Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Snow Prickly Pear
Snow Prickly Pear is the white-spined form of the grizzly bear prickly pear. Its pads are covered in long, white, hair-like spines that wave and curl with age, so the plant looks shaggy and snowy. Light yellow flowers open in late spring. It stays low, about 2 to 3 feet tall, takes Phoenix heat and hard cold alike, and grows wild in northern Arizona.
Best for: accent spots in desert-style gardens, rock gardens, large pots and cold high-desert yards. A low native cactus that stands out for its white spines.
Its long white spines, some several inches long, make it an accent cactus in desert-style gardens. It stays low, about 2 to 3 feet tall.
It forms low clumps that suit rock gardens, and it grows in containers too. Use fast-draining, rocky or sandy soil and let it dry between waterings.
It handles Phoenix heat and also takes cold well below 0°F. Bees visit the yellow flowers in late spring.
Soil that stays wet, most of all in winter, rots it. The long spines look soft, but the pads carry glochids, so handle it with gloves and keep it back from paths.
- Tight group3 ft apart
- Plant to plant3-4 ft apart
Wait about a week after planting before the first water, then water every other week while nights stay above 60°F. Once rooted, water once or twice a month in summer. Give no water in winter.
It takes cold well below 0°F. Wet winter soil is what harms it, so do not water from late fall to spring unless rain fails for months.
The long white spines look soft, but the pads carry glochids. Use thick gloves or tongs when planting or trimming.
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 Snow prickly pear?
It is the white-spined form of the Mojave prickly pear, also sold as grizzly bear prickly pear. Its pads are covered in long, white, hair-like spines.
Is it native to Arizona?
Yes. It grows wild in northern Arizona, including the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and across the Mojave and Great Basin deserts.
Are the white spines soft?
They look soft, but the pads also carry glochids, tiny barbed hairs that stick in skin. Handle it with gloves or tongs.
How big does it get?
It stays low, about 2 to 3 feet tall. Over time the clumps can spread wide, up to about 10 feet across.
Can it take Phoenix heat?
Yes. It is tolerant of Phoenix heat and cold and grows in hot, dry desert climates. Give it a spot in full sun.
How cold can it take?
It is extremely cold hardy, rated to well below 0°F. Keep it dry through winter.
How often should I water it?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once rooted, water once or twice a month in summer and give none in winter.
What color are the flowers?
Snow blooms in light yellow in late spring, from about April into June. Other plants of this species can bloom pink to magenta.
Do bees visit the flowers?
Yes. Native bees and other pollinators visit the flowers.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. It grows as a container plant. Use fast-draining cactus soil and keep it dry through winter.
Snow vs Hot Pink Porcupine: which one?
Both are forms of the Mojave prickly pear. Snow is grown for its long white spines and yellow flowers. Hot Pink Porcupine is grown for its hot pink to magenta flowers.
Snow Prickly Pear for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Snow Prickly Pear is a low, white-spined form of the Mojave or grizzly bear prickly pear, native to northern Arizona. People grow it for its shaggy white look. This page covers what to expect in a Valley yard: size, spines, flowers, water, heat and cold.
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.
What is Snow prickly pear?
It is a white-spined form of the Mojave, or grizzly bear, prickly pear. Long hair-like spines cover the pads and give it a shaggy white look.
Is grizzly bear prickly pear native to Arizona?
Yes. It grows wild in northern Arizona, including the Grand Canyon South Rim, and across the Mojave and Great Basin deserts.
How big does Snow prickly pear get?
Plan for about 2 to 3 feet tall. It forms low clumps that can spread up to about 10 feet across over time.
Does grizzly bear cactus grow in Phoenix?
Yes. It is tolerant of Phoenix heat and cold. Plant it in full sun and fast-draining soil, and keep it dry in winter.
How cold hardy is Snow prickly pear?
It is extremely cold hardy and takes cold well below 0°F. Keep the soil dry in winter.
How often do you water Snow prickly pear?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once rooted, water once or twice a month in summer and none in winter.
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