Cactus Dude:

Don't know about las cruces, but if you don't mind stopping off in T or C, then the Exotic Cactus Ranch is THE place to go.

Enchanted

Gardens on Avenida de mesilla is a great one!

Guzmans is ok, they have another new location at old Rowlands site called Color My World. Green Thumb on North Mesquite has some interesting stuff. Enchanted Gardens probably has the best selection of agaves and xerics in town. Gonzales is WAY out on 70 (exit Brahman Road - its on north side of highway) but mostly larger landscaping specimens, like yucca/native cacti.

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm definitely planning on stopping in T or C to visit Buffalo Bill's. I really look forward to exploring Enchanted Gardens in LC. I'd never heard of it before.

cd

Enchanted Gardens in LC is a great place and their new location (Ave de Mesilla) has a better selection and more room than the last one. Jackeye is very helpful, as well, and she can special order, which is a rare trait. Lots of great regional native plants there.

I also like Sierra Vista in La Union, as they have some interesting plants among the usual Lantana-Rhaphiolepis-Fraxinus blahdom.

Buffalo Bill's Exotic Cactus nursery in T or C has some interesting plants, too, though one might say their customer service is "weak", when they are open, that is. With Spring here, though, the last part might not be an issue, but the first issue is "the way it be".

I went to the Enchanted Gardens location on Ave. de Mesilla, which turned out to be right by my motel. It was a pretty nursery with some nice plants, but I must say I was a bit disappointed with their cacti. They had a decent selection, but most of the plants looked sunscorched and/or frost bitten. All in all though, it was a great place, and the people there were friendly and helpful.

cd

FYI:

Plants of the southwest (on 4th north of osuna) is now selling cacti from rio grande cacti (riogrande-cacti.com). They have a good selection of cold hardy cacti that are native to our state. I picked up the white sands monstrous variety of claret cup hedgehog and a mammillaria wrightii.