01
of 22
Landscaping With Cactus
beautiful cactus garden
A beautiful cactus garden with hardscape. Jerry Pavia/Getty Images
Cactus and succulents are enjoying an overwhelming popularity in the garden design world and even beyond, as their exotic and iconic images appear in pop culture and their fruits and pads are even being made into cocktails, salads and jellies.
Beginning and experienced gardeners start out with a few tiny cactus or succulents in containers, just for the novelty. Something hooks them—maybe the intrigue of the plants' low maintenance or their amazing forms and patterns. If you live in a...
MORE
02
of 22
Beavertail Cactus
beavertail cactus
Beavertail prickly pear cactus in New Mexico. Danita Delimont/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Optunia basilaris
Size: To about 20 inches high (51 centimeters) and up to 6 feet ( 1.8 meters) wide.
Flowers: Dark cherry pink flowers that almost glow and smell like watermelon. Blooms late winter to early summer.
Design Ideas: Ideal for desert landscaping and drought-tolerant gardens, teamed with Angelita daisy and barrel cactus.
Beavertail is a prickly pear cactus with pads that are mostly blue-green.
03
of 22
Blue Flame Cactus
myrtillocactus
Bilberry cactus (Myrtillocactus geometrizans). Flickr member Ted
Botanical Name: Myrtillocactus geometrizans
Other Names: Bilberry cactus, garambullo, whortleberry.
Size: To 13 feet high (3.9 meters) and 8 to 12 feet (2.4 to 3.6 meters) wide. Crested species are usually smaller. In its natural habitat, blue flame forms dense, cactus forests and can reach heights of 30 feet.
Features: Recognized for its upright candelabra shape, blue-green color, and purple fruit that looks and tastes like a cross between a blueberry and cranberry.
Design Ideas: Like many cactus,...
MORE
04
of 22
Candelabra Cactus
myrtillocactus
Candelabra cactus. Rob Huntley/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Myrtillocactus cochal
Size: A small tree-sized cactus, it can reach about 10 feet (3 meters) high and wide.
Flowers: Ivory white cup-shaped flowers that open during the day and close in the evening. Fruits are edible, although somewhat acidic.
Design Ideas: In its native habitat, candelabra cacti grow on hillsides, so planting on slopes gives it a natural look. It's also beautiful in xeriscape and rock gardens with other succulents and drought tolerant plants.
05
of 22
Claret Cup Cactus
claret cup cactus
Claret cup cactus in bloom. Richard Cummins/Lonely Planet Images/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Echinocereus triglochidiatus
Other Names: Hedgehog, Mojave mound cactus, kingcup cactus
Size: Has the potential to grow to 3 feet (0.9 meters) high and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) wide.
Flowers: Bright red flowers bloom in spring. Fruit is juicy, tastes like strawberries, and turns bright orange as it ripens.
Design Ideas: Plant with sage, poppies, yucca, penstemon, native grasses.
06
of 22
Golden Ball Cactus
golden ball cactus
Golden ball cactus. DEA/G. CIGOLINI/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Parodia leninghausii'; Notocactus leninghausii
Other Names: Lemon ball cactus, yellow tower
Size: About 3 feet (1 meter) high.
Flowers: Yellow, with spines that are long but harmless.
Design Ideas: Golden ball forms in clusters and is a smart choice for fire-resistant landscaping. Single specimens are striking in containers.
Not to be confused with golden barrel cactus, golden ball starts out globular in shape, then becomes more columnar. It's an excellent choice for beginning...
MORE
07
of 22
Golden Barrel Cactus
golden barrel cactus
Golden barrel cactus in a garden. David Dixon/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Echinocactus grusonii
Size: Up to 4 feet high
Flowers: Golden yellow
Design Ideas: Plant several in a grid for a visually striking landscape design in a front or backyard.
This iconic round cactus is easily recognizable and probably the most popular type used in drought tolerant and desert landscaping.
08
of 22
Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus
hedgehog cactus
Hedgehog cactus blooming in Arizona. VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Echinocereus engelmanii
Other Names: Strawberry cactus, saint's cactus, purple torch, or Engelmann's hedgehog cactus.
Size: Up to 28 inches tall (70 centimeters)
Flowers: Large and showy purple to magenta blooms in spring.
Design Ideas: Attractive in rock and drought tolerant gardens with other succulents and wildflowers.
Hedgehog cacti are small and have free-branching clusters or mounds of erect stems that are sometimes prostrate. All Echinocereus have ornamental spines...
MORE
09
of 22
Mexican Fence Post Cactus
mexican fence post cactus
Mexican fence post cactus. Carol Sharp/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Pachycereus marginatus; sometimes sold as Stenocereus marginatus.
Size: Can grow up to 16 feet high (4.8 meters). Individual stems are 3 to 8 inches (7.6 to 20 centimeters) in diameter.
Flowers: Reddish-pink blooms appear mid- to late spring and are evident along the cactus' ribs, near the growing tip, and down its sides.
Design Ideas: This showy columnar cactus has upright growth that is actually used as a living fence in Mexico and other regions where it grows well. Plant it...
MORE
10
of 22
Mammillaria Polyedra
mammillaria cactus
Mammillaria polyedra cactus. Flickr member Amante Darmanin
Botanical Name: Mammillaria polyedra
Size: Up to 12 inches tall (30 centimeters), 5 inches wide (12 centimeters)
Flowers: Pink 1-inch blooms (25 millimeters).
Design Ideas: Mammillaria polyedra starts out as individual plants, then eventually forms dense clusters. Pair them with other taller cacti, succulents, native grasses, and native shrubs and flowers.
Most of the 300 species of Mammillarias are native to Mexico, with the others native to southwestern United States, the Caribbean, Central...
MORE
11
of 22
Old Man Cactus
old man cactus
Old man white cactus. Irina Marwan/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Cephalocereus senilis
Other Names: Old man of Mexico, Cousin It (The Addams Family reference).
Size: Can reach heights of up to 49 feet (15 meters).
Flowers: Produces yellowish-pink blooms at night in mid-spring on side stems after it reaches heights of 20 feet or more.
Design Ideas: In drought tolerant gardens, old man looks good in clusters or when planted on either side of an entryway. Most often grown in containers.
One of the most popular cacti, this genus can be identified by...
MORE
12
of 22
Orchid Cactus
orchid cactus
A pink hanging orchid cactus. Flickr member Wendy Cutler
Botanical Name: Epiphyllum hybrids; Phyllocactus
Size: In their native habitats of the tropical Americas, orchid cacti can grow as long as 225 feet. Don't worry: they will grow much smaller in your climate.
Flowers: Admired for their stunning 4-inch blooms in pinks, reds, whites, yellows, oranges and shades in between.
Design Ideas: Primarily grown in hanging baskets, they like filtered sunlight and can be grown outdoors in climates with warm winters. Try hanging Phyllocactus from branches of...
MORE
13
of 22
Organ Pipe Cactus
organ pipe cactus
Green organ pipe cactus. Joerg Fockenberg / EyeEm / Getty Images
Botanical Name: Lemaireocereus thurberi
Other Names: Pitayo dulce, Arizona organ pipe
Size: Can reach up to 30 feet high (9 meters), with clumps as wide, although smaller in most gardens.
Flowers: Light pink flowers bloom in the evening and close at dawn during spring.
Design Ideas: Besides looking like old-fashioned organ pipes, the stems of this cactus resemble sausage links. Makes an attractive statement in a courtyard patio garden. Can also be used in raised planters or as hedges.
Belonging to a...
MORE
14
of 22
Peanut Cactus
peanut cactus
Flowering peanut cactus. Peter Anderson/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Chamaecereus silvestrii; Echinopsis chamaecereus
Size: A low-growing, cylindrical cactus that reaches about 1 foot (30 centimeters).
Flowers: Vase-shaped bright red blooms appear spring through early summer.
Design Ideas: Prefers shallow containers. Grows well in rock gardens and xeriscapes.
Offsets (pups) drop off and are easy to propagate.
15
of 22
Prickly Pear Cactus
prickly pear cactus
Prickly pear cactus with yellow flowers. Christer Fredriksson/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Optunia ficus Indica
Other Names: Barbary fig, mission cactus, tuna cactus.
Size: To 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall and up to 6 feet across.
Features: Yellow flowers are 4 inches. Identifiable by its fruits (also known as tunas), which are red or yellow and highly decorative.
Design Ideas: While it's a given that prickly pears are at home in drought tolerant and desert gardens, think about adding them to meadow or prairie-themed gardens. Companion plants include blue grama and...
MORE
16
of 22
Rat Tail Cactus
golden rat tail cactus
Golden rat tail cactus. Simon McGill/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Aporocactus flagelliformis; Disocactus flagelliformis
Size: Typically grows 3 to 5 feet long
Flowers: Produces beautiful bright pink, tubular flowers in spring.
Design Ideas: It is best grown as a hanging plant and likes afternoon shade. Consider displaying it on a porch, covered patio, or tree branch.
17
of 22
Saguaro
saguaro
A saguaro cactus against a blue sky. Flickr member Rob Larsen
Botanical Name: Carnegiea gigantea
Other Names: Sahuaro, giant cactus, sage of the desert
Size: A slow grower that may take more than 100 years to reach its full, treelike height of 30 to 52 feet (9 to 15.6 meters).
Flowers: Fragrant, greenish-white flowers bloom at night in late spring/early summer.
Design Ideas: If planted near desert trees like mesquite and palo verde, saguaros will be protected from heat and frost. In a landscape, they are attractive when grouped with golden barrels, prickly...
MORE
18
of 22
Silver Torch Cactus
silver torch cactus
Silver torch cactus. Flickr member Harvey Barrison
Botanical Name: Cleistocactus strausii
Size: Slender columns grow up to 8 feet tall (2.4 meters).
Flowers: Rose or burgundy blooms are 3 inches long, tubular, and protrude from columns horizontally.
Design Ideas: Columns form clusters and like full sun and well-draining soil. For a stunning display, mix these light grey-green cacti with succulents and drought-tolerant plants that are lime, chartreuse, dark green, and plum.
19
of 22
Star Cactus
star cactus astrophytum
Star cactus (Astrophytum ornatum), Cactaceae. DEA / RANDOM/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Astrophytum ornatum
Other Name: Monk's hood
Size: Grows 12 to 39 inches (30 to 100 centimeters) tall and 6 to 12 (15 to 30 centimeters) across.
Features: The tallest cactus in the genus Astrophytum, monk's hood is identifiable by its ribs (5 to 8) that often twist into spirals. It has striking yellow-brown spines, a green body, and shiny yellow flowers that form at the center. Fruit forms a star pattern.
Design Ideas: In warm regions, plant it in the ground massed in groups...
MORE
20
of 22
Totem Pole Cactus
totem pole cactus
Totem pole cactus. Flickr member Ken Bosma
Botanical Name: Lophocereus schotti forma monstrosus; Pachycereus schotti
Size: Planted in ground, it can reach a height of 10 feet (3 meters) and 3 to 6 feet wide (0.9 to 1.8 meters). Usually smaller if grown in containers.
Features: Notable for its knobby shape that can be sculptural in the right garden setting. Unlike most columnar cactus, totem pole has neither spines nor ribs.
Design Ideas: Consider using as a statement piece or a bold accent in the ground or a large container. Also works...
MORE
21
of 22
Turk's Cap Cactus
turk's cap cactus
Turk's cap cactus (Melocactus matanzanus). Flickr member Josh Noseworthy
Botanical Name: Melocactus matanzanus
Size: Up to 3.5 inches (9 centimeters) tall and to 3.5 inches in diameter.
Flowers: Bright pink flowers with fur, which likes to be misted with a water bottle a few times per week.
Design Ideas: For a cactus, Turk's cap is slightly more high maintenance than most and should not be allowed to dry out. Since it grows on rocky hillsides in its native habitat, it will grow well both on slopes and in rock gardens, as well as xeriscapes with native shrubs,...
MORE
22
of 22
Teddy Bear Cholla Cactus
teddy bear cholla
Teddy bear cholla cactus. Paul McCormick/Getty Images
Botanical Name: Cylindropuntia bigelovii; Optunia bigelovii
Size: To 6 feet (1.8 meters) high and up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) wide.
Flowers: Blooms are yellowish-green.
Design Ideas: A shrubby or tree-like cactus with golden spines that glow in sunlight. Plant in a natural setting with gravel, large rocks, and wildflowers like poppies and lupine, along with desert shrubs and perennials such as globemallow and brittlebush.Spines are dense and appear "furry" (like a teddy bear), but refrain from touching or hugging, as spines are hooked.
