Opuntia Santarita (Santa Rita Prickly Pear) Plant – The Cactus Outlet

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The Santa Rita is the classic purple prickly pear from the Sonoran desert. Featuring purple tinged pads with yellow flowers in the spring, this cactus can grow to be 3'x3' when planted in the ground. Reliably hardy to the mid teens at night.

Prickly Pear design and application suggestions:

Opuntias, the prickly pear family of cacti, can be used in many different ways. In the landscape, the prickly pear family can be used as a very nice contrast to other cacti and succulents. The rounded pads, beautiful flowers of yellow, orange, red and pink plus different pad colors and sizes offer distinguished contrast in the landscape or in a nice container. Some prickly pear species can be used as a succulent groundcover. Some prickly pears, like the Santa Rita “purple” prickly pear, are ideal as unique pieces interspersed throughout the landscape or a nice contrast to a group of cacti and succulents in pots. Prickly pears are also very forgiving. They will tolerate the hottest parts of your landscape and like it! The prickly pear family also thrives on very little water and can take very cold overnight temperatures.

Why purchase our Prickly Pear?

Our prickly pears are grown in their native habitat right here in Southern Arizona. Raised outdoors with just the right amount of water and fertilizer, they come to you in their natural form. These plants do not come to you from a greenhouse. They are already hardy to whatever growing conditions you have to offer. You will not see any evidence of pads getting skinny and reaching for light. The prickly pears present the same appearance as you will find them in their native habitats.

If you want to plant them in a container for a sunroom, patio or window planter, great! If you want to take your new prickly pear cacti and plant them in the ground, also great! No acclimation needed. Our plants are ready to go!

Reliable packaging and shipping

We strive to offer the most healthy cacti and succulents you can find anywhere that are shipped right to your door. Our plants are professionally packaged with expertise honed by shipping amazing plants to customers like you for over 20 years. Our packaging process ensures a bare minimum of damaged orders. All of our plants are wrapped in bubble wrap and tape, which should not be taken off until your plant is in its final home. The bubble wrap offers you and the plant additional protection while planting. All of our plants are shipped bare root.

Customer Reviews

Based on 28 reviews
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J
Jason Barnett
Prickley Perfect

Shipment was professionally done. Cacti all arrived in great shape. All are thriving here in Michigan. Thanks again Cactus Outlet

C
Cookie Segelstein
Perfect!

When I was in Arizona, I fell in love with this cactus. SO when I got home I ordered one from CO and it's beautiful! It can packed rally well, and is already growing another paddle.

T
Theodore Howard
Nice !!!

The shipment is great. Santa Rita Prickly Pear Is beautiful. Thank you

S
Stevee

Everything was great, from the plants , to the packing an delivery an the follow up emails, thank you again. Steve cosmen

R
Richard A Scearcy
Great place to buy cactus!

We ordered a couple of prickly pears that we thought would look really nice in our yard. We already have a good selection of cactus, agaves, yuccas, aloes and other stuff that grows great in the Sonoran desert. But, we don't have it all yet. We're working on it. The pricklies we ordered came quickly, in great packaging and with lots of roots. We planted them the day after they arrived, which was a couple of weeks ago. I just watered them for the first time today. Granted, this is spring and everything is showing new growth. These new pricklies, even before they were watered, had started showing new pads. I'm impressed. For the record, I had taken a couple of pad cuttings last fall and kept them in a nursery to get them to root. I planted them the same day I planted my new pricklies from the Cactus Outlet. They were also showing new pads. I'll say right out loud that the prices for some of these cacti seem to be high. But, I've bought pads before that were barely healed over and had no roots showing. For the higher quality, I'm willing to pay a higher price. I'm sure this won't be my last purchase here.