{"product_id":"opuntia-spp","title":"Prickly Pear - Opuntia","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePrickly Pear - Opuntia\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOpuntia\u003c\/em\u003e is the flat-padded cactus that built the visual language of desert planting: overlapping blue-green cladodes stacked into a broad, branching structure, topped in warm weather by silky yellow to apricot flowers. It is used in Australian landscapes for pure sculptural mass in ground that receives no irrigation at all, holding form and colour through the hottest part of summer. It needs to be specified carefully, because several members of this genus are declared weeds in this country.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Prickly Pear\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePad Structure\u003c\/strong\u003e: Flattened blue-green segments build an overlapping, sculptural mass unlike any other landscape plant.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlowering\u003c\/strong\u003e: Large silky flowers in yellow through to apricot appear in the warm months, followed by coloured fruit.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eZero Irrigation\u003c\/strong\u003e: Established plants survive on rainfall alone in the driest parts of the country.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBarrier Value\u003c\/strong\u003e: A planted mass forms an impenetrable boundary where security matters more than access.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCheck Before You Plant\u003c\/strong\u003e: A number of Opuntia species are declared weeds across Australian states and territories, so plant only permitted, nursery-supplied stock and confirm your local requirements first.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArid and Gravel Gardens\u003c\/strong\u003e: The centrepiece of an unirrigated desert-style bed.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHot Rendered Courtyards\u003c\/strong\u003e: Copes with the reflected heat of walls and paving that scorches other feature plants.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eErosion Prone Slopes\u003c\/strong\u003e: Roots knit dry, poor embankments where little else will establish.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLarge Feature Containers\u003c\/strong\u003e: A deep pot of gritty mix keeps its spread controlled and its position deliberate.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5-2m for a continuous barrier\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.5-3m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spring to summer, into warm dry soil\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sandy, gravelly and sharply drained, of low fertility. It will not survive in soil that holds winter moisture, so raise the bed on clay.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Water only once a fortnight for the first two months, then leave it to rainfall, since overwatering causes pad rot far more often than drought causes losses. Mulch with gravel, keep it well clear of paths and play areas, and handle only with thick gloves as even the near-spineless forms carry fine barbed glochids.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2-4m depending on species and conditions\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2-3m, spreading further over time\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moderate\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen, with flattened green pads in place of leaves\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mexico and the Americas\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yellow to apricot, occasionally deepening to orange\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"400mm","offer_id":59795361595678,"sku":"ND-1300-400MM","price":975.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/KA1epnhFPvwwfVVM9Lm1T_RjbuUQUU.jpg?v=1787314248","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/opuntia-spp","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}