Introduction
Perhaps it was the Golden Guide on cacti that I used to flip through or the old piece of grey-brown, hole-studded Cholla wood that sat on my grandmother's shelf among her African violets. Whatever it was I have had a fascination with cacti for as long as I can remember. Yet, growing up in central Minnesota greatly limited my exposure to actual cactus plants. Undaunted, however, I kept my passion for cacti fueled one way or another and now look forward to much more discovery through this specific botanical hobby.

Growing Cacti in Minnesota
Here I am around 16 years old behind my cactus garden in Minnesota. (click picture to enlarge) Contrary to many peoples beliefs there are several limited species of cacti that are hardy enough to survive below zero winter weather. Cacti that grow in these conditions release much of the moisture from within their cells and shrivel up in the fall. This keeps the cells from bursting when they freeze. In spring the plants take advantage of spring rains to soak up the moisture needed for growth. Here I was able to grow a few different varieties of Opuntia's, a couple Mammillaria's, and one or two Echinocereus's. Here is another picture of my Minnesota garden:
(click to enlarge)

Growing Cacti in California
Now living in Southern California, I am free to grow any species of cacti I choose without fear of freezing. (see Places/My Garden) If I could have my way I'd be growing one of every species of cacti that exists. And although I now have the climate to support any species, I do not have the 200 acres I grew up with at my disposal. In fact, I am limited to about 70 to 80 square feet. Thanks to modern technology, however, this does not mean the end. I found I could find new species of cacti and "collect" them with a digital camera and then "plant" them on my web site instead.

Building CactiGuide.com
Once I had the basic architecture of CactiGuide.com built, the next step was to gather content. I started taking pictures of plants that grew wild around Southern California and those that I had growing in my back yard. I then visited local cactus nurseries and local botanical gardens that I knew had cactus collections. I recently visited the Desert Botanical Garden in Arizona and the Southern Arizona cactus-filled parks: Saguaro and Organ Pipe Cactus. I am currently plotting future trips I hope to take down into Mexico, then Central America, and ultimately the countries of South America. Unfortunately, I am not a man of unlimited means so these lofty goals of mine won't be realized for years. Hence, CactiGuide.com will continue to be a work-in-progress long into the future. Or at least as long as people continue to use the Internet the way they do today.

-Daiv Freeman