Most cactus would not do well for me on account of the chilly winter weather,


but I'm fond of the one prickly pear I planted (above) and the one that was here when I moved in.

Hopefully it will be flowering pretty soon.

What are your average lows, Steve? We have a lot of cacti, and we've been down to 20 at our place with no losses. I think a lot of them might grow there with no problem because your summers can get pretty hot.

Steve, while I am not a fan of Cactus I have a really large Prickly Pear that was a volunteer so I allowed it to stay. I must say their flowers are really beautiful. Hope yours blooms!

Karen, I'm not certain about our winter low temps. It's highly variable. One obeservation is that I'm in the same USDA zone as you are, so I ought to be able to grow most of the cactus that you do, at least from a cold hardniness standpoint. Another is that it rarely gets to, say, 10F at night without warming up ten or twenty degrees the next day.

Our summers, I think, are coolish. It's a very rare day that gets above 100F. And I'd say most summer days don't make it to 92F. Lots of cool nights. I have trouble growing tomatoes here, which I attribute to the coolness. This year I'm trying a number of short-season tomatoes since they are bred for cooler summer weather. One other comment: we average about 20 inches of rain per year, so cacti that cannot stand a little dampness in December and then again in August will not do well. I do have a striped yucca or two that are very young and not doing well.

Linda, thanks for the kind comments. I love being outside in the garden and I'm always happy to see the blooms arrive this time of year. Sharing them really adds to the joy.

Try cherry tomatoes, Steve. They do well here. Growing a Sweet Million and have already eaten several.

Great recommendation, Linda!

I agree. I had one huge plant in my greenhouse last winter, and it kept us in little tomatoes. They were excellent. I tore it out when it got too warm to set fruit in there.

Steve.