Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Dwarf Baby Rita
Dwarf Baby Rita is a tiny prickly pear with blue-gray pads touched with purple, a cross of Santa Rita and beavertail. It stays about 8 inches tall and spreads to about 2 feet in a loose, low mound. In spring it blooms in bright pink to salmon. The pads turn a deeper purple in winter, and it is rated to about 0°F or colder.
Best for: small beds, rock gardens, pots and spots too small for a full-size prickly pear.
It stays about 8 inches tall and 2 feet wide, so it fits narrow beds and small yards. It suits spots too tight for a full-size prickly pear.
It grows well in containers and rock gardens. Use very fast-draining soil and let it dry out between waterings.
Its blue-gray pads turn a rich purple in winter and fade back to blue-gray as it warms. Pink to salmon flowers open in spring.
It is sensitive to wet, poorly drained soil, most of all in cool weather. The pads carry spines and glochids, so handle it with gloves and keep it back from paths.
- Plant to plant3-4 ft apart, center to center
Wait about a week after planting before the first water, then water every other week while nights stay above 60°F. Once rooted, let the soil dry completely between soaks. Keep it dry in winter, when wet soil is the main risk.
Feed sparingly, if at all, with a light feeding in spring. Skip fall and winter feeding.
The blue-gray pads turn purple in winter cold and fade back as it warms. No treatment is needed.
Plant it with the side that faced the sun still facing south. A new plant can sunburn its first summer, so light shade cloth helps until fall.
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.
What is Baby Rita prickly pear?
It is a small garden cross of the Santa Rita (purple) prickly pear and the beavertail prickly pear. It keeps the purple color in a much smaller plant.
How big does it get?
It stays low, about 8 inches tall, and spreads to about 2 feet across in a loose mound. Some growers list it up to 2 feet tall.
How fast does it grow?
It is a slow to moderate grower.
Why do the pads turn purple?
The blue-gray pads turn a deeper purple in winter cold, then fade back to blue-gray as the weather warms. It is normal, not a sign of a problem.
When does it bloom?
It blooms in spring, from mid to late spring, with pink to salmon cup-shaped flowers.
How cold can it take?
It is rated to about 0°F, and some growers rate it to -10°F in well-drained soil.
How often should I water it?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once rooted, let the soil dry completely between soaks. Keep it dry in winter.
Does it grow in a pot?
Yes. It suits containers very well. Use very fast-draining cactus soil and water only when the soil is dry.
Does it have spines?
Yes. The pads carry spines and glochids, tiny barbed hairs that stick in skin. Handle it with thick gloves or tongs.
Baby Rita vs purple prickly pear: which one?
Both of them have purple-tinged pads. Purple prickly pear grows into a shrub 4 to 6 feet tall. Baby Rita stays about 8 inches tall and 2 feet wide.
Dwarf Baby Rita for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Dwarf Baby Rita is a small garden cross of the Santa Rita and beavertail prickly pears. People grow it for purple color and flowers in spaces too tight for a big prickly pear. This page covers what to expect: size, color, flowers, water, cold and where it fits.
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.
How big does Baby Rita prickly pear get?
Plan for about 8 inches tall and about 2 feet across. It grows as a low, loose mound, small enough for pots and narrow beds.
Is Baby Rita a dwarf Santa Rita prickly pear?
It is a garden cross of Santa Rita and beavertail prickly pears. It carries the blue-gray to purple pad color in a much smaller plant.
Baby Rita prickly pear winter color
Its blue-gray pads turn a rich purple in winter and fade back as it warms. The color change is normal.
How cold hardy is Baby Rita prickly pear?
It is rated to about 0°F, and some growers rate it to -10°F in well-drained soil. Keep the soil dry in winter.
How often do you water Baby Rita in Phoenix?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once rooted, let the soil dry completely between soaks.
Baby Rita vs purple prickly pear
Purple prickly pear grows 4 to 6 feet tall. Baby Rita stays about 8 inches tall, so it fits spaces the big one would crowd.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.