Opuntia cacanapa Ellisiana Isodon cardoons die to the ground

cardoons die to the ground for a month-long rest before re-sprouting

After the flowers fade

As with most Joe-Pye weeds

but we can now say with confidence that it's a selection of Amsonia orientalis

although it can be divided after growing well for 3-5 years

Opuntia cacanapa Ellisiana Isodon cardoons die to the ground(aka: Opuntia 'Burbank Spineless') Thanks to Scott Ogden and David Ferguson for pointing out a major error the plant we offered as 'Burbank Spineless' is the wrong plant. Burbank's plant is a form of the less hardy Opuntia ficus indica. Our plant is a spineless selection of the US Mexican native Opuntia cacanapa named 'Ellisiana'. For us, this fast growing but compact opuntia makes a 3' tall x 6' wide deer resistant mound (in 5 years) of 6" grey green