Common name:Indian Fig Prickly Pear
Botanical name:Opuntia ficus-indica
More tree like than other opuntias to 15'. Usually have no spines but some glochids can be found. Flowers are yellow to orange in late spring and early summer. Fruit is edible. Full sun. Must have good drainage. Frost sensitive to hard freeze. When they are young, the pads, or mopales of this cactus are used to make a delicious salsa, which is reputed to have beneficial health effects. The major pest and source of the red dye cochineal comes from a scale.
Common name:Century Plant, Maguey
Botanical name:Agave americana
Fast growing to about 6-10' tall x 8-13' wide. Wide, grey leaves have stiff terminal spines and recurved teeth on margins. Prefers full sun and well-drained situations. Prone to agave snout weevil which will eat the roots and heart out. After blooming, which could take several years. it will die but will send up new pups from around the base. Some people are allergic to the sap. Removal is difficult if unwanted.
Common name:Teddy Bear Cholla
Botanical name:Cylindropuntia bigelovii
Short, tidy cholla that is coated with yellow sheathed thorns. The color is especially marked when plants are backlit. Rarely flowering, these plants spread by dropping stems and rooting along. Use where it will not be disturbed. Keep away from children and pets.
Designer: Ruth Bancroft Garden
Photographer: Vicki Anderson
Maintain a two to four inch layer of mulch on the soil surface to reduce weeds, infiltrate rain water, and reduce compaction.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.
