Cacti are some our most spectacular native flowering plants, but often our most overlooked wildflowers when planning and planting a xeriscape.


Item # 99330 		Zinnia grandiflora
Prairie Zinnia

each $5.49
3 to 6 plants $5.29
7 or more $4.99
Echinocereus triglochidiatus 'White Sands Strain'
Item # 46981 		Echinocereus triglochidiatus 'White Sands Strain'
'White Sands' Claret Cup

each $5.99
3 or more $5.79
Bouteloua gracilis 'Hachita'
Item # 27055 		Bouteloua gracilis 'Hachita' Plugs
'Hachita' Blue Grama Grass Plugs

1 to 3 flats $44.95
4 to 12 flats $42.95
13 or more $40.95
Dasylirion wheeleri
Item # 39550 		Dasylirion wheeleri
Sotol, Desert spoon

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more $7.59

20% Off! $6.39
Hesperaloe parviflora 'Yellow'
Item # 58155 		Hesperaloe parviflora 'Yellow'
Yellow Flowered Texas Red Yucca

each $14.99
3 or more $14.79
Echinocereus reichenbachii v. albispinus
Item # 46961 		Echinocereus reichenbachii v. albispinus

each $5.99
3 or more $5.79

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Cacti are some our most spectacular native flowering plants, but often our most overlooked wildflowers when planning and planting a xeriscape. Cacti not only contribute stunning flowers in spring and summer, but also provide year-round interest with their structural evergreen stems and geometrically arranged spines.

Cacti require a fast draining soil. This means no clay and no added compost, peat moss or other soil conditioners which make the soil too rich in nitrogen and humus. I recommend only Planters II trace mineral fertilizer and Yum Yum Mix be used. I also recommend a berm created with a mix of small gravel, coarse sand and very little soil. Most cacti prefer full sun and benefit from warm protected microclimates where rocks, buildings or pavement absorb and hold heat.

A number of cacti are native to the Great Plains. Whether found growing directly in the grasslands or in rock outcroppings, these species are the most moisture tolerant, cold hardiest and easily grown of the barrel-type varieties and include:

Among recommended companion plants for these prairie species include:

My favorite species from the intermountain West can be planted with either of the above groups. Echinocereus triglochidiatus (Claretcup) with its late spring display of orange flowers is our largest and showiest cold-hardy clumper. ‘White Sands Strain’ is the biggest and most vigorous growing member of the species and matures to a massive (2-3’ tall x 18-24” wide) cluster of 5” diameter stems. It can be used as the centerpiece for any xeric planting. I like to combine it with Sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri), the rare Yellow Texas Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora “Yellow”) and Beargrass (Nolina microcarpa).

Maintenance is the final component to a healthy cactus planting. Always keep cacti mulched with gravel. I prefer crushed (angular) gravel to a depth of 2”. Remember to replenish gravel mulch annually; freezing winter weather causes the soil to contract and expand pulling the gravel down into the soil and thinning the layer above ground.

Established plants grow fastest when watered regularly, once every 7 to 10 days during the heat of the summer (when there is no rain). Stop watering by early September to let the plants dry down and shrivel in preparation for winter. Fertilize no more than once a year. I like to top-dress with Yum Yum Mix at the start of summer.