"I sent the guy $17 and in July he finally sent me half the order. I thought, 'He is in Kansas and he does not have enough stock to fill my order.' It was then that I really thought about selling cactus."

Johnson didn't even know the names of many of the plants, so he got a book and identified 10 or 12 varieties. He had enough of those to sell, and he spent $30 each for classified ads in Horticulture magazine and Flower and Garden magazine. He sold $1,000 worth of cactus the next year. "I thought if I spent $120 the next year, I could sell $2,000 worth.

"My biggest break came when an article appeared in a supermarket women's magazine on hardy cactus. I don't know where they got my name, but they listed me as a source," he said. "Then things really started booming."

Johnson now ships to all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico. Interestingly enough, his operation ships more cacti to Wisconsin than any other state. Internationally, he sells in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries.

He gets inquiries from countries throughout the world but usually does not ship to them because of the red tape involved in getting phytosanitary inspections.

But he will gladly offer his advice to customers.

"I always recommend raised beds to provide good drainage. I recommend you mix 50 percent sand and gravel with 50 percent of your existing soil."

He further recommends planting cacti where they will get full sun at least three-fourths of the day on a south or west side. They love the heat and never need to be watered after they are established.

He explains the overwintering process. "Hardy cacti have to dehydrate to survive the cold. They wrinkle up, flop on the ground, turn purple and look like death warmed over. The worse they look, the better they are doing. Then in April, they fill back up and look good again."

For the beginner, he recommends the prickly pear, or Opuntia polycanth. He lists more than 30 varieties in his catalog, and they come in a rainbow of bright colors. They are winter-hardy, easy to grow and come in many sizes.

Another good one is the barrel cactus, or Echinocereus triglochidiatus. These are also known as "Claret Cup" cactus. They have red or orange flowers, and some varieties are native to our area.

Johnson also sells other succulents, including agaves and yuccas. In fact, he has a striking Agave utahensis in his front garden. Like other agaves, they die after they bloom, but the flower stalk on the plant will grow several inches per day. His record was a plant that grew a flower stalk 22 feet tall.

His final advice for those who want to grow cactus is, "Get a pair of kitchen tongs to handle them and a pair of tweezers to remove thorns. You are going to need them both."

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Larry Sagers is the regional horticulturist, Utah State University Extension Service, at Thanksgiving Point.