Cold Hardy Cactus/Desert Garden
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Cold Hardy Cactus/Desert Garden
In spring I want to expand my front yard garden a little and put in a cold hardy desert/cactus garden. I want to provide zero protection for it and have plants that can survive this. Anyone know where I can find a list of plants that can survive like this?
- Paul Ont
- Large Palm
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- Location: zone 6a Downtown Toronto and zone 5a Kingston
http://www.intermountaincactus.com/Cactus/Home.html
Intermountain cactus is a good place to start. You can also look at Mesa Garden (seeds/small plants). As for zero protection you limit yourself to 'only' Opuntionoids, cylindropuntinoids, 'Ball' cactus, 'Hedgehog' cactus, and small Echinocereus type cactus... Oh and Yuccas, and some succulents. But, you won't be able to grow Agave without moisture protection (unless you try 100's of seedlings and select for the hardiest... Then you might have a chance).
Good luck!
Intermountain cactus is a good place to start. You can also look at Mesa Garden (seeds/small plants). As for zero protection you limit yourself to 'only' Opuntionoids, cylindropuntinoids, 'Ball' cactus, 'Hedgehog' cactus, and small Echinocereus type cactus... Oh and Yuccas, and some succulents. But, you won't be able to grow Agave without moisture protection (unless you try 100's of seedlings and select for the hardiest... Then you might have a chance).
Good luck!
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- Palm Grove
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true!Paul Ont wrote:http://www.intermountaincactus.com/Cactus/Home.html
Intermountain cactus is a good place to start. You can also look at Mesa Garden (seeds/small plants). As for zero protection you limit yourself to 'only' Opuntionoids, cylindropuntinoids, 'Ball' cactus, 'Hedgehog' cactus, and small Echinocereus type cactus... Oh and Yuccas, and some succulents. But, you won't be able to grow Agave without moisture protection (unless you try 100's of seedlings and select for the hardiest... Then you might have a chance).
Good luck!
Shoshone Idaho weather
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Here's to all the global warming pushers, may your winters be -30 below and four feet of snow in your driveway. Because I want you happy.
-Aaron-
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Here's to all the global warming pushers, may your winters be -30 below and four feet of snow in your driveway. Because I want you happy.
-Aaron-
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- Large Palm
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You can also check our Beaver Creek Greenhouses, although for some reason their website rockgardenplants.com isn't working right now!
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- Paul Ont
- Large Palm
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- Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:58 am
- Location: zone 6a Downtown Toronto and zone 5a Kingston
Cameron- I think he'd need to get a phyto and an import permit to order through beavercreek. FYI, before them, we in Canada had very limited access to cacti and only to Opuntia.
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http://coldhardycactus.com/index.htm
Whether any of these will survive being buried in snow all winter is questionable
at best,answerable at worst
Whether any of these will survive being buried in snow all winter is questionable
at best,answerable at worst
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- Paul Ont
- Large Palm
- Posts: 1384
- Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:58 am
- Location: zone 6a Downtown Toronto and zone 5a Kingston
Here's what my cactus bed looks like in march after being buried all winter... Remember, I live in a cold zone 5a (cold=northern) where the freeze can, and does, last weeks on end with only short breaks. Actually, one of the major limiting factors is mid-winter thaws (not to mention the entire month of march)...
I have pretty good records of what's been long term hardy here, and what is a poor performer (heads up, pick your forms of O. phaeacantha carefully, some are rock-hardy, others get terrible looking fungal damage that I wouldn't wish on my friends or enemies!)
<img src="http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/43242 ... 600Q85.jpg" alt="053">
Edit- I lied this is late Feb. not early March.
I have pretty good records of what's been long term hardy here, and what is a poor performer (heads up, pick your forms of O. phaeacantha carefully, some are rock-hardy, others get terrible looking fungal damage that I wouldn't wish on my friends or enemies!)
<img src="http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/43242 ... 600Q85.jpg" alt="053">
Edit- I lied this is late Feb. not early March.
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- Large Palm
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It doesn't matter... To (on?) (at?) my memory (pls. correct my grammar) March in Toronto (or were ever in South ON) is still a winter month.Paul Ont wrote: Edit- I lied this is late Feb. not early March.
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- Paul Ont
- Large Palm
- Posts: 1384
- Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:58 am
- Location: zone 6a Downtown Toronto and zone 5a Kingston
Igor- Here are the averages for Toronto (http://www.theweathernetwork.com/statis ... 0/caon0696) and Kingston (http://www.theweathernetwork.com/statis ... 5/caon0349). Despite the above freezing average highs, the lows are still well below freezing (-2C in Toronto; -5C in Kingston) in March, so yes I would say it's still winter.
* Interesting note, almost all of our all-time weather records (Toronto) come before 1960! Kingston, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have such an extensive weather history.
* Interesting note, almost all of our all-time weather records (Toronto) come before 1960! Kingston, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have such an extensive weather history.
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- Large Palm
- Posts: 1181
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 1:33 am
- Location: Almaty, Kazakhstan, Zone 6a, 43°15′00″
That's funny, Almaty (my home town) weather history has been registering since 1921(http://thermograph.ru/mon/st_36870.htm)Paul Ont wrote:
* Interesting note, almost all of our all-time weather records (Toronto) come before 1960! Kingston, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have such an extensive weather history.
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