Over time, this has decimated the populations of many cactus species in their native habitats. It is of utmost importance to purchase plants form reputable nurseries that propagate the cacti they sell and do not re-sell wild collected plants. Nursery propagated plants will transplant readily with few loses. On the other hand most wild collected cacti struggle and die when removed from their homes. Another advantage of buying nursery-propagated plants is that quite often the plants come with information concerning their origins.
Many species have tremendous variability throughout their range.
These differences include variations in stem size, spination, and even flower color. This is of particular interest to gardeners who enjoy building a collection of the various cactus species. Collection data also gives valuable information regarding cold hardiness. Many species exhibit increased cold hardiness within their range, particularly when it is found in more northerly, high elevation locations. Designing gardens to include the use of cold hardy cacti opens the door to a new way of thinking about this family of stunning native plants.