These varieties are suitable for the garden

Outdoor cacti must be hardy

To the Garden design To enrich with distinctive cacti, a few, selected species come into consideration. The following overview presents you with recommended cacti that demonstrate their stamina all year round outdoors:

• Prickly pear cacti (Opuntia), mainly the disc-shaped Opuntia phaeacantha and the columnar Cylindropuntia imbricata
• Hedgehog columnar cactus (Echinocereus), especially E. baileyi, E. caespitosus, E. coccineus, E. inermis
• Ball cacti (Escobaria), especially E. missouriensis, E. vivipara, E. orcuttii, E. sneedii

These cacti can withstand severe frosts down to -25 degrees Celsius. A sunny location with sandy-loamy or sandy-gravelly soil is an important premise for undamaged wintering. Stop the water supply in September / October and stop using fertilizer. The plants then reduce their water supplies and increase the salt content in the cell water to protect themselves from frost.

These cacti rely on rain protection outside

The following cacti lose their winter hardiness outdoors when they are exposed to rain and snow without protection:

• Hybrids of the hedgehog cactus Echinocereus inermis as well as Echinocereus octacanthus and viridiflorus
• Desert cacti of the genus Gymnocalycium, especially the species G. andreae
• All varieties that have emerged from hardy Opuntia and Escobaria wild species

In order to offer sufficient protection for the moisture-sensitive cacti outdoors, a location under a canopy is sufficient. The thorny journeymen also feel under a simple superstructure made of wooden posts and a roof Greenhouse film(€ 15.60 at Amazon *) well protected. The little house should be open on two sides so that the air can circulate.