Gift that became an obsession — Saguaro

Someone gave me Saguaro as a birthday gift and I barely knew what it was. Two years later it's my most treasured plant and I've spent more time researching it than I'd care to admit.

The key discovery was using pure mineral grit for drainage in the soil mix — once that clicked, the plant transformed. remarkable drought tolerance once established is what gets mentioned every time anyone visits. I keep it in a grouped desert landscape display which works perfectly. complete dormancy in winter with no watering is when I understand why this plant has such devoted followers. spider mites in warm dry indoor conditions is the one ongoing challenge but it's worth the effort.