cold Hardy.
Opuntia “Old Mexico”
Large, cultivated variety with yellow flowers. Edible pads.
Opuntia “Orange Tang”
Green pads spread out to 4ft wide in a low growth pattern. Abundant orange flowers in spring. Moderately slow grower.
Opuntia “Party Favor”
O. erinacea v. utahensis hybrid.
Low-spine. Spring bloom flush in crimson pink flowers, and sometimes winter.
Opuntia “Pink Frost”
Lime green pads, light rose-pink flowers. Low-spine, low-growing, cold hardy.
Opuntia “Sparkles”
O. polyacantha var. hystricina, O. utahensis
Low growing, spreading prickly-pear cactus. Purple spots develop in cold weather. Brilliant carmine-pink flowers spring through summer.
Opuntia “Sunburst”
Narrow variegated pads. Keep dry in winter. Great for indoor in a sunny window.
Opuntia basilaris
Classic blue cactus from the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Very low water, can handle high heat and winter cold if dry. Pink flowers. Loads of small glochids, very few spines. Will get 2 to 3 feet tall and spread 6 to 8 feet wide over time. Pads were used medicinally.
Opuntia basilaris v. caudata
Compact variety. Smaller pads than the species, often heart-shaped. Will stay as low as 1 foot tall, but will spread 4 feet wide.
Opuntia basilaris x santa-rita
Thin purple pads, red blooms; Glochids, no central spines. Low growing, sprawling
Opuntia cochenillifera
Nopalea cochenillifera
Prickly pear to 10′; low-spine, delicious edible pads
Opuntia elata
Ovate pads, orange flowers. Can reach 10ft tall, and wide.
Opuntia ellisiana
O. cacanapa “Ellisiana”
Big round pads, purple-edged in full sun. Large edible reddish purple fruit. Practically spineless, including minimal glochids.
Opuntia engelmanii v. linguiformis
O. linguiformis
Distinctive narrow ovate pads. Variable growth and spination; can be very spiny or low spine and can grow wide or tall. Large edible fruit. Shrubby w/many pads, will sprawl. Variable yellow to orange blooms.
Opuntia engelmannii
Large edible fruit. Shrubby w/many pads, will sprawl to 10ft. Variable yellow to orange blooms.
Opuntia ficus-indica
Has been cultivated for centuries, probably native to Mexico. Variable habit, generally low spine.
Fast growing prickly pear, tree-like to 10ft. Large quantity of bright red edible fruit.
Opuntia ficus-indica “Burbank Spineless”
Opuntia “Burbank Spineless” is a classic edible nopales cultivated by Luther Burbank in Santa Rosa. You can tour the house! Can grow 10 to 12 feet tall. Edible fruit.
Opuntia ficus-indica “Grandma Anita’s”
Opuntia “Grandma Anita’s” must have a pretty good story behind that name. And it does! Rikki brought it up to us from her family’s homestead in Central California before she left us to go start her own cactus farm. Her great-grandmother Anita cultivated these for years, a long time ago, for the delicious fruit and they’re still growing on the property. And then there’s the story about Anita and Zorro and the pickle barrel. But you’ll have to ask Rikki about that.
Opuntia fragilis
Small stems, elliptical to round, forming mats along the ground, often found in dry grasslands.