The better cactus & succulent shops are south of Albuquerque in Behlen and Socorro. Mesa Gardens is only a mail order unless you are a very good customer. I am not sure about Rio Grand Cactus. They travel to shows a lot. High County Gardens was a really good store for cold hardy cactus in SF but they closed their doors unfortunately. They sold the business and the new owner still have a green house Northwest of Alburquerqui in Bernalillo (sp?)but they are only a mail order now , I think. I think they have lessened their cactus in their inventory.. They are spread all over the country now that they have been swallowed by American Meadows. I ordered plants and called for directions and was talking to a girl in Vermont about planting New Mexican wildflowers. Strange world we live in.

Albuquerque is out of the way for us on the way home, so we'll miss those. I couldn't figure out High Country - thanks for the explanation. I'll try Rio Grande, and there were a few local nurseries that might have some interesting things. Walking around - tons of agave and yucca. Tons!

Are you driving through San Antonio area on I 10 to get to Florida?? If so, there is Paul's Desert in Shertz Texas. It is not far off the highway.

Hmmm. That's not how we were going to go, but we could!

Pauls Desert in Shertz is in Zone 9a so it would be a good match for where you live. I drive back from New Mexico a lot. Mostly I collect plants seeds and cuttings from the road side. I have gotten some opuntia pads, agave seeds, but mostly I collect wildflower seeds and cuttings from daleas and other shrubs on the outside chance that they root. I cut down Southeast through Clovis from Santa Fe for the quicker return trip. The roads are small , NO TRUCKS but very straight and well graded and uncrowded. I have never seen as many trucks as on 40.!!. I Hate trucks on the interstates and try to minimize that by driving secondary roads if their are good ones to do and in NM and Texas there are. I easily do 75-80 on the roads through the grasslands. I go different routes at different times. Going out I take my time and snake through Riudosa Or Cloudcroft. The grasslands east of there are great seed collecting for me. To get northwest from Austin , the secondary roads are the best and cut the corners of the big interstates.

If you do find yourself in Austin, the good cactus place is East Austin Succulents on Tillery street. They get a lot of my money. Great agaves, good large specimens. good small succulents, good echeverias, cactus and even some caudiciforms. If you are doing I 10 then, Houston has good cactus places. I have heard mention of Cactus King, but their reviews are not that good , mostly service issues but some said that specimens were not always well cared for. The people I talk to say they are great. Living where you live, I would be looking for more heat and rain tolerant cactus.A lot of the cold hardy western cactus are very allergic to humidity and need the cool down of winter for mysterious reasons, but ones from further south have more of a tolerance for it due to the gulf and tropical systems going into the desert. I have a hard time growing the opuntias from Utah and northern New Mexico but the ones from Southern new Mexican and Texas grassland are more tolerant of rain events. I love the visiting and oogling of the plants up north but it is the southern plants that thrive better on my land. I was always amazed at the difference in the selections of Bob Smolney's collection in Florida . For you, Opuntia leocotricha would be better match. I look more to northeastern Mexico for plant selections. Their agaves are more resilient to moisture and cold combined then the agaves of the west.

Now I am getting off topic... I am re routing you and have you going all over God's creation. When the travel agent comes out in me so easily it means that my car trip is not far in the offing. I am thinking Big Bend area but it needs to cool down a bit.

good points on finding more localized varieties. I have a roadtrip planned to Florida Cactus when I get back - they'll have probably more than I can handle. :) I'll spend time tonight looking at the map for my route home!!! Thanks for the tips!!!!

Stopped at Agua Fria Nursery in Santa Fe, small but wonderful varieties of cactus - many cold-hardy varieties, and very reasonable prices. Even some of the rarer tropicals too. Nice place!

Also stopped at Jackalope and Camino Real imports for pots. Scored a few fun pieces that will make (hopefully) gorgeous containers for my babies.