Introduction

Derrill Pope has been interested in Opuntias (hardy or otherwise) for nearly 30 years since he first saw them in profuse bloom. He encountered fields of blooming O. phaeacantha on family land in Oklahoma. He was hooked, especially when he realized that the plants had potential as home garden plants. They are hardy in cold climates but grow in any climate, and they remind him of the Old West. He still has plants that he grew from cuttings taken that day.

The Details

Over the next years he read Claude Barr’s book, Jewels of the Plains, and John Spain’s book, Growing Winter Hardy Cacti in Cold/Wet Climate Conditions. He grows plants from both men’s huge collections as well as from John Cipra’s collection and that of Molly Bina. Now he has his own large collection of about 300 Opuntia species and hybrids.

He collected some in the wild, obtained some from other growers, and produced some himself by hybridization. The hobby grew into a business. He is a major supplier of cold-hardy Opuntias. His prices are modest because he keeps his overhead low.

Today’s mail-order and internet businesses require excellent photographs to show off the merchandise. Derrill has taken many thousands of photographs of his Opuntia flowers over the years.

His photographs fit the term “eye candy” very well because they are beautiful, luscious, and just plain pretty. Photos of his plants are almost as much in demand as the real plants. Derrill doesn’t have a favorite Opuntia, or even a top 10 list. But, these are some of his best photographs.

Where

You can buy Derrill’s plants by writing to him ([email protected]), at (Flower Mountain Nursery) on FaceBook, or at Etsy (Rainbow Farms). He welcomes all correspondence, even quick “Hellos”.