I didn't want to be a plant snob. So I told myself I at least appreciated some merits of the homely cactus. The prickly pear, after all, is a role model for water conservation. The flowers are pretty ...

Walnut Creek’s Ruth Bancroft is a national authority on drought-resistant gardening. Twice a month, she and her staff share their knowledge with readers. Q We have a large, old (probably about 40 ...

Opuntia, the prickly pear cactus, originated in South America, moved into the valleys of the Andes and then north into Mexico and North America. In Southern California, opuntia grows in the coastal ...

The desert prickly-pear, known to botanists as Opuntia phaeacantha, is the Southwest's most widespread and abundant species of cactus. Unlike the giant saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) that is restricted ...

Call 824-4423 or email [email protected]. Mention cactus and the first thing people think of is Arizona or the desert. I think of the beautiful smooth, bright yellow flowers of the Prickly Pear ...

Variegated prickly pear cactus (Opuntia vulgaris ‘Variegata’) is an interesting potted plant. Its paddles can grow to 6 feet long and 4 feet wide. They are green and white with specks of yellow, ...

Q: I have a prickly pear cactus that started out in a pot, but the pot broke one winter, and the plant has been growing in the ground since. I really haven't done anything to it, and now it's getting ...

When the first heat arrives, prickly pear cactus burst into the exuberant flowering of all. Everyone knows this group of cactus that is without question the largest and most easily recognized due to ...

I've recently discovered that cacti bloom in sunset colors, and now I am obsessed. The prickly pears are no exception. You've probably noticed bursts of yellow, coral and maybe even red peeping out ...