{"product_id":"opuntia-humifusa","title":"Opuntia humifusa","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOpuntia humifusa\u003c\/em\u003e: A Real Cactus That Shrugs Off Winter\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEastern Prickly Pear is a native cactus, and yes, it gets through our winters with an attitude to match. Flat spiny pads, big waxy yellow flowers, then edible red fruit. A CACTUS. IN YOUR YARD. YOU HEARD US.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant Characteristics:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eOpuntia humifusa\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCommon Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Eastern Prickly Pear\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 15–30 cm (6–12 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpread:\u003c\/strong\u003e 60–90 cm (2–3 ft), slowly spreading\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlowers:\u003c\/strong\u003e Large, waxy, bright yellow cups, often reddish or orange at the base\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBloom Time:\u003c\/strong\u003e Early to midsummer (June to July)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Flat, oval, jointed green pads with spines and barbed bristles; pads wrinkle and may flush purple in winter, then plump up again in spring\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFeatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e Edible red fruit\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere to Plant:\u003c\/strong\u003e Plant it in the hottest, driest, sunniest spot you have: a rock garden, a sandy slope, a gravel bed, or the edge of a south-facing wall. It suits dry native gardens and sand-based soils near the lakes. Keep it away from paths, play areas and anywhere you weed by hand, since the small barbed bristles stick to skin and gloves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompanion Plants:\u003c\/strong\u003e Plant eastern prickly pear in the hottest, driest, sandiest spot you have, with native prairie plants around it. \u003cem\u003eAllium schoenoprasum\u003c\/em\u003e adds lavender chive flowers at 30 cm in May and June. \u003cem\u003eAsclepias tuberosa\u003c\/em\u003e brings bright orange butterfly weed at 30 to 75 cm in July and August. \u003cem\u003eLiatris spicata\u003c\/em\u003e adds purple spikes at 90 to 120 cm from July to September. \u003cem\u003eSporobolus heterolepis\u003c\/em\u003e adds a fine, glossy mound at 60 to 90 cm with fragrant airy flowers from August to October.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sharp drainage is everything. Plant in sandy or gravelly, lean soil in full sun. Do not plant in heavy clay or anywhere water sits; winter wet is what kills it, not winter cold. Add plenty of grit or plant on a raised mound if your soil is heavy. Water lightly until established, then leave it alone. No fertilizer. Don't be alarmed when the pads shrivel and lie flat in winter; that is how it survives the cold. Wear thick leather gloves and use tongs or folded newspaper to handle it. New plants are easy to start by rooting a single pad in sand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory:\u003c\/strong\u003e Eastern prickly pear grows across much of the eastern United States, but in Canada it's found wild only at Point Pelee and on Pelee Island in Lake Erie, where it grows on sand dunes and spits. Those wild populations are listed as Endangered under the federal Species at Risk Act, so garden plants come from nursery stock and should never be dug from the wild.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinal Thoughts:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hot, dry, sandy spot that cooks everything else? Perfect. Deer won't try it twice. WEAR GLOVES AND BRAG ABOUT IT.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Perennials","offers":[{"title":"1 Litre Pot \/ Yellow \/ 4","offer_id":67851584897302,"sku":"OPUNLIT","price":22.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0870\/5366\/4534\/files\/Opuntiahumifusa.png?v=1793743979","url":"https:\/\/blacksheepperennials.com\/products\/opuntia-humifusa","provider":"Black Sheep Perennials","version":"1.0","type":"link"}