Desert Prickly Pear

Desert Prickly Pear (Opuntia phaeacantha) is the kind of plant that makes a dry, sunny garden look like it was designed for the landscape rather than simply surviving in it. Its broad, paddle-shaped pads form an architectural, spreading clump, while the large spring flowers provide a surprisingly bright burst of color. Later in the season, the flowers give way to distinctive red-purple fruits, adding another point of interest and providing food for wildlife.

This is a particularly good choice for rock gardens, xeric beds, slopes, and other places where you'd rather not spend the summer watering. Once established, it is remarkably self-sufficient and handles poor, rocky soil and tough conditions with little fuss. The tradeoff is its formidable spines and tiny glochids, so it is best positioned where people and pets won't be brushing against it. Give it excellent drainage, plenty of sun, and room to spread, and it can become a long-lived, highly distinctive part of a low-water landscape.