They might have a chance if you keep them dry (and I mean DRY) in the winter. One wet period and they turn to mush when it warms up. Been there.

Thank you for the quick reply. This past winter we did have two winter storms that had windy conditions. So my balcony did recieve maybe 1 cm of snow. Would that be a problem? I doubt when that snow melts it would pecolate deep enough to hit the roots. So during winter the most snow or water they will get is 2 to 3 cm.

At least Escobaria vivipara grows up here, AFAIK, on the Alberta plains (it's probably in lower BC, too). As Pete elucidates, this cactus's protection is snow (it's used to being buried), and if it has that it will be fine come spring (and snow melt).

This post was edited by cactusmcharris on Fri, Mar 28, 14 at 18:46

Vivipara is a tough little booger. I don't often protect it other that it's first year. The echino is tough too, but out of three, I only have one left.

I'm in West Virginia in the mountains. Prior to this year mine only got down to -9. This winter though we had negative temp way towards -20 and horrible winds to go with them.
You may also want to try some of the echino triglo... Torch cacti... Can't remember the spelling right now. Out if five plants, I've only lost one.

There are lots of opuntias that you could grow too.

I love trying out hardy cacti and succulents. I did,have a beautiful collection of agave truncata, which isn't as hardy as the others, and I grew them for five or six years. Unfortunately after this nasty winter, I think I've lost all but two.

Truly though, dryness is key

Good luck,
Chris

Hi Chris, thank you for the reply. Wetness, happily, is not my problem since its in a balcony. I think Im confident enough to try them out, I think I will be ordering them soon. Id love to buy more cacti hardy to zone 5 but the availability is the problem.

I've had Echinocereus reichenbachii and Escobaria vivipara (as well as other species) growing outdoors in my rock gardens in NW Wyoming for fifteen years with minimal losses. This is USDA Zone 4 with winter lows down to about -20 ~ -25F.

Amazing! Thats what I wanted to hear. I think now Im 100% sure that I will be getting them. Just need succulent soil.

Edit: if I post the link to the nursery Im buying from, could someone look at it and tell me which cacti could survive zone 5? Perhaps a private message?

Thanks all for the replies, it really helped.

This post was edited by NameTaken on Wed, Apr 2, 14 at 15:23

I'll just list a few more that I've had success with here:

Pediocactus simpsonii
Sclerocactus parviflorus
Echinocereus triglochidiatus
Echinocereus viridiflorus
Opuntia polyacantha
Opuntia fragilis
Cylindropuntia imbricata
Escobaria missiouriensis

Some of these are wide-ranging species. Given a choice, I've selected clones from northern regions, for example C. imbricata sourced from Colorado, to grow here.

Thanks for the list, most look similar to what I will be getting. I want to add different looks. The cholla looks interesting but it grows a little too weird. Im in love with Escobaria leei (spelled in too many ways) but I just cant find it on sale anywhere online.

Hey Cowboy et al, thanks for your input.

After seeing your recent posts & admiring your pics, I too was wondering which cactus might do well outdoors in z4.

Other than Opuntia sp. I did not realize there were other choices that would do well in this cooler temperate zone.

Hopefully I will have some success in locating some of your winners.

Thanks,
Dan

I found Escobaria leei at Riogrande cactus. They had it last year at the international cactus convention.They have been traveling and now they are traveling around to C&S shows. I saw that they had their site closed down till their traveling stops. I will be seeing them this Saturday at a C&S show in Austin. I am hoping that they bring their Escobaria sulcata.

Also consider size. Many Opuntias will grow into large sprawling plants. My Cylindropuntia imbricata specimens grow quite large, up to about 5' high and 8' wide. They're also pretty wicked plants, not good if there are careless or inattentive children & pets around and not good for placing near walkways.

wantonamara, I finally found someone who will be selling them soon. So Im happy and will wait. They also have the plants I mentioned in the first post, so I will be ordering from him. He has other plants as well.

cowboy, Im also thinking of ordering Cylindropuntia imbricata, only because its a fast grower. These plants will be in my balcony year round. The reason I want a fast grower is because they are quick to show signs of stress. So if Im doing something wrong, I will know rather than 3 months in. Im also looking round the net to find more zone 5 plants. The list you mentioned is good but I find majority of them to be too similar looking. I might get a prickly pear too, but they dont appeal much to me.

These people list things by zone and I find that helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Intermountain cactus