I have started "colonizing" a vacant area between some my yard and other buildings with cacti, succulents, and other xerophytes. (I hope the UN won't call it illegal expansion and demand I uproot them
) It is mostly my overflow plants, some experiments and so far in the cacti aspect just some Echinopsis and a Myrtillocactus geometrizans (I think)which is an attempt to fulfull my dream of tasting garambullos. My area of Jerusalem is the equivilent of USDA zone 9, dry summer rainy winter (like Southern California). The thing is, I am worried about hail. We usually get one or 2 hailstorms a year and I don't want nice plants to get pocked and scarred. The hailstones are usually not bigger than 1/4 inch, but the sure can shred leaves.
Are there any cacti you can recommend that won't really mind the hail? Would a Cleistocactus or Oreoceereus take it without getting disfigured? Cholla would probably do fine, but I am a bit nervous about Opuntias because there is a school nearby - glochids and kids don't go together too well. (as an aside, I found out that all the holes in my Opuntia pads were not from hail but rather from a BB gun - hopefully that threat is now gone.)
Shmuel
Anyway, any recommendation of cacti that don't care about hail would be appreciated.
