Cactus Garden

The Cactus Garden and its greenhouse are tucked away at the end of the parking lot by the Japanese Garden. In 1935, the original Cactus Garden was established at Rock Springs Park. The Cactus Garden was recreated in 1995 in cooperation with the Fort Worth Cactus and Succulent Society (FWCSS) to bring cactus from different Texas counties to Fort Worth with the specimens being selected and planted by the FWCSS. Their recent concentration has been on cactus that will grow in north central Texas.

The Garden has an extensive collection of Texas native cacti and succulents, including some species native to both North and South America. The Texas native cacti include claret cup, Echinocereus coccinues; Lace hedgehog cactus, Echinocereus reichenbachii; and golden barrel cactus, Echinocactus grusonii.

The succulent family is represented by several agaves including the New Mexico century plant, Agave neomexicana, and artichoke agave, Agave parryi var. trunca. There is also a Thompson’s yucca, Yucca thompsoniana, and a large ocotillo, Fouquieria splendens, standing near the entrance to the Garden.

A special soil mixture was developed to provide adequate drainage in the beds; it consists of crushed brick, carpenter’s sand, and decomposed granite, among other things.

Along with the in-ground plantings, there is a greenhouse that houses a large collection of rare and nearly extinct cacti.

This garden and its greenhouse are a labor of love for the FWCSS. Its members dig up the cold-sensitive specimens and store them through the winter in the garden’s greenhouse, then replant them in the spring.

Since 2015 the FWCCS has been working toward a complete renovation of the Cactus Garden.