On Mar 8, 7:39*pm, James Porter James.Porter.
wrote:
Hi- I'm a big cactus fan and, until recently, had loads growing in my
house. I've now moved in with my girlfriend who isn't a fan (to say the
least!) and I've had to get rid of most of them!
I'm now wondering whether any 'hardy' cacti can be grown in the garden
and can survive our winter...? Surely there must be tough cacti that
grow up mountains and things and survive harsh winters?
Any suggestions or advice much appreciated.
Cheers.
James

--
James Porter

where are you at? what kind of winter are you talking about? cacti
grow in cold, but the soils drain very quickly. I have prickly pear
and jumping Chola that are hardy outside, but unless I planted them in
poor sandy soil here in my zone 7a in Tennessee, the Chola would
probably die from the rains and humidity. pad cacti do alright here,
though as do agave. what kind of cacti do you have? Can you put
your cacti in a specific place so that your girlfriend isn't
intimidated? She's probably weary of the spines. Is there any way of
compromise? Or is it a matter of either you get rid of the cactus or
you leave........how long have you had your cacti? I've got a Cereus
that I've grown since 1984......she weighs 100 pounds and I named her
Brenda after the woman who gave it to me in 1983 to watch for her
while she moved. She blooms at night in the late summer only once per
blossom and last year had over 29 individually maturing flower buds
that opened over a course of five weeks, then made another flush in
late September and bloomed in October at night.

without knowing where you are, I can't say you can plant them outside.
But you CAN take them out onto the deck after all chance of frost. I
do every spring and bring them in by fall before frost and freeze.

madgardener gardening with houseplants and cacti and perennials in
zone 7a Sunset zone 36 in Eastern Tennessee