A cactus is a perennial, succulent plant that has evolved with distinctive physical characteristics that allow it to thrive in arid and semi-arid conditions, such as the beautiful desert city of Palm Springs.

Follow these instructions from expert Francisca Coehlo of the New York Botanical Garden to make your own contemporary cactus garden. Be sure to handle the cacti very carefully, using special gloves and spring-loaded thongs with ends wrapped in duct tape. If you do get pricked, use tweezers to get the spines out of your skin.

Tabletop Cactus Garden How-To
1. Select a container to plant the cacti into: The container should be shallow with drainage holes; terracotta or porous material is best. Cover drainage hole with a pottery shard or a small piece of landscape fabric.

2. Use a growing medium specific for cacti, or you can make your own. To make your own, mix together 2 parts potting soil, 1 part sand, and 1 part perlite. Fill your container with a shallow layer of this soil mixture.

3. Arrange cacti in the container. Fill container with the soil mixture, firming it down around the roots of the cacti. Surface mulch with a thin layer of fine gravel or stones, and lightly water.

Tip: Cacti need water when they are actively growing. Watering should begin after their period of dormancy, when new growth begins to show due to higher light levels and warmer temperatures -- this is usually around late February to early March. Watering should be slight at first then more regular through the spring and early summer months. As growth progresses, watering should be about once a week for small plants and once every two weeks to a month for medium and larger plants. In mid to late summer, when growth begins to slow down due to higher temperatures, watering should be lessened to about every eight to 10 days for small plants and longer for larger ones.

Proper light, temperature, humidity, and air circulation are necessary for optimum cacti growth. Cacti will thrive in warm temperatures of 65 degree nights and up to 90 degree days with good air circulation. They need very bright light -- a south-facing window in a home will suffice for some species. For optimum growth, humidity should be 25 to 40 percent.