One might think my biggest mistake was buying something hardy only to Zone 10 or something. Me being David the Ignorer of Zones.

Nope. Actually something that is hardy in Zone 5.

Prickly Pear. Yep. A friend gave me one. Started to plant it and GOOD GRIEF! The little thorns are horrible. (The big ones are a piece of cake. ) They also seem to jump into yer skin from a distance. So ... after working gloveless (which I do 99 % of the time) and > 1/2 hour pulling those little microscopic buggers out, I sought Gloves!! Yep. Could not find my gloves, but I did find my wife's rose gloves.

Yet another mistake. The tiny thorns go right through them. I discovered that today as I put them on again and wondered where the thorns were coming from since I had not touched the PP.

So between yesterday and today, I spent the better part of a hour - not pulling them out. Nope. They refuse --- breaking them off.

Heh.

The nice part is I did get it planted and set the way I want.

So today not only did I find out they will take over, but I have to explain to DW why she must buy a new pair of gloves. Impossible to extricate those nasty things - from inside or out.

Lesson learned.

Sorry to hear it, David, but we all seem to learn the hard way.

Perhaps some tape, like packing tape, would help remove those small thorns.

Or try Grandma's solution to anything and everything - soak it in vinegar - might draw them out.

LOL! Probably going to be a lot worse in the future. The plant will thrive - to your sorrow!

Oh David my sister said the same thing. ...............................
"They also seem to jump into Blinking yer skin from a distance." They do have a bite. I sat on them one time. Talk about pain for a long, long, time.

I send boxes of them every year because I have so many. But.....I always wrap them in styrofoam inside the mailing box. on the outside of the styrofoam is a note .....

DO NOT TOUCH!!!!! DECIDE WHERE YOU WANT TO PLANT. DUMP THEM ON THE GROUND AND RUN!!!

You do not have to plant them they will plant themselves. If you want to move them get a stick and put them in the direction you want them to go.

David they are a novel plant in our climate. I get so many compliments and comments. I get more comments on the cactus than I get about my tropical plants. It is worth the pain.

Thanks for the excellent ideas. Will give em a try. Down to only 7 or 8 or so that are bugging me.

@Cinta - I swear -- I do. They jump into yer skin. I was not within 12 " of the plant for several days and a few days ago I had the little buggers in me. I had been doing some yard work and just thought some roses had bit me. Nope. Definitely not roses. Now I know what they were. I tried to pull em out and noticed how they broke off at skin level. After a few days, I just forgot about the pain.

Then yesterday - I said --- ah hah!!!

" I sat on them one time. Talk about pain for a long, long, time. Blinking Blinking " Oh. OH my!!

So I can say...

Here is my Brugmansia
Here is my Plumeria
Here is my Myrh and Frankincense
blah, blah, blah

And HERE is my Prickly Pear

Yes when your love one has to pick out prickly pear stickers from your bottom you know it is true love. It was either real love or he found he was not going to get any sleep until they were out.

I have been growing them for 15 yrs I know they will jump out if your hands are near them. I plant them in a bed of gravel in away from my garden area. It is too dry and hot for weeds to survive so I never have to weed the area. I have a long handle prong that I use around them.

Ah HAH!!!!!!!!!! I just knew it. The tiny thorns are called Glochidia and ....
"It is recommended that the fruit should be picked only when wetted, and picking should be stopped when it is windy since the glochidia can become airborne"

I actually thought about planting Prickly Pear, but as I am more interested in Tallgrass Prairie I gave up the idea. But it is quite novel to have a cactus native to the midwest.

Whenever we have slivers or the like, we put on a glob of chickweed salve and cover it with a band-aid. This somehow works.

Probably my most painful plant is the Soapweed. I was pulling some grass around the small plant and unknowingly grabbed a blade of the yucca. Yank! Sliced my hand and it felt like a nasty paper cut.

It is novel to see a Cactus because it is what people normally associate with desert.

Tropical plants have little meaning because there are many northern plants that resemble what we normally grow in our cold climate. Flower is a flower, a big leaf is just a big leaf tree to someone that is not into plants.

But most people recognize a cactus and do not relate to it as any plant that could possible survive snow and winter nor does it resemble any other plant that northerners normally are able to grow in the ground.

What has made it easy for me is I have the room to develop a garden that is devoted to the desert look I desired. They are not included in my main garden areas. So I do not risk getting hurt by them ever again.

@Cinta - what else do you have in your desert look garden?

BTW - I just could not leave well enuff alone so I picked up some lovely hens and chicks that will have a fire red bloom. I planted 5 (75 cents at Home depot at 75 % off) surrounding the PP and yes - I did get more teensy thorns. I covered the ground around with river rock and tossed some sand in. Looks pretty cool. And I only spent ~ 10 minutes removing the thorns. It is in a very dry area on my bank that has thus far refused to grow anything there.

David I posted an article about them. I love the cactus area. It is in a visible visitor/package delivery path. I have had delivery people knock and comment that they have seen it in the winter and want to know how I keep cactus alive under snow.

http://garden.org/ideas/view/C...

Read it. I have a var. Yucca that I should move over by the PP I have SOOOOOOooooooo much to do though. I have like 20 plants I want to move and several dozen things I need to get in the ground. And finish bringing stuff in!!!! GACK.

I know. I have a lot to bring inside. I brought in the really sensitive plants. But the cannas and some of the trees still need to come inside.

I have 30 bushes, carpet roses and clematis to plant still. Those darn sales. I just could not walk away from 1.00 and 5.00 for plants that were $25-$30 early in the season. I am trying to decide if they will be planted in the garden or in pots for the patio.

Thornless Opuntia! Has anyone grown it? Can you tell me if the fruit is as good as the thorny/Glochidiay one? I work at a nursery and we get the regular Prickely Pear, but we also sell a friendly thornless one. I love the "tunas" (fruits) from the regular one, but am not willing to endure the "jumping thorns". I've done more than enough of surgery with tape and tweezers, thank you very much! Anybody have the thornless one?

Cinta said:I know. I have a lot to bring inside. I brought in the really sensitive plants. But the cannas and some of the trees still need to come inside.

I have 30 bushes, carpet roses and clematis to plant still. Those darn sales. I just could not walk away from 1.00 and 5.00 for plants that were $25-$30 early in the season. I am trying to decide if they will be planted in the garden or in pots for the patio.

Yeah me2

Heal em in somewhere or just plop the container in the ground and think about it over winter.
Last year on November 5, I spent ~ 50 $ at Earl May buying 10 shrubs at 5 $ each. Some of those had retail prices of 60 + $. Total retail value of > 400 $. I was Soooooo proud of myself.

I had cleaned out a tomato bed so I just dug long troughs and buried them container and all and over winter laid out where I would plant them.

LlamaLlori said:Thornless Opuntia! Has anyone grown it? Can you tell me if the fruit is as good as the thorny/Glochidiay one? I work at a nursery and we get the regular Prickely Pear, but we also sell a friendly thornless one. I love the "tunas" (fruits) from the regular one, but am not willing to endure the "jumping thorns". I've done more than enough of surgery with tape and tweezers, thank you very much! Anybody have the thornless one?

Hmmm - Now I could go for that. If any pads fall off feel free to mail me
Still pulling thorns hours later. Heh

DavidLMO said:

Yeah me2

Heal em in somewhere or just plop the container in the ground and think about it over winter.
Last year on November 5, I spent ~ 50 $ at Earl May buying 10 shrubs at 5 $ each. Some of those had retail prices of 60 + $. Total retail value of > 400 $. I was Soooooo proud of myself.

I had cleaned out a tomato bed so I just dug long troughs and buried them container and all and over winter laid out where I would plant them.

Yes that sounds like a plan. I could bury them in my hosta garden. I usually have 50 bags of leaves I could even give them more protection and cover them with the leaves. I picked up 4 pots of an azalea that is questionable for my zone. So the extra cover would help.

I can plan this winter it will give me something to do. As I sit in front of the Fireplace and sipping a drink. Thank you I am now looking forward to the snow........ almost