I don't grow the spineless one, but I have winter hardy Opuntias growing in a raised (enclosed) bed in front of my house in our rather rich Nebraska soil with just a bit of rock mixed in. They come back after the coldest winters. Mind you, they look like hell by winter's end - nearly black and withered. But once it starts to warm, they puff back up and green up, and by June, they're blooming up a storm...

I was a bit skeptical myself when I put mine in the ground, so I kept a rooted pad inside in the winter the first couple of years, in case I lost them and had to start over. But they truely are WINTER hardy!

Denise in Omaha

Even in California they will get black and shriveled up, but once it warms up and we've had a rain or two they look just like they did at summer's end.

I forgot to add that I believe the blackening of the plant has to do with the virus that most, if not all opuntias, have. Could someone verify that?

Thank you to all that posted, it was much appreciated.

I've been wanting to get these. It's great to hear they actually do manage to overwinter. Did you give them any kind of special soil, or just whatever you usually use?

I was thinking of trying one indoors and one in the yard.

How big do they get?

In time, a patch can get very large. I started mine from a couple single pads - I'd guess about 7 or so years ago. I put them in an area near the street. Within 3 years, it had spread enough that I knew they were going to get out of hand eventually, so I moved them up by our house in a raised bed so that at some point, they would be easy to prune back. I'm surprised how much growth they put on in the spring! Last year, for some reason, mine didn't have as many flowers as usual. But it looks like this year it's going to make up for it. I count nearly 100 buds on mine right now!

Denise in Omaha

There are prickly pear cactii that are sold everywhere in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It is a great plant that is actually a native plant here along our shorelines and old prarie areas.

It is very hardy and has very ornate and long lasting yellow or off-white flowers. I keep breaking the lobes off and giving them away. You only need to set one on open soil for a few weeks and it grows it's own roots. They look good in clusters, but should be left in more well drained soils.

Good luck!

I picked up a couple last spring also, and got rid of the mush piles they turned into over the winter this spring. Thats ok as it gave me room for 4 new(to me) plants I picked up to at the Connecticut cactus and succulent show and sale. We will see how they do in my garden.