Cactus in Upstate New York

These plants aren’t only for deserts

Today we ’re visiting with Noah Donovan , who loves acquire cacti . We ’ve have plenitude of cactus - fill garden on the GPOD , ordinarily in property like Arizona or California . Noah is unusual in that he has mastered the artwork of growing these beautiful , live sculpture in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York .

The eastern bristly pear ( Opuntiahumifusa , Zones 4–9 ) isnativeto a wide belt of eastern North America and is certainly the easiest to grow in cold , rainy climates that are n’t worthy for many other species of cactus .

easterly barbellate peardoesn’t just have fascinating , sculptural base ; it is implausibly showy when in full bloom . The blossom do n’t last long , but they are beautiful and much loved by bee and otherpollinators . The blossom are abide by by the fruit that give prickly pears their common name , though this coinage has smaller , less tasty fruit than some of the western species .

The pads of prickly pears are like water balloons . In thewinter , the H2O they contain could freeze down and damage the plant life , so easterly prickly pear shrivels and collapses as cold weather approaches .

Escobariamissouriensisis native to thenorthern Great Plainsand can survive extreme wintertime cold ( hardy into Zone 5 or even 4 ) , though it is specially sensitive to plastered condition during the wintertime .

Echinocereusviridiflorusv.correlliiis another mintage from farther west that can subsist quite a bit of cold but is more sensitive to besotted experimental condition . These are five - year - one-time plant Noahgrew from seedbefore go into their first wintertime outside as a test of daring .

Though you may grow cacti in cold , wet climates , they ’ll never be quite as dramatic as this woods of cacti in California .

Ever seen a cactus seedling ? This is Noah ’s own crossbreed ofOpuntiahumifusaandOpuntiapolyacantha . The seedling looks like any other plant until the gonzo cactus stem emerges from between the cotyledons .

Quita , Noah ’s bounder , facilitate him glean launch area fromOpuntia humifusato pot up for sale .

Cacti may be spiny on the outside , but if you love them they ’ll sometimes post you hearts !

Some of Noah ’s cactus collection populate inside , sheltered from the elements , like thisFerocactus grandis .

If you want to see more of Noah ’s cacti , check out his instagram:@noahblazedonovan

Have photos to portion out ? We ’d love to see your garden , a picky collection of plant you roll in the hay , or a wonderful garden you had the opportunity to visit !

To submit , send 5 - 10 photos to[email protected]along with some information about the plants in the word-painting and where you claim the photos . We ’d love to pick up where you are located , how long you ’ve been gardening , success you are lofty of , failures you learn from , hope for the future , preferent plant , or funny story from your garden .

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