Beautiful and functional, prickly pears are resilient cacti that are perfect if you are looking for low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plants. You might think that these native succulents are better suited to wild, desert landscapes, yet prickly pears can make for useful evergreen plants, whether used in backyard borders or containers.
Prickly pears, classified as Opuntia, are well-suited to dry and arid yards. Found growing across much of the southwestern United States and Mexico, these tough cacti have adapted to thrive in challenging environments, requiring little care or attention. What's more, in the right conditions, they will flower and fruit, producing colorful blooms during spring and summer.
