Hardy Tropicals UK

The Opuntia is a Phaecantha and tough as old boots. You can see the fruit resulting from last years flowers. A mean looking plant with a softer side.

TonyJ wrote:The Opuntia is a Phaecantha and tough as old boots. You can see the fruit resulting from last years flowers. A mean looking plant with a softer side.

That's a brilliant arid bed, I have some Opuntia to go in mine when I do it later this spring. Whats underneath the gravel on the top? Soil or a mixture of things?

I'm an absolute Yucca fan and keep a good stock of Arids. Here's my main border In the pic are Yuccas Rigida, Rostrata, Queretaroensis, Linearifolia x 3,Thompsoniana, Pallida, Dasylirion Miqihuanensis, Serratifolia, Nolina La siberica, Nelsonii and Parviflora and a few Agaves. I have many more around the garden I also have four species of Beschorneria which thankfully are all still alive. The Aloe Polyphylla on the extreme right/front suffered a little wet damage from roof splashback otherwise all ok.

Great photo Tony? Optunia looks very nice but I wouldn't trust some of my cats to not stand on it and me end up with a vet bill my ginger cat stood on something spikey last year and had to stay on house arrest for three week. He was not happy at all and even though I work at a vets, the bill was still relatively high because he had to have X-rays..

Agreed. Opuntia is deceptively prickley plant. Don't get fooled by the large spines as they usually have little brown almost hairy spines which truly get under your skin and are a devil to remove.