The potato cactus is a small prickly pear relative that forms low, spreading clusters of plump, rounded pads looking remarkably like little potatoes, mostly spineless or nearly so. In winter the pads can blush purple, and unlike most cactus it is genuinely cold-hardy, native to the western United States.

Grow it in full sun in a fast-draining cactus mix or a gritty rock-garden pocket, and water sparingly, letting the soil dry completely between drinks. That hardiness means it can live outside year round here in a raised, dry spot, or simply stay in a sunny windowsill pot.