Cacti are weird little plants.

And they are one of the most diverse plant categories: Some are spiky. Others are smooth. Some are even hairy. There are fat and squatty cacti. And tall and elegant cacti. Some cacti produce beautiful flowers. 

Plant collectors who love cacti are passionate about all of them, collecting them obsessively, making little cacti skylines on mantles, credenzas, and tables. 

But when does a collection become, well, a mob?

Here’s how to have your cacti and display them in an attractive manner.



Follow Mother Nature’s garden plan
Look at a desert scene. There are large cacti intermingled with small cacti. Follow this model!

Create a natural-looking collection by mixing tall cacti, such as candelabra cacti and fairy castle cactus with short cacti, such as lemonball cactus and little nipple cactus.

When grouping individual cacti, create visual continuity by using pots in earth tones. Terracotta, concrete, and stone pots offer neutral hues that help accentuate the sculptural and textural charms of cacti. 

Group cacti in dishes by watering needs
In a dish or bowl, group cacti by their water needs. Although most people think of cacti as desert plants, some are from less arid areas, such as jungles and forests. It only makes sense that these two different types of cacti have very different water needs. So to have a happy healthy cacti bowl, use one type or the other. 

Discover more about buying and raising cacti.

Written by Karen Weir-Jimerson