This yellow blooming Opuntia engelmannii (Cactus Apple) has been living in a container for over three years. The terra-cotta pot is shallow, with a 12 inch diameter. The plant has filled the space gracefully, growing its limbs over the edge, reaching out for more light and more land, if there were more.

What's nice about cacti in containers is that you can move them about the garden, showcasing them when in bloom, providing more light, etc. They don't take as much water as other potted plants, although they do enjoy a drink after drying out a bit.

This cactus, like most, do respond to the early spring weather. In april, some rain clouds make it over the Sierra ridge top. The desert gets a drink. With the perfect amount of water, the wildflowers and cactus flowers appear in abundance. Our magical desert blooms.