Comments regarding Cold Hardy Cactus

Posted on April 15, 2020, updated July 17, 2020
This was a tough choice, but "neutral" seems to be the most accurate rating for my experience with Cold Hardy Cactus. I ordered 6 plants. most of which are common in the trade, for example Coryphantha vivipara and Escobaria missouriensis. I thought the prices, which averaged about ten dollars each were a bit high but figured if the quality was really good, that would make up for it.
Well, beginning with the Opuntia "Peach Pie", I received a shriveled pad which clearly had some former damage that had healed over.. I find Opuntias root slower from shiveled pads like this and would have appreciated it if they had waited until the pad plumped up before they cut it. If the price had been 4 dollars or so, I could live with the quality, but at double that I am not pleased. The other plants were better, but their presentation was terrible. Dirt had come out of EVERY plant that was potted, the root balls were obviously very loose and came apart, and the plants were largely bone dry and desiccated. Will they eventually recover? Probably, but I have received other cold hardy cactus from other nurseries with strong tape over the top of the pot to prevent the contents from coming out. Presentation means a lot to me, and this order looked like it was put together by a nine year old child. To add insult to injury, I paid 14.50 for Priority Mail Postage, yet the box took a full week to get to me!! For some reason, although the box was prepared on a Tuesday, it was held in Denver for three days and finally "released" on a Friday. That meant it had to travel over the weekend which further dried all the plants out. I'm sure Cold Hardy Cactus is going to say they can't control what USPS will do, but Priority Mail is supposed to take 2 or 3 days. Even First Class Mail, which would not be an option here because of the weight generally takes 3-4 days. 7 days for shipment is not acceptable,. Cod Hardy Cactus really should file a claim with their post office in situations like this. The only positive I can think of with this order is that Cold Hardy Cactus does offer small ROOTED plants of some Opuntias that others offer as simply single unrooted pads, such as the Opuntia leptocaulis and Opuntia imbricata in my order. Would I order again? Not until they get this shipping issue fixed and pack their plants more professionally. Too bad, because I do think they have potential. A disappointing experience!

Posted on April 10, 2014, updated April 13, 2014
We ordered from Cold Hardy Cactus for the first time this year. Kelly (after we inquired) said he received our order on March 25 (we contacted him on March 30 because our check had been canceled on March 25 and we had not heard anything). He said it was on the packing table and would be mailed tomorrow (April 2). Then we got another email saying it was mailed on April 4. We received the cactus on Monday (April 7). One was a pile of rot in a little pot. The rest, although they looked good, were no longer in their pots - dirt everywhere. We contacted Kelly the same night we received the order asking about the rotten plant. So far, no response. Definitely not a good first time experience. I do have to say that the plants look healthy and happy but were not quite as large as advertised. Beware of the box - it was FULL of cactus thorns and cactus fuzz.