Over the hedge

One way to make indoor cacti feel right at home

from the April 28, 2008 edition

While visiting a friend in Boston, I was impressed with the magnificent cactus display in the window of her apartment. I wondered how cacti could do so well in the cold Northeast.

She smiled and said, "The important thing is to water the cactus at exactly the right intervals. These plants came from the desert near Tucson, Ariz. When I brought them back to Boston, I immediately subscribed to an Arizona newspaper. And when the paper says it rained in Tucson, that's when I water my cactus plants. As you can see, so far it's worked well."