CactiGuide.com

Enigman, that is a nice O. polycantha. I like those pink flowers. I do not know what color mine is going to bloom, I got some from John when he trimmed his back. They are all rooted, heck some are even getting some flower buds on them, might find out sooner rather then later!

Enigman
Nice pink poly. I have two that bloom various shades of peach through pink. The pink one is a much softer pink. Your
Pawnee's Deep Pink is a nice rich color.

Peter
The one I sent gets chiffon yellow with red filaments.
Here it is.

Ah thanks John for the reminder. I was going to check it out cause I have all the info you wrote down for them somewhere, just need to find it.

Those flowers are neat!

Can't wait til they flower.

so far all is well with all of them They have all rooted (I think).

There doesn't seem to be a consensus on what the term "hardy" means. I think what people really mean is its hardy HERE where I live?
Needless to say, no one can compile a definitive one size fits all list of cold hardy cacti and succulents.USDA hardiness zones are only part of the story, at least as far as many southwestern US species are concerned. Hardiness zones do not take into account microclimates, winter precipitation amounts, elevation,plant variety/clone/collection site, and the like.But I digress.Anyway, here is a short list of some of the cacti and succulent species that I know to be winter hardy either from personal experience or the experience of other local growers in my very, very, dry zone 6a/6b climate.

Opuntia: basilaris, engelmanii, phaecantha, humifusa, polyacantha, ellisiana, chlorotica, macrocentra

Cylindropuntia: imbricata, whipplei, ramosissima, acanthocarpa, echinocarpa, leptocaulis

Echinocereus: coccineus, engelmannii , fendleri, polyacanthus, triglochidiatus,viridiflorus

Agave: havardiana, neomexicana, lechugilla, ovatifolia, parryi

Yucca: baccata, glauca, neomexicana, elata, faxoniana, rostrata, harrimanae, pendula (this is what it was labeled as when i purchased it), recurvifolia, thompsoniana, aloifolia(in very protected sites), torreyi, brevifolia var. jaegeriana, flaccida, pallida

hardy depends on many factors. I can give you a list of plants that are hardy for zone 10 that can't be hardy in zone 6b. Because like you are saying that most people assume hardiness has to do with temps, and that is a good start. But cold wet/cold dry are too different things for succulents.

Do all winter-hard cacti need to stand completely dry in the winter? I've been searching this forum (and Google) for a while now and everywhere they say 'Frost hardy yes, but only when kept dry'.

I was wondering if there is some species that can survive in a rock-garden for example, where the drainage is good and the plant stands in a mineral mix.

(I'm from the Netherlands: lots of rain and up to -17 degrees Celsius in the winter)

If the plant I'm looking for exists, can someone please name it?

Gyp - I can tell you what survived my upstate NY very wet, very gray, 25 - 35F (last) Winter -- and really, none of them should have, except O. humifusa! Soil was marginally well-drained (have since added significant amounts of small "road" gravel), & were covered with large pots that were removed if there was more than 24 hrs of sun in the forecast: Echinocereus triglochid., Echinoc. coccineus, E. fendleri, E. reichenbach., E. reichenbach. v. baileyi, Escob. viv. & missouri. Yucca filament. are as tolerant of everything as O. humifusa. Next Spring I'll let you know (hopefully) of a bunch more, & hopefully we'll either has less wet, more cold or more sun.

maihueniopsis darwinii and gymnocalicium bruchii both also survive a dutch winter, you will need good drainage though

Thanks for the replies. I'll start looking out for seeds now.

I've found Gymnocalicium bruchii, but Maihueniopsis darwinii seems a little hard to find. Do you have any idea of where I can get seeds or cuttings of this species? Thank you.

I have some cuttings I can send you if you're willing to pay postage, they are quite fresh though so I would advice not putting them outside before april after which they can stay there indefinitely

pm me!

You've got PM.

John P Weiser wrote:Cylindropuntia bigelovii

John, these are hardy for you?

I believe they are, DesertZone, they are on his list. However I would let him answer.. for sure. as for their range they grow up north of where I do where it snows, so I would assume they are cold hardy. I found them almost all the way up to Crown King, AZ along Crown King RD before the big fire up there.

Mammillaria meiacantha, Howdy to All. Does anyone know where I can buy few Mammillaria meiacantha cacti, (not seeds) ? eBay is selling the seeds, I want plants.
Meanwhile, my garden has come alive in Sparks NV. My Pediocactus are already blooming !!! I made substantial changes this winter, little by little. I removed all the boulders and replaced them with terraced garden blocks. I planted several bulbs, and made my garden sun-proof--to an extent. I did not lose any cacti this winter. I now lose cacti in the summer--this subject is not allowed or whatever. My favorite shade plant is Mexican Feather Grass (Stipa Tenuissima). It has shown to be cold-hardy and tolerates hot summers. It produces thousands of seeds which sprout easily and grow to full size in one summer.This is an environmentally-friendly ornamental grass with virtually no pests or diseases. Another good shade plant is the various pencil cactus. They produce a filtered shade, and the shade moves across the cacti bed as the sun moves.
Be well.