Cylindropuntia (Opuntia) echinocarpa ‘Portal Blonde’

Cylindropuntia (syn. Opuntia) echinocarpa ‘Portal Blonde’ was collected by our friend Sean Hogan of Cistus Nursery at about 8000 feet in the Sierra Nevada of California. He suggests hardiness to zone 3. Other sites suggest zone 5. Listings for zone 9 will pertain to low elevation populations and not to ‘Portal Blonde’. This smaller, more compact cholla has golden spines that fade to cream and yellow flowers with a tinge of green. On the West Coast, provide sharp winter drainage and protection from winter rain — scree gardens or under overhangs of the house both work well. Elsewhere they can be planted out in the open but always in sharp drainage.