Barrel Cactus is a perennial grown for its orange blooms, which open in late spring and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 11, shrugs off deer and shrugs off dry spells. Its late spring flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees.
Barrel Cactus — the short answer
Barrel Cactus: grown in zones 5–11, full sun, pH 7–8.5.
- USDA zones
- 5–11
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 7–8.5
- USDA PLANTS
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Barrel Cactus on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether barrel cactus actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score barrel cactus against your land's real conditions.
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What Barrel Cactus is
Barrel Cactus grows as a perennial and reaches around five feet at maturity. It blooms orange in late spring. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Barrel Cactus
Barrel Cactus grows in USDA zones 5 through 11. Barrel Cactus does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 7 to 8.5, on fast-draining ground. It needs a growing season of at least 160 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
5-11
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
7 - 8.5
USDA PLANTS
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
excessive (dry/moderately dry)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Cold Hardiness
-23°F
The coldest temperature this plant is documented to survive.
USDA PLANTS
Mature Height
5 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
160+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant barrel cactus in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun.
Match the soil
Barrel Cactus prefers pH 7 to 8.5 (USDA PLANTS). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Harvest at its peak
Cut barrel cactus blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Barrel Cactus thrives
Barrel Cactus is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 11. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 5–11 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 29 outright and splits 21 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–11·Where Barrel Cactus growsOpen map →
Where Barrel Cactus stands, state by state
Barrel Cactus is rated for zones 5–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 29 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 21 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–11
29 states
3 of 29 shown
The line runs through
21 states
3 of 21 shown
Barrel Cactus’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 5–11
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Barrel Cactus
Growing guides for barrel cactus
In rotation planning, barrel cactus counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in perennial flower
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — barrel cactus isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Barrel Cactus offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Your land is one point inside Barrel Cactus's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Barrel Cactus will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether barrel cactus actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Barrel Cactus
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Barrel Cactus in my zone?
Barrel Cactus grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 11 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Barrel Cactus?
Time barrel cactus to your own season rather than the calendar, leaving enough of the season for its 160-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Barrel Cactus need?
Barrel Cactus needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Barrel Cactus need?
Barrel Cactus prefers soil pH 7 to 8.5, on fast-draining ground (USDA PLANTS). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Barrel Cactus attract pollinators?
Yes — barrel cactus's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Is Barrel Cactus safe for pets?
Barrel Cactus is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)