Outdoor cacti for Zone 6

Discuss hardy cacti grown outside all year.
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elodiem
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:38 am
Location: Burgundy, France - close to Dijon, Beaune, Nuits St Georges, the Jura. By the river Saône.

Outdoor cacti for Zone 6

Post by elodiem »

Hello,

I live in France, zone 6. I have had a number of cacti in an unheated south-facing veranda for years. They seem a bit cramped in their pots, and I would like to plant them outdoors. The plot of land is next to the veranda, fast-draining, pebbly, and generally Mediterranean plants are happy there - pomegranate and thyme, for instance. I am not in the South of France, but in Burgundy. Temperatures are generally hot and the weather is quite dry in the summer. Temperatures may fall below zero (Celsius) in winter; but this is rare. I can't remember any significant snowfall here ever. We are next to a big river. My plan is to move the cactuses out this spring so they get rooted in the summer.

My question is : do you think these cacti are good candidates for this? I don't know their names, but they seemed to me to belong to families that are quite hardy. Tell me what you think, thanks in advance. I have attached numbers to them. They are sometimes not the right way up on the photo, I hope this doesn't make you dizzy!!
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anttisepp
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Location: Suomi - Finland

Re: Outdoor cacti for Zone 6

Post by anttisepp »

Côte d'Azur could be the better choice for cacti. ;)
I'd plant them in framed bed glass covered in winter cold and rains with additional heater when temps are around 0.
Though agaves are the best candidates for outdoors in all means. As for cacti and south african euphorbia with aloe don't sure.
IMHO
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jerrytheplater
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Location: Bloomingdale, NJ (USDA Zone 6b)
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Re: Outdoor cacti for Zone 6

Post by jerrytheplater »

Big question is how much rain do you get in the winter? I am growing cacti that I keep in my unheated garage over winter. No water since October. We can see 0F or less for a few days. The garage gets down pretty close to that. Snow insulates the plants. Rain gets the roots wet.

Some Echinocereus, Pediocactus, Escobaria, Opuntia.

Search the Forum using terms like Winter Hardy Cacti, Outdoor Cacti and you'll come up with other information.
Jerry Smith
Bloomingdale, NJ
45 inches (114 cm) rain equivalent per year, approx. evenly spread per month
2012 USDA Hardiness Zone 6b: -5F to OF (-20C to -18C) min.
elodiem
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:38 am
Location: Burgundy, France - close to Dijon, Beaune, Nuits St Georges, the Jura. By the river Saône.

Re: Outdoor cacti for Zone 6

Post by elodiem »

Thnaks for your tips - This winter has been really dry, but it can vary of course. I'm going to have a go, and let people know on the forum how it goes, it mght be useful for others in the same zone. I'll be extra careful with the rain, you are right, they are more likely to suffer from it than anything else - danger of rotting. I'll post photos of the transplant ! Best to everyone!
jcguarneri
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Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2023 7:34 pm
Location: New Hampshire

Re: Outdoor cacti for Zone 6

Post by jcguarneri »

There are a lot of cactus that will do well in zone 6 and colder. Here's an Echinocereus triglochidiatus I've had growing in ground through cold, wet, New England winters for about 14 years now. No winter protection, just a very well drained raised bed.
Triglochidiatus
Triglochidiatus
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Lots of other good options from Echinocereus, Escobaria. Opuntia and Cylindropuntia are some of the easiest and should work so long as you have sufficient drainage for Lavendula. Agaves are a bit harder to keep in-ground in cold winter, non-desert regions. Much more susceptible to root rot in cold weather. This winter was much warmer than usual, but also much wetter, and I lost an Agave neomexicana that had been growing outside for 5 years. Fortunately, I had a backup in a pot that I could pull pups from.
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Nino_G
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Re: Outdoor cacti for Zone 6

Post by Nino_G »

elodiem wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 9:04 am I live in France, zone 6.
I don't think Burgundy is hardiness zone 6. According to the annual climate data available on the internet, it would be zone 8, or even 9.
NiklasTyreso
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Location: Enkoping, Sweden, Scandinavia

Re: Outdoor cacti for Zone 6

Post by NiklasTyreso »

Nino_G wrote: Mon Aug 05, 2024 6:06 am
elodiem wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 9:04 am I live in France, zone 6.
I don't think Burgundy is hardiness zone 6. According to the annual climate data available on the internet, it would be zone 8, or even 9.

There are different systems for climate zones in Europe and in the US.
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Steve Johnson
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Location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)

Re: Outdoor cacti for Zone 6

Post by Steve Johnson »

NiklasTyreso wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2024 7:04 pmThere are different systems for climate zones in Europe and in the US.
Actually, the USDA climate zones can be applied all throughout Europe. This is the interactive plant hardiness zone map for Sweden:

https://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-s ... elsius.php

Following up on Nino's response to elodiem, Burgundy's USDA plant hardiness zone appears to be Zone 8a or 8b:

https://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-f ... ne-map.php
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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