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ROC #343460

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cactusPet FriendlyPollinator Plant

Cardon Grande

Name: Cardon Grande
Brand: Outdoor Dream Builders

Echinopsis terscheckii

A compact Argentine cactus that draws hummingbirds with its spectacular orange-red spring and summer flowers.

Hardy to roughly 20-25°F, USDA 9-11; low-desert adapted and heat tolerant with light frost risk.

AMWUA Notes

Drought tolerant cactus that blooms reliably on minimal irrigation.

Care Guide

💧Watering

Water every 2-3 weeks in the warm months and keep dry in winter; sharp drainage prevents rot.

✂️Pruning

Minimal; remove damaged stems and spent flowers.

🌱Fertilizing

Optional light spring feeding.

🛡️Pests

Watch for mealybugs and scale between the ribs.

☀️Seasonal Notes

Protect from hard frost below 25°F; hummingbird-drawing orange-red flowers appear spring into summer.

Soil, Feeding & Propagation

🪨Soil

Gritty, fast-draining mineral soil or decomposed granite; lean

💧Drainage

Needs sharp, fast-draining soil.

🌱Nutrient Needs

Low feeder.

🌰Propagation

Offsets or seed

📐Spacing

3 ft

🌳Roots & Placement

Shallow, non-invasive roots; keep spines off paths

Placement Tips

•Site in a rock or hummingbird garden where the blooms are visible.
•Keep the spines off paths.
•Plant in gritty, fast-draining soil.
•Group with other clumping cacti for a naturalistic effect.

Features

Spectacular orange-red flowersHummingbird magnetCompact sizeSpring-summer color

Best Uses

Rock gardenHummingbird gardenContainer

Ecological Value

Attracts

hummingbirds

Companion Plants

cactus

Argentine Giant

Echinopsis candicans

A towering columnar cactus producing spectacular 6-to-8-inch fragrant white flowers that perfume the night air.

Low Waterpartial shade

succulent

Red Yucca

Hesperaloe parviflora

One of the toughest and most rewarding desert plants, sending up arching coral-red flower spikes that hummingbirds adore.

Very Low Waterfull sunPool Safe

shrub

Native

Chuparosa

Justicia californica

A large Sonoran Desert native shrub with fragrant orange-red flowers that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds in winter and spring.

Low Waterfull sunPool Safe

accent

Native

Ocotillo

Fouquieria splendens

An unmistakable desert icon whose thorny canes erupt with fiery red-orange blooms that hummingbirds cannot resist.

Very Low Waterfull sun

Quick Stats

Water NeedsLow

Sun Exposurefull sun

Mature Size2 ft H × 3 ft W

Growth Rateslow

Maintenancelow

HardinessUSDA 9-11

FoliageEvergreen

Drainagesharp, fast-draining

Bloom SeasonSpring-summer

Bloom ColorOrange/red

Litter Levellow

Thornssmall

Native RegionArgentina

Design Styles

desert modernnative habitat

Include in Your Project

Love Cardon Grande? Our landscape team sources from wholesale nurseries and can incorporate it into your design.

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Use this care guide to maintain your Cardon Grande. Questions about your landscape? Reach out anytime.

Data from 2024 AMWUA “Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert” guide.