Potted cactus gardens look stunning in contemporary environments and are the easiest plants to keep alive and thriving for even the most green thumb challenged amongst us.

Cacti come from the family cactaceae and have a number of adaptations which help them to survive in dry climates such as vascular systems which store water and nutrients. This handy little adaptation means that it is pretty hard to kill a Cactus. In fact you and your Cactus will bond beautifully if you don't water them too often!

Cacti come from dry or desert environments but can be grown in a wide variety of environments. Cacti are also very cold hardy as they have to deal with the extreme cold of the desert at night. They can also cope with wet climates as long as grown in well drained soil.

Cacti come in a wide variety of shapes, colours and sizes and can do equally well outside or indoors as long as they're in a very light or sunny position. Indoors, position them where they'll get plenty of natural sunlight and be sure to let them dry out completely before giving them another drink. Overwatering is just about the only mistake that will kill them. How easy is that for all you time poor would-be gardeners, who'd like to share your life with a little plantlife.

To make a striking statement try positioning your potted cactus garden as a feature on a central coffee table, dining table or on a console in front of a mirror. Outside, position it on a table or plinth amongst a group of feature pot specimens. A block of sandstone would be perfect.

Sustainable design principles have been the cornerstone of design practice education in Australian universities for architects, designers and landscape architects for a decade and a half, but sustainable design has only become a mainstream concern in the wider community in more recent years.

So what is sustainable design? Bill Lawson in his 1996 book, Building Materials, Energy and the Environment: Towards Ecologically Sustainable Development, quotes a 1990 United nations World Commission report on the environment and development, "(Ecologically) Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Sustainable design principles have been the cornerstone of design practice education in Australian universities for architects, designers and landscape architects for a decade and a half, but sustainable design has only become a mainstream concern in the wider community in more recent years.

So what is sustainable design? Bill Lawson in his 1996 book, Building Materials, Energy and the Environment: Towards Ecologically Sustainable Development, quotes a 1990 United nations World Commission report on the environment and development, "(Ecologically) Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

This definition is certainly not the last word on sustainability, however all definitions share the need for a long term view, and the conservation and preservation of the physical environment is the central concept.

Sustainable design does not have to mean compromised design. Good design is clever design. Innovative, sustainable design practices should meld seamlessly into the overall scheme. Most of the simple choices that make a residential landscape design more sustainable are imperceptible but make an important contribution to the quality of life now and into the future for the occupants and the broader community at large.