Hi Brian,
I've always thought this forum was mis-labeled because most of us are growing hardy to someplace cactus. I have quite a few natives in my garden and there's nothing tender about them.
O. fragilis is native to about 2/3 of the U.S. and Canada - for some reason, the east coast and Ontario got left out. I think the point Justin was making is that, although O. fragilis is native to almost everywhere, there is a lot of variation within the species because of the physical barriers that divide a huge territory and so keep them separate.
Most bloom pale yellow but there is a pink variation. Usually, O. fragilis is a shy bloomer - only 1 or 2 flowers are open at any given time and they don't produce a lot of buds. If you are looking for a show, find O. polyacantha: bigger flowers, more colors and a good strong bloomer.
I'll go look for a photo and post it.
The pink Opuntia on the left is O. basilaris. It should not live this far north but I planted it against a south facing heat sink. The one in the middle is O. fragilis. This one actually blooms quite well but it is also pretty big. It did not bloom like this until it was over 10 years old. I have two pink O. fragilis that, if they have two flowers a summer, I feel lucky. But they are only about 3 - 4 years old. The orange one on the right is Echinocereus triglochidiatus.
PS: I don't think where the cactus comes from originally matters. If its cold hardy, its cold hardy. The O. basilaris spent the first 50 years of its life living first in Searchlight NV and later in Pahrump (near Las Vegas). I inherited it when my Uncle died. The Echinocereus triglochidiatus is from a nursery just outside Las Vegas. Both are doing fine in Reno.
