I have a peruvian apple cactus and a dragon fruit cactus in my yard.   I'm not really fond of the apple cactus' blossoms.  They are only open for a few hours at night, and then it takes a couple days for them to fall off, and the apple to start growing.  They dead blossoms aren't very attractive, so I pick the blooms off before they open.

I've only had the dragon fruit for less than a year, and it hasn't flowered yet.  I'm not sure how long it takes, but it has been growing fast.  It's a bit of a challenge to keep all its limbs supported. 

Jerry, Sorry, I can't offer anything on that but maybe some of our Canadian friends will chime in for you. If you find some that survive the cold in Calgary that would be one cold hardy Prickley Pear.
 
No problem "Saxonfig", I just want to find some to grow in the house. 
I don't think so either that they would survive outside in Calgary.

Jerry

Bill,
I enjoyed the photos of your various cacti and that purple clematis...what an eye popping color.  My box arrived, so check your email too.  :-)

From one Kentuckian fig-fiend to another!  Take care, Sara

@eb3604; Dragon fruit is the same thing as pitaya right? I saw some pretty cool videos on youtube of some pitaya being hand pollinated. It was also very helpful to see how they grow it comercially. The method of propping the plants up is what caught my attention. When I get the chance to find those vids again, Ill try to post a link here. They were pretty informative.

Sara; Glad they arrived in good condition. Maybe later in the summer, after they've put on some growth, you can post some pics here so we can see how they're doing -? 

@saxonfig - Yes I believe dragonfruit is a pitaya.  If you get a chance to dig up those videos, I'd love to see them.  I don't really know that much about them, I ordered one on a whim.  I have it growing in a 5 gallon bucket now, and am going to be putting it in the ground soon.  Supporting it is an issue for me, I've looked on other forums, and I'm going to try to rig something else up soon.

Hey eb. What part of So Fl are you in? I lived in Naples for 10 years. I started dragon fruit in my yard there once but my industrious wife mowed it down with the mower - she didn't know what it was. I still get nervous when she mows. But I also learned to mark things very clearly. If she wants to mow I certainly don't want to stop her :-) .

One thing I have learned about dragon fruit is that you need two plants for pollination. A fella out in Cali sent me two pieces to try my hand at here in KY. I haven't killed them yet but they haven't grown any yet either. We'll see what they do in the summer heat & humidity before I write them off.

Here's a vid or three from youtube:

Hi Bill.  Thanks for the videos!  I live in South Florida, near Ft Lauderdale.  It grows like a weed down here.  I wish I could slow down it's growth!

@saxonfig....I will post pictures later this season (of cactus & my figs!).  :-)

The picture says it all...

Not quite "all".... Did you grow those "tunas", and do you have names for them? They all (figs included) look delicious!

George types -The picture says it all...

It sure does, as Dad used to bring home figs , horse meat, octopus you name it from club back in the 60s the red prickly pears on that plate were always a favorite of mine .
 
That plate says it all indeed.
Thanks

Very nice gorgi. You are obviously enjoying your stay in Malta ;) .

No, I did not grow any of the fruit in my previous post.
However, I did harvest them all myself.

The prickly pears [Bajtar tax-xewk] (Opuntia ficus indica ) came from
family and friends fields. I managed to find the three colors; yellow, white and red.
The yellow one is the most abundant and also the sweetest.
I love to eat them 'chilled' from the fridge.
BTW, one can even harvest some from street-overhanging plants,
which are locally considered as public property.

The (not fully ripe) figs are from my re-visit to the GM#5 (Maltese Falcon) mama tree.

George, You make me want to travel to Malta for some of these cactus and figs. That's the best fruit plate ever. I see you're having a good time.

George that bowl looks fabulous...add a bit of yogurt, a drizzle of honey. YUM.

Wonderful looking fruits. I wish that I was able to grow them here at NY.

JP 

nyod5229 & alan, I live in Manhattan. Climate here is similar to PA, maybe a little cooler during winters but not so much. I might try to grow them on my balcony. Where can I buy one of these plants?

Thank you for your time.

Yes, I only seen the purple ones in stores. Have not tried them yet.

Thank  you

JP

Well, alan I need to buy some next time that I go to the store and try them myself. But those in the photos do look very delicious. JP

Some of the fine folks here will sometimes have them available for sale trade or free.

As I've mentioned earlier, I haven't yet had the privilege of tasting a really good prickly pear, but would love to do so. If anybody has super-tasty variety and would be willing to spare a pad, I'd be happy to trade for a cutting of hybrid torch cactus or an offset from a Queen Victoria agave.

alan, Thanks for the ebay's link. That thing looks huge. Do you know how many years would take a cactus pear to bear fruit?

The plants look very different from our local prickly pears. If the fruit is so good, I'm wondering why I don't see them growing around town in people's yards; there must be a reason. Does anybody know whether they're extremely frost sensitive?

Just noticed this post.  I thought I was the only crazy person growing prickly pears...lol
Here is a photo of my 2yr old with 21 cactus pears on it.