Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Yellow Bunny Ears
Yellow Bunny Ears is the classic bunny ears cactus, with small green pads that grow in pairs like rabbit ears and golden-yellow dots all over. It has no long spines. Lemon-yellow flowers open in spring, and small dark red fruit follows in summer. It stays low, about 2 to 3 feet tall, which makes it an easy pick for a sunny pot or a small cactus bed.
Best for: sunny patio pots, small cactus beds, rock gardens and dry strips where a low cactus fits. A small-scale cactus cover once it spreads.
It is one of the most common container cacti. In a pot on a sunny patio it stays small. Use fast-draining soil and let it dry out between waterings.
In the ground it grows about 2 to 3 feet tall and spreads 4 to 5 feet. Its golden dots and paired pads show best in a small cactus or rock garden.
Given room, it spreads into a low cactus cover for a dry, sunny strip. Cut pads off at the joint when it reaches the edge you want.
The golden dots are glochids that come off at a touch and stick in skin, so keep it away from paths, kids and pets. In the ground it can spread wide, and wet soil rots it.
- Tight group4 ft apart
- Plant to plant4-6 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 it needs water only rarely. In a pot, water when the mix is dry. Give it little or no water in winter.
In the ground it can cover a wide area in a few years. Cut pads off at the joint to keep it in bounds, or keep it in a pot.
It is hardy to about 20 to 25°F. Cover it or move pots under cover on freeze nights.
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.
Why is it called bunny ears?
Its small, round pads grow in pairs on top of each other, so they look like rabbit ears. The yellow form has golden dots all over the pads.
Does it have spines?
It has no long spines. The golden dots are glochids, tiny barbed hairs that come off at a touch and stick in skin. They look soft but are not.
How do I get glochids out of my skin?
Tape pressed on and pulled off, or a thin layer of white glue peeled off once dry, lifts most of them. Wear thick gloves and use tongs next time.
How big does it get?
It usually grows about 2 to 3 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet across in the ground. In a pot it stays much smaller.
Can it spread too much in the ground?
Yes, it can. In the ground it can spread over a large area in a few years. Cut pads off at the joint to keep it in bounds, or grow it in a pot.
How cold can it take?
It is hardy to about 20 to 25°F. On a hard freeze night, cover it with frost cloth or a sheet that reaches the ground, not plastic.
How often should I water it?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once rooted it needs water only rarely. Soil that stays wet rots the roots.
Does it need full sun?
Full sun is best, and it takes part shade. A new plant can sunburn in its first summer, so light shade cloth helps that first year.
When does it bloom?
Lemon-yellow flowers, about 1.5 to 2 inches across, open in mid-spring. Dark red fruit follows in summer, and the fruit carries glochids too.
Do bees visit the flowers?
Yes. Bees work prickly pear flowers, and cactus bees feed almost only on prickly pear and cholla.
Yellow, white or cinnamon bunny ears: what is the difference?
They are forms of the same cactus. The yellow form has golden dots, white dot has white ones, and cinnamon dot has reddish-brown ones. Care is the same for all three.
Yellow Bunny Ears for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Yellow Bunny Ears is the most familiar form of bunny ears cactus, a small prickly pear from Mexico with golden dots on paired pads. People grow it in pots and small beds for that look. This page covers what to expect: size, sun, water, cold, flowers, handling and spread.
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 yellow bunny ears cactus?
It is the common form of bunny ears, a small prickly pear from Mexico. Its paired green pads carry golden glochids instead of long spines.
How big does bunny ears cactus get in Arizona?
In the ground, plan for about 2 to 3 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet across. In a pot it stays much smaller.
Is bunny ears cactus soft?
No. The golden dots are glochids, tiny barbed hairs that come off at a touch and stick in skin. Handle it with thick gloves or tongs.
How often do you water bunny ears in Phoenix?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. After that, water only rarely, and little or none in winter.
Does bunny ears cactus spread?
Yes. In the ground it can cover a large area in a few years. Trim pads at the joint to keep it in bounds.
Yellow vs white vs cinnamon bunny ears
All three are forms of the same cactus. Yellow has golden dots, white dot has white ones and cinnamon dot has reddish-brown ones.
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.