Cactus' or Cacti?

One of the very first plants that I got started with was a Cactus. It was some type of Euphorbia. I could make a good guess at which one exactly, but it would be just that "A Guess". That was some 35+ years ago!
Many people grow Cactus in containers, so it's not that unusual. I grow my in containers and except for the two in the last two pictures, The Stapelia gigantea and the Cereus spp. they stay outside ALL year long. I live in a Zone 8. The key here is to have a great micro-climate.



The picture below, My Ferocactus peninsulae stays in place out by my street where I park. I figure the asphalt must give enough heat off at night to sustain it. We dropped to 18 degrees a couple of times last year and had 12 nights of below freezing (well below some nights) this year. Just as a side note, I grew this baby from seed. It was in a mixed seed packet and is about 15 years old.



These steps are outside my backdoor. We never used this door and it is actually always locked. Again, they stay out there all Winter long. These steps are on the West side of the house. So again, I figure the concrete absorbs the heat and gives it back off at night. You also can't see it very well, but just to the right of the steps, behind the Silk Floss Tree (Ceiba speciosa) is my heater/ac unit. I imagine it puts off a little bit of heat when it is running also.



My Night Blooming Cereus and the Starfish Cactus (Stapelia gigantea) actually go into the greenhouse during the Winter.





The gist of this post I wanted to get across is:
Know and Use your Micro-Climates!
There are a lot of plants that will do very well for you, IF you find the right place. You can also take advantage of NOT having to move them in and around all the time once you find that "Sweet" spot for them. I never would have thought that Cactus'?...Cacti?..would thrive and flourish in Charleston SC left out all Winter.
I know this much, I plan on taking lots more pictures this year when they start to flower. Mother Nature has hit the reset button and I expect to have LOTS and LOTS of blooms this Spring. Stay Tuned for the blast of color in upcoming posts!
Happy Growing!
Darren