New Exotics in Our Landscape 



■ By Sheldon Chase 



Excuse me, but isn't it a lot of 

 work digging up those cactus 

 plants every fall?" 

 People passing by my front 

 yard are somewhat amazed at 

 seeing cacti here in New 

 Hampshire. 



"Yuck.desert plants — howun-New 

 England!" 



I tell them I may be crazy to grow 

 cacti but I would never submit to jug- 

 gUng 30 heavily armed plants twice a 

 year. These are hardy cactus; some of 

 the plants have been in my garden over 

 six years. 



New Englanders think cacti only 

 grow in the hot deserts of the Southwest 

 but there are many varieties that grow in 

 the higher deserts and mountainous 

 regions of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and 

 New Mexico. In fact, all the states have 

 native cacti except Hawaii, Alaska and 

 our three Northern New England states. 



I first became interested in cacti 

 when traveUng through the west I started 

 reading about cacti and learned there is, 

 in fact, a variety that grows along the 

 sandy south coast of New England. 



The Opuntia Hum if usa grows from 

 Massachusetts to Florida, west to the 

 Great Lakes, and south all the way to 

 Texas. This plant like many of the 

 western varieties plumps up in the spring 

 and summer to look very green and full 

 but in the fall it loses water, shrivels up, 

 turns purple and lies along the ground. 

 Snow on top of the cactus helps to pro- 

 tect it from the cold air and staying close 

 to the ground helps the plants to retain 

 as much ground heat as possible. The 

 purple comes from an acid the plant 

 generates to give it a lower specific 

 gravity. The Opuntia Humifusa in its 

 native habitat is generally found in open, 

 sandy places. Other plants would not 

 survive because of the very dry condi- 

 tions in the summer. These areas might 

 be south facing banks or sand dunes. In 

 the west, various types of cacti can be 

 found growing between rocks on the 

 sides of hills or spread out in open 

 fields. Dryness due to exposure appears 

 to be most important in the natural habitat 



of the Opuntia Humifusa. 



My main garden 

 contains over 20 varieties of 

 hardy cacti. It is well sited in 

 the summer as it gets almost 

 a full day of sun. In the win- 

 ter the garden is shaded in the 

 afternoon by numerous pine 

 trees on adjacent lots. Al- 

 though sun is not important 

 in the winter for the plants, an 

 area that can dry out quickly 

 after rain or snow melt is vital. 

 Using raised beds is a must 

 unless a south facing bank is 

 available. I also use sloping greenhouse 

 panels in the winter that help shed rain, 

 but still let sun in and allow for plenty of 

 air circulation on the other three sides. 

 Snow also must be able to blow in to 

 cover the plants. Since the soil must be 

 fast draining, I condition the loam in my 

 front yard with 70% coarse gravel. This 

 allows water to drain quickly but still 

 leaves enough nutrients to nourish the 

 plants. The only fertilizer I add is bone 

 meal. 



The cactus seem to know about late 

 September that winter is coming and 

 they begin the cycle of dehydration. By 

 mid-November most of the plants have 

 shrunk and shriveled and taken on a 

 purple tint. Once the ground freezes, the 

 plants are ready for winter. The plants 

 need snow, at least in New Hampshire. 

 I lost plants in December 1989 when we 

 had -10 to -15 below and very litde 

 snow on the ground or on the plants. 

 Cactus that I grow closer to my house do 

 better in the winter but in the growing 

 season they do not get a full day of sun. 

 The plants will grow in a fair amount of 

 shade but the "joints" will be elongated 

 and weak and less able to survive the 

 cold. As long as water is not allowed to 

 collect around the base of the cactus for 

 any length of time, it will get through 

 the winter without too much problem. I 

 have seen my garden completely 

 flooded, with most of the cactus under- 

 water, and then have it all freeze again! 

 The plants survived. Once the ground 

 thaws out in the spring, I take the green- 

 23 



By the cellar window. 



house panels off. The cactus pads begin 

 to swell and become erect and then 

 slowly start to lose their purple color. 

 The first blooms will start in late April 

 or early May. The western prickly pear 

 cacti bloom in June, while the native 

 prickly pear bloom starting in July. The 

 colors of the blooms are either yellow or 

 pink. One barrel cactus I have has waxy 

 red blossoms. The flowers usually last 

 only one or two days. 



There are many different kinds and 

 varieties of cactus that can grow in New 

 Hampshire. Most are of Uie "prickly 

 pear" variety but there are also small 

 "barrel" and "ball" type plants and a 

 tree-like cactus called a "cholla" that 

 hascylindrical type "join ts"thatbranch. 

 Some cacti do better than others de- 

 pending on the site, soil, and sun. Un- 

 like most plants, cactus are very resil- 

 ient and are tolerant of poor conditions, 

 so it may take a year before you might 

 know if the cactus will survive where 

 you plant it. 



Growing cactus in New Hampshire 

 is not easy, but with patience and lots of 

 experimentation you can get good re- 

 sults and a garden that certainly looks 

 exotic and unique. 



(Sheldon Chase is a winter-hardy 

 cactus enthusiast who gardens in 

 Durham, New Hampshire. For more 

 ir^ormation, write him at 14 Bayview 

 Road. Durham, Nil 03824, or call 

 (603) 868-1937) 



