Cherish your garden with some striking spiny blue cactus. Here’s a list of the top 10 to help you pick the best.
Cacti, even with their spines, look mesmerizing, and when they are blue, it’s the cherry on top. A natural wax layer on their surface acts like a built-in sunscreen, and under strong light, it forms a dense white or gray bloom that deepens their bluish-gray glow.
Best Blue cactus
1. Ferocactus emoryi
Common Name: Traveler’s friend, Emory’s Barrel Cactus
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Ferocactus emoryi have a spherical to cylindrical shape and stand out for their sturdy, commanding look. The sharp spines can be red or light brown, creating a striking contrast against the blue-green body of the cactus. You’ll surely admire their large, showy flowers that bloom in bold colors atop the plant.
2. Opuntia Basilaris
Common Name: Beavertail Cactus
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Isn’t it fun to watch a cactus change colors? This bushy succulent has gray-blue, wide, flat, fleshy pads resembling beaver tails. During dry spells, they turn violet, and the tiny gray-blue bristles with barbed tips add even more vibrance to the plant.
3. Stenocereus griseus
Common Name: Mexican Organ Pipe
The stems have a glaucous, bluish-gray hue, paired with whitish flowers tinged with pink. Mexican Organ Pipe cacti are funnel-shaped, bloom at night, and stay open until midday, their bent-back bracts adding a touch of drama. Won’t it be a mesmerizing sight with such contrasting colors?
4. Pilosocereus pachycladus
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Common Name: Blue Torch Cactus
Blue Torch one is an upright, slow-growing cactus that features ribbed blue-green stems lined with areoles bearing tan spines and fine white hairs. In summer, it produces white flowers—sometimes brushed with red tips—that open at night and are followed by fig-shaped fruits.
5. Gymnocalycium calochlorum
Common Name : Clustering chin
This small cactus forms a flat-topped cluster of stems spreading close to the soil. Its wispy, pinkish-brown spines on the spherical, shiny blue-green or pale-green stems make Clustering chin look like a tiny masterpiece in the sand.
6. Opuntia Gosselin
Common Name: Violet prickly pear
Beauty with thorns, indeed! Native to the arid regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico, this cactus shows off blue-green pads that turn a rich reddish-purple, especially in winter. From April to August, its vibrant yellow flowers burst into bloom, stealing the spotlight.
7. Myrtillocactus geometrizans
Common Name: Blue Myrtle Cactus
A joy to watch as it grows! When young, the single stems shoot straight up before branching out, creating a candelabra-like shape. Over time, it turns into a giant shrub with countless branches. Once mature, it becomes a true cactus tree worth the wait.
9. Ferocactus Glaucescens
Common Name: Blue Barrel Cactus
Ferocactus Glaucescens is a spiny, evergreen barrel cactus that forms one or more glaucous gray, globe-shaped stems—each reaching up to 45 cm tall and 50 cm across. It thrives in dry forests and shrublands, especially on limestone hills and rocky slopes.
10. Browningia Hertlingiana
Common Name: Blue Cereus
This giant, columnar cactus wears a beautiful frosty blue coat. Blue Cereus is a slow-growing, tree-like perennial, that can reach up to 8 meters tall with a spread of 4 meters. Its blue hue and golden spines make it a stunner, even when not in bloom.
Cacti, spines and all, can still steal the spotlight in any garden. Their bold colors and dramatic shapes make guests stop in their tracks. According to you, which one of these blue beauties takes the crown? Tell us in the comments!
