wantonamara, I finally found someone who will be selling them soon. So Im happy and will wait. They also have the plants I mentioned in the first post, so I will be ordering from him. He has other plants as well. cowboy, Im also thinking of ordering Cylindropuntia imbricata, only because its a fast grower. These plants will be in my balcony year round. The reason I want a fast grower is because they are quick to show signs of stress. So if Im doing something wrong, I will know rather than 3 months in. Im also looking round the net to find more zone 5 plants. The list you mentioned is good but I find majority of them to be too similar looking. I might get a prickly pear too, but they dont appeal much to me.

BlackCatLoki, Sometime this summer you need to come up our way and bring a big box. We're about a 125 mile trip. I wish I would have know a couple weeks ago, because I was in Charleston at a technology conference. I could have loaded you up! You're even a little milder in Charleston than I am here, so I know everything would flourish for ya.

blown, Why not just buy from a reputable nursery, such as Mesa Gardens, rather that shopping from Ebay? You've got a neighbour here (chadec) who's got a wonderful garden going. You might email him and ask for some leads, but the Ebay path is too often fraught with disappointment, whereas when you deal with someone reputable, that's clustered with happiness.

Opuntia Phaeacantha Hybrid Var Purple Mesa, Zones 5-8