Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Night-blooming cereus
Night-blooming cereus is a tall, branching column cactus with ribbed blue-green to gray-green stems and very few spines. On summer nights it opens large white flowers, up to 6 inches across and lightly fragrant, that last a single night. The red fruit that follows is known as Peruvian apple and is edible. It slowly reaches 10 to 20 feet and makes a strong focal point on very little water.
Best for: a tall focal point in a desert yard, a living screen for garbage bins, and large patio containers.
It slowly branches into a clump of upright columns 10 to 20 feet tall. One plant anchors a desert yard or rock garden as a strong focal point.
With very few spines, it works as a screen for garbage containers. Give each plant 12 to 20 feet if you want it to reach full size.
Large white flowers open at night in late spring and summer and close by the next day. Red, apple-like fruit follows, and it is edible.
Frost below about 18 to 20°F can damage the stems, so cover the tips on cold nights. Soggy soil causes rot, so plant it where water drains away. It also needs room, since it can spread 15 to 20 feet.
- Closer planting12 ft apart, center to center
- Screen or wide group20 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. 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 20°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.
When does night-blooming cereus flower?
It flowers in late spring and summer. Each large white flower opens at night and lasts only one night, so check it after dark or early the next morning.
Is the fruit edible?
Yes, the red, apple-sized fruit, called Peruvian apple, has white pulp and small crunchy seeds. Pick it when it turns red.
How tall does it get?
It slowly reaches 10 to 20 feet and can spread 15 to 20 feet. Plant it where it has room to branch.
How far apart should I plant it?
Plant them about 12 to 20 feet apart, center to center. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for you.
Does it have spines?
It has very few spines. Most plants are nearly spineless or have very short spines, which is why people use it near patios and bins.
How often should I water it?
Only now and then in summer, and little or none in winter. Let the soil dry fully between waterings. Plants in pots need water more often.
Is it cold hardy?
It is hardy to about 18 to 20°F. On colder nights, cover the stem tips with foam cups or frost cloth.
Does it need full sun?
Yes, full sun suits it best. A newly planted cactus can sunburn its first summer, so give it light shade cloth that first year.
Is it the same as Peruvian apple cactus or hedge cactus?
Yes. Night-blooming cereus, Peruvian apple, hedge cactus and queen of the night all refer to this cactus. It is sold as Cereus peruvianus or Cereus repandus.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. It works in large containers and on large patios. Use a fast-draining mix and a pot with a drainage hole.
Night-blooming cereus for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Night-blooming cereus, also called Peruvian apple cactus, hedge cactus or queen of the night, is a tall, nearly spineless column cactus. It is grown for its size, its one-night white flowers and its edible fruit. Below are the questions Valley homeowners ask most.
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.
Night-blooming cereus flowers in Phoenix
Large white flowers up to 6 inches across open on late spring and summer nights. Each flower lasts one night and is lightly fragrant.
Peruvian apple fruit
The flowers are followed by red fruit about the size of a small apple, with white pulp and crunchy seeds, and the fruit is edible.
How tall night-blooming cereus gets
It slowly branches to 10 to 20 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide. Allow plenty of room when planting.
How far apart to plant night-blooming cereus
Space plants about 12 to 20 feet apart, center to center, since each can spread 15 to 20 feet. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for you.
Watering night-blooming cereus
Water only occasionally in summer and little in winter. Fast-draining, rocky soil keeps the roots healthy.
Frost care for night-blooming cereus
It is hardy to about 18 to 20°F. Cover the stem tips with foam cups or frost cloth on colder nights.
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.