Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Claret Cup
Claret Cup is a small, mounding hedgehog cactus native to the American Southwest, including the uplands and mountains of Arizona. In spring it covers itself in scarlet to orange-red cup-shaped flowers built for hummingbirds, with sturdy petals they can perch on. It stays about a foot tall and spreads slowly into a clump. It needs little water and suits pots, borders and rock gardens.
Best for: hummingbird gardens, patio pots and small gardens, and native rock gardens.
Bright scarlet to orange-red flowers with rounded, stiff petals give hummingbirds a place to perch. Each flower stays open for several days, so the show lasts.
Blooms cover the plant from early spring into early summer, most often April to June. Red fruit with white pulp follows the flowers.
It usually stays 6 inches to a foot tall, sometimes 2 feet, and spreads slowly. That makes it a good fit for patio pots and small beds.
It cannot stand moist soil, so plant it in a sandy, fast-draining mix and never overwater. In the wild it grows in uplands and mountains rather than on the low desert floor.
- Closer planting12 in apart
- Wider planting24 in apart
Wait about a week after planting before the first water. Then water every other week while nights stay above 60°F. In cooler weather, water only after two to four weeks without rain.
Water deeply in the warm months only when the soil is dry, and give little or none in winter. Plants in pots dry out faster and need water more often than plants in the ground.
Plant it with the same side facing the sun as in the nursery. Cover a new plant with light shade cloth its first summer, then remove it.
Below about 0°F, frost can scar the stem tips. Cover the tips with foam cups or frost cloth that reaches the ground, not plastic. Take covers off in the morning.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
Is Claret Cup native to Arizona?
Yes, it grows wild in upland and mountain areas of Arizona and across the Southwest. Wild plants are protected, so buy nursery-grown plants.
Does it attract hummingbirds?
Yes, the red flowers are shaped and sized for hummingbirds, with sturdy petals they can perch on. Plant it where you can watch them feed in spring.
When does it bloom?
It blooms from early spring into early summer, most often April to June. Each flower stays open for several days.
How big does it get?
It usually grows 6 inches to a foot tall, sometimes 2 feet, and slowly spreads into a clump 1 to 3 feet wide. Leave it room to widen over the years.
How often should I water it?
Water about every two weeks in the warm season, and only when the soil is dry. It cannot handle soggy soil, so never overwater it.
Is it cold hardy?
Yes, it is rated to about -20°F, so a Valley winter will not hurt it. Keep the soil drier in winter.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes, it grows well in a pot. Use a sandy potting mix or cactus mix and a pot with a drainage hole.
Does it take full sun?
Yes, it grows in full sun. When you plant it, keep the same side facing the sun as in the nursery, and shade a new plant lightly its first summer.
Claret Cup for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Claret Cup is a native hedgehog cactus of the Southwest, loved for the scarlet spring flowers that hummingbirds visit. It stays small and grows easily in pots. Below are the questions Valley homeowners ask about it, with what to do for each.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Claret cup cactus for hummingbirds
Claret cup flowers are scarlet cups built for hummingbirds. Each flower stays open several days in spring, so plant it where you can see them feed.
Is claret cup native to Arizona?
Yes, it grows wild in Arizona's uplands and mountains and across the Southwest. Buy nursery-grown plants, since wild plants are protected.
Claret cup bloom time
It blooms from early spring into early summer, most often April to June. Red fruit with white pulp follows the flowers.
Watering claret cup cactus
Water about every two weeks in the warm season, and only when the soil is dry. Soggy soil kills it, so plant it where water drains fast.
Claret cup in pots
It stays small and suits patio pots. Use a sandy, fast-draining mix and a pot with a drainage hole.
How big claret cup gets
It usually grows 6 inches to a foot tall, sometimes 2 feet, and spreads slowly into a clump 1 to 3 feet wide.
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