• Spruce up your landscape with flowering cacti.cacti 21 image by mdb from Fotolia.com
  
  No matter where you live, growing cacti can be a rewarding and fascinating hobby. These plants are designed to thrive in the harsh conditions of the desert, making them perfect choices for even the beginning gardener. In addition to their legendary hardiness, many varieties of cacti produce stunning flowers. With the right care, flowering cacti are right at home in any garden landscape.
  
  

Barrel Cactus

• Some cacti produce beautiful flowers.cactus image by Vasina Nazarenko from Fotolia.com
  
  Barrel cacti are quite large, often as tall as 6 to 8 feet in height. These cacti grow flowers that often measure 5 to 6 inches in diameter with a stunning orange or yellow color. Due to their size, barrel cacti are not typically suitable for the home gardener, although some smaller varieties can be found in garden centers and nurseries. Barrel cacti are a frequent sight for those driving through the desert landscapes of the Southwest, since they often grow wild along the roadways.
  
  

Prickly Pear Cactus

• Relatively small size in size, prickly pear cacti are a good choice for home cultivation. These cacti grow to a height of approximately 2 feet and sport flowers in a variety of sizes and colors. One of the most common prickly pear varieties, the bunny ear cactus, is know for its distinctive shape and yellow flowers. The flowers typically bloom sometime in mid-spring.
  
  

Hedgehog Cactus

• Home gardeners looking for a cactus with dramatic flowers should consider the hedgehog cactus. This small cactus grows flowers that range in color from hot pink to deep purple, lending a dramatic air to any garden or home. The hedgehog cactus is also one of the smallest varieties with many species fully grown at just 4 to 12 inches in height. The diminutive size makes the hedgehog cactus one of the most popular for growing indoors.
  
  

Cereus

• The cereus species of cacti are often used in landscaping, particularly in the desert Southwest. These cacti produce flowers with a number of interesting characteristics, not the least of which is the fact that the blooms occur only at night. After the cereus cactus blooms once, the flower dies and falls off. While it is blooming, the flowers are large, fragrant and fascinating to look at. Gardeners should keep an eye on the buds that form at the edge of the leaf. These buds expand rapidly when the cereus is close to blooming and on the night of the bloom the flower literally opens right before your eyes.