Peanut Cactus - A Hardy Cactus for the UK?
A Hardy Garden Cactus in the UK? - The Peanut Cactus
Is there such as thing as an outdoor cacti in the UK, that you can just leave out all year and not worry about? Well there might be. There are plenty of succulent like plants in the UK that grow outside, sedums, sempervivum, agave but is there anything that resembles your indoor cacti?
The Chamaelobivia shown in the photograph was marketed as an outdoor garden cactus in the garden centre (although it can be grown indoors as well). It has been living outside all year in a terracotta pot in the garden and has survived freezing winter temperatures. However it was bought into an unheated greenhouse in the winter. It is the wet that apparently kills this catus, not the cold. Over winter it wasn't watered, the watering only resumed in early March to get the cactus growing again. Then the spectacular red flowers opened at the end of May.
A bit more about the Chamaelobivia
- Its common name is the peanut cactus due to the stems resembling peanuts in their shells
- Grow in full sun
- Keep on the dry side and allow to dry out between waterings. It is quite possible in the UK climate you might not need to water at all
- Do not water in winter.
- It is hardy to -7 degrees and requires winter cold to produce flowers
- Flowers from May to June
- Feed during the growing season March - October with a cacti fertiliser. If you haven't got this use a general fertiliser at quarter strength
- You can propagate the offsets to make more Chamaelobivia
