If you are looking for an easy hobby, then perhaps indoor gardening, or balcony gardening, or window gardening should be your choice. You might have thought about this some time ago, and here you are trying to think of the first plant you should buy. My first 'pet plant' was a cactus. It started me off on the journey of getting to know succulents, and I have never looked back.

All cacti are succulents (but not all succulents are cacti, okay?).

They come from locations where water is not terribly plentiful, so they have evolved ways of conserving water, and ways to protect themselves from creatures looking for water. That's why cacti have spikes - so animals won't eat them for their water.

Cacti are resilient - which means they can get themselves through some pretty rough scenes like droughts (lack of water), excessive heat and yeah... neglect.

Next time you look at a cactus, do so with some awe and respect. They are some tough plants. And if the going gets good, they get really showy and do amazing stuff like produce flowers.

You could be happy with just one cactus plant, or you could be like me and have more than a hundred different ones. Or anything in between. Six is a nice number.

Not all cacti are the same - there are several species that come from different locations and situations, so they like different treatment. But even blanket treatment of all your plants won't worry them too much. Treat them all the same and you might just get results.

Cacti have household names and botanical names - that's plain and fancy. The plain ones are easy to remember and the others are not unless you become an expert. If you really get to like this you might just become that. There are even cactus clubs. I belonged to one once and made all the old guys mad by winning a competition the first time I turned up with my one plant.

Some cacti are called:

Barrel cactus

Peanut cactus

Rat tail cactus

Easter cactus

Stinky cactus

Old man cactus

And the botanical names for them are hard to say and spell. Watch this space for more and if you are still interested, you might just find some.

Some myths:

Cacti can do without water (mm - but not for too long)

Cacti flower in spite of everything (mm - not everything)

Cacti die without the sun (not really, but they get pretty grumpy)

Cacti are poisonous (mm - not all, but it helps to know which ones you can't eat)

Cacti are soft inside, like zucchini (only when they are young)

What you should do to start is get a small cactus from a garden centre. Choose one with a shape and colour you like. Don't get one that's flowering - they won't keep that up because they won't have to impress you any more at home.

Put it on a sunny windowsill or on a balcony where it can get plenty of BRIGHT light. Plan to water it about once a week. It will need between a tablespoon and half a cup of water a week, depending on its size. (Really big ones need more.) Plan to feed it every eight weeks or so. Cacti like liquid tomato fertiliser that contains potassium. Tiny amounts mixed with water of course.

You really should turn the pot a little every week or so, so they get light on all sides in about a month.

Cacti grow really slowly but they do grow. You have to watch them and catch them when they do. 'Aha! You grew.'

Cacti fruit after they flower. Some of the fruits are edible. It's handy to know which ones are not.

Cacti grow better if they have other cacti around. Crowd the pots together a bit and they like it.

They like to grow in sandy earth with a few lumps and rocks in it, so the water runs through it after a while and doesn't stick around their roots too long. This is called good drainage. They hate to hang around in a pot with a saucer that's got water in it all the time. Let the water dry up before you water it again, and letting a day go by won't hurt.

If a cactus starts growing long and lanky and light green too quickly, it's getting too much water and too little light.

If a cactus grows really slowly and flowers after a while, it likes you because you've done all the right things.