Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – June 2011

Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia spp.)

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I don't have this cactus in my garden any longer. However, it is blooming beautifully in my neighbor's garden.

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The blooms are gorgeous but the spines are wicked. There is no glove I know of that will keep your hand's safe from the miniature barbs. The spines don't come out of the skin easily. Sage advice says to use tongs or newspaper folded several sheets thick when handling this plant.

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I takes someone much braver than I to weed a patch of prickly pear.

(A different color Prickly Pear in Bartram's Gardens in Philadelphia.)

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Check in with brave Carol at May Dreams Gardens  for a peek iinto more June gardens. Carol hosts Bloom Day on the 15th of every month. Thank you Carol.
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University of Arizona Cooperative Extension “Prickly Pear: Handle with Care”