I love cacti in the garden, especially the hardy ones that look so surprising in the our Michigan landscape. In ground, they are easy – plop them in a well drained, sunny spot, and forget about them. In the nursery, where you have to pot them up and move them around and put them in boxes, I'm decidedly less fond of them... But we grow them. For you. Because we care. The worst offenders are the opuntias, which in addition to spines have tiny little sharp hairs called glochids that you don't feel at first and then slowly work their way into your skin. Duct tape works well for removing them. And in your garden, I recommend handling them with long handled tongs designed for grilling