Cactus Plant Features
Looking for a plant you don't have to water much? A cactus might be your answer! Most cacti come from dryland areas and are used to being able to survive weeks without rainfall. Cactus houseplants have that same characteristic: Just give cacti a bright, sunny spot and you can enjoy the easy-care houseplants without a lot of tending.
There's a wide variety of cacti to grow; they offer a plethora of shapes, colors, and sizes so you can find one that suits your personality and decor style. If they get enough light, many will bloom, producing cheery flowers in white, pink, red, orange, yellow, or purple.
Make the most of your cactus houseplants by planting them in containers that accent the plants' rich colors, shapes, or textures. And by grouping several different cacti together in a window sill or tabletop, you can create a mini desert escape! In addition to being good houseplants, most cacti are also good plants for offices as they don't need natural light. Lots of artificial light is just fine!
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Cactus Growing Instructions
The best place for most cactus houseplants is a warm, bright spot. These sun-lovers do best when they get lots of direct light.
Wondering how much to water cacti? In general, you can water most types once every two or three weeks or so. If in doubt, it's usually best to water too little; cacti can rot if they stay too moist.
Most cactus houseplants are slow growers and don't really need fertilizer. But if you want to fertilize your cactus, do so in spring and summer with a regular houseplant fertilizer. Follow the directions on the packaging.
Because they're slow growers, you typically don't have to worry about pruning cacti.
Note: Many cacti are prickly to the touch and are not intended for human or animal consumption.
Get tips for planting cacti (and succulents)!
Discover 10 water-wise plants anyone can grow.
Outdoors, grow cacti in containers on a sunny deck, patio, or balcony. They thrive in heat and require containers that have drainage holes.
If cacti are hardy for your landscape, choose a well-drained spot, such as the top of a sunny slope or a rock garden. Don't plant cacti where they'll stay wet for extended periods.
Indoors: High light
Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Silver, Variegated, White, Yellow
Low water needs
Super-easy to grow
Complement your Cactus with these varieties:
Crested euphorbia makes for an elegant accent to most types of cactus.
Easy-to-grow rosary vine likes similar conditions to houseplant cactus varieties and trails from baskets of cacti.
Most succulents look and grow fantastically well with cactus.
Varieties: Our Favorites
A cactus must be cool if its botanical name contains magnifica! Balloon cactus doesn't disappoint; this globe-shaped plant has parallel rows of spines running down its sides, giving it fun architecture. It also has yellow flowers.
Euphorbia lactea compacta
While it looks like a cactus, candelabra cactus is actually more closely related to poinsettias! It has upright, variegated stems and creates a dramatic look.
Opuntia subulata monstrose
Christmas tree cactus is an unusual, upright-growing variety that has thick, branched pads that almost give it a Christmas-tree look.
Cleistocactus is a lovely variety covered in golden spines that practically glow in the sun. It grows tall and upright and has orange-red flowers when it's happy.
Opuntia rufida 'Desert Gem'
This type of prickly pear cactus has cute little pads decorated with bursts of little spines and orange flowers.
Eriosyce is a fun cactus with twisting, hair-like spines and pink flowers.
Acanthocereus tetragonus 'Fairy Castle'
This small, slow-growing variety has dark green stems studded with white spines.
Golden ball cactus is a columnar variety that shows off decorative golden-yellow spines that are more bristly and prickly. It has yellow flowers.
One of the most recognizable cacti, this slow grower has a round shape and is decorated by stiff, golden-yellow spines.
A slow-growing round plant, golden pincushion cactus has attractive golden-yellow spines.
Looking for a colorful cactus? Try grafted varieties. These are actually two different plants fused together. Grafted cacti come in a range of different colors and sizes.
Ladyfinger cactus has finger-like stems covered in pretty, golden-yellow, star-shaped spines. When it blooms, it has little creamy-white flowers.
Mammillaria guelzowiana is a fun globe-shaped cactus that's covered in spines and blooms with attractive, fragrant bright pink flowers.
Mammillaria mystax is a common, and charming, globe-shaped cactus that blooms with small pink flowers.
Maverick is a showy variety that offers variegated pads. It's a slow-growing cactus that can eventually reach a couple of feet tall.
Tall and beautiful, Mexican fencepost cactus gets its name from its vertical growth. The dark green stems are decorated with silvery spines running down the side of the plant in straight lines.
Notocactus schlosseri is a spherical variety that has showy coppery-spines and lemon-yellow flowers.
A globe-shaped species, Notocactus scopa has yellow-orange spines and ivory-yellow flowers.
Old man cactus is a tall variety that looks like it's covered in soft white hair. When it blooms, it has orchid-like white flowers.
Old man of Peru cactus earned its name from its long spines that look like the plant has a bushy white beard. It's an upright grower that has red flowers.
Old man of the mountain cactus earned its common name because its upright growing stems appear to be wrapped in flowing white hair.
Opuntia microdasys var. rufida
Opuntia microdasys var. rufida is a type of prickly pear cactus that has flat pads studded with spines and yellow flowers.
Owl-eye cactus is a charming mounding variety that has white spines, densely clustered at the top of the plant, and creamy-yellow flowers.
Parodia aureispina is a small, rounded variety that has small white and large, yellow hook-shaped spines with yellow flowers.
Parodia nivosa is a small cactus with long white spines and bright red-orange flowers.
Pilocereus repandus is a tall, upright cactus that grows to tree-like proportions outdoors in the tropics. It has white flowers and showy red fruit.
Tall and upright, Pilosocereus lanuginosus has creamy flowers and abundant coppery-yellow spines. Zones 10-11
Pincushion cactus is an excellent houseplant that has a mounding shape, golden-yellow spines, and pink flowers.
Pineapple cactus is a low-growing variety that has branching stems topped by star-shaped spines. It has creamy-yellow flowers.
Euphorbia trigona Red
You wouldn't guess red African milk tree is actually related to poinsettias! This succulent has upright stems flushed with red and silver. Zone 10
Red-headed Irishman cactus earned its name because the new spines at the top of the plant are a rich, coppery-red color. As they mature, the spines fade to silvery white. This globe-shaped cactus has pink flowers.
Turk's cap cactus is a small, slow grower that's topped by coppery-colored spines and pink flowers.
Twin-spine cactus is a rounded, mounding variety that has silvery-white spines and cute pink flowers.