Just because you do not live in Arizona or another region where cactus grows wild does not mean you cannot enjoy your own special cactus garden, no matter where you live!  Although you could plan a cactus garden just about anywhere, if you have a hilly area, this would be ideal in that water would run off and drain better.  However, you can use a flat surface although you will need to go through a little bit of preparation.

When designing a cactus garden, there are no real rules to follow.  For example, you can choose whatever shape you like, oval, circle, rectangle, diamond, square, or even triangle, and it will look great.  The key is to use your creativity and not be nervous about trying something new and fun.

If you have a hill or slope in your yard, then you would begin at the upper portion of the garden and remove several inches of the dirt over the entire area.  The goal is to eliminate any grass and weeds so that cactus will be able to grow freely without competing for space.  Keep in mind that you want to get the ground as even as you can but it does not need to be perfect, just as long as lumps of dirt are removed.  The reason for this is to improve drainage in that too much water can cause cactus to rot.

If your yard is already flat, start by choosing the location of your cactus garden and then measuring off the shape that you want to use.  Next, you will need to dig out the border between six and 12 inches.  With a strip of plastic, measure the same length of the border, which will be used to help cut back on the growth of weeds.

Once you have finished with the digging, you will need to add soil that is specifically made for cactus.  This type of soil can be purchased at most nurseries or gardening centers of if you want, you can make your own by mixing two parts of potting soil with two parts of sand, and one part of gravel.

Next, you will lay the plastic strips along your border and then place rocks or river rock on top.  Then add about four inches of your special soil to the prepared garden area.  Now, you can add your cactus, arranging them in the pattern chosen.  To enhance the garden, larger rocks and stones can be placed throughout, giving the cactus garden a natural look.  Although cactus gardens are more expensive than other garden types, cactus enthusiasts will tell you this type of garden is worth the money and effort.

A cactus garden has many benefits, one being that it requires very little maintenance.  Unlike a regular garden that must be watered several times a week, sprayed for bugs and fungus, fertilized, and so on, with a cactus garden, generally the natural amount of rainfall is sufficient.  However, if you live in an area with a drought, then you should provide water about once every two weeks, making sure you do not soak the cactus.  Then in the springtime, you would fertilize just once with a 10-10-10 combination and enjoy.