Orange County Cactus & Succulent Society

When?
Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024
Social time starts at 7:00 pm
Meeting starts at 7:30pm

Location: Anaheim United Methodist Church
1000 State College Blvd
Anaheim, CA

Visitors welcome!

Join us as we welcome Dean Karras, presenting: “The Baja peninsula”

Dean Karras began collecting and growing cacti from seed as a hobby in 2008. He has been a member of the Palomar Cactus & Succulent Society since 2017, and a member of the San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society since 2019, where he now serves as a member of the Board of Directors. When not busy propagating plants, Dean can be found exploring and photographing the Desert Southwest and Baja California, Mexico.

When?
Wednesday, September 25th, 2024
Social time starts at 7:00 pm
Meeting starts at 7:30pm

Location: Anaheim United Methodist Church
1000 State College Blvd
Anaheim, CA

Visitors welcome!

Join us as we welcome Craig Fry, presenting: “Growing Lithops and other difficult plants”

Craig Fry has been growing succulents for over thirty years and with his wife, Denise Fry, they have a small hobby business “C and D Plants”, canddplants.com. Craig has a degree in Biology and still works a full time job as an Industrial Air Pollution Engineer.

In my earlier life, I did years of rock climbing and wrote a series of Bouldering Guide books. And then some years of ski mountaineering and a broken knee made me look for hobbies closer to home. I caught the cactus bug and still love it.

When?
Wednesday, August 28th, 2024
Social time starts at 7:00 pm
Meeting starts at 7:30pm

Location: Anaheim United Methodist Church
1000 State College Blvd
Anaheim, CA

Visitors welcome!

Join us as we welcome Al Klein presenting: Growing Euphorbias

Al’s interest in the natural world started in his childhood. Growing up in Chicago he would make regular visits to Field Museum of Natural History, and read books on the natural sciences. His favorite hobbies were growing exotic plants like cacti, and collecting fossils, minerals, and insects.

After moving to California at the age of 17 he found his passion in plants.  He was amazed at the diversity and beauty of the flora of California.  He was employed by South Shores Nursery in San Clemente California while attending California State Polytechnic University in Pomona.  He received his Bachelor of Science in Ornamental Horticulture with emphasis in landscape design and retail nursery management.

After graduation he was hired by Rodgers Gardens in Corona Del Mar, California. Within a year he was promoted to Nursery Manager.  Soon Al had the opportunity to start a new business.  He was asked to help open a nursery-gift shop in Escondido California, called Canterbury Gardens and Gifts. Soon after he was asked to be a partner in the business. Al recently retired from Canterbury Gardens after 35 years of service. Al is now running his nursery business, Botanic Wonders full time, his true passion!  Botanic Wonders specializes in growing and selling of rare and exotic plants, including cacti, cycads, and rare succulents.

Come visit our club Summer Sale event for 2024.  Come find that must have plant or that perfect pottery you have been looking for. Many options for top dressings will also be available. This is a indoor event with free parking.

There will be no club meeting in July.

When?
Wednesday, June 26th, 2024
Social time starts at 7:00 pm
Meeting starts at 7:30pm

Location: Anaheim United Methodist Church
1000 State College Blvd
Anaheim, CA

Visitors welcome!

Join us as we welcome Ernesto Sandoval presenting: Success with Succulents: Their needs above and below.

What do succulents need to grow well and thrive?  Oxygen to the roots?  Water and how much?  Nutrients and pH… and how about light?  Ernesto will try to explain how all these can and should be managed for healthier happy plants.  In preparation, he encourages you to think about some plant challenges you might be having and to look up where your plants are from!

Jeff Moore will be giving a presentation on his new book on Dudleyas.

When?
April 24th, 2024 Wednesday
Social time starts at 7:00 pm
Meeting starts at 7:30pm

Location: Anaheim United Methodist Church
1000 State College Blvd
Anaheim, CA

Visitors welcome!  Light refreshments will be served.

In the plant world it’s rare to talk about the distinction between “growers” and “collectors,” but there’s a real distinction, and an important interdependence between the two. I consider myself a grower: I produce new plants from seed, and about 95% of my collection is seed grown. I see seedwork as the most essential part of the hobby, because it is through seeds that we get to experience the diversity that exists within a population of plants, and where you discover that each plant is an individual, with unique characteristics. Within cacti, you see variations in spine count, length, and color; tubercle depth, count; flower size and hue, and so on. In succulents like aloe, you can select for spotting, leaf color, and bumps… In fact, every group offers an array of variable traits, and these can be exploited! Selecting for traits within a species is one route to making plants that are more beautiful than those found in nature.

(Read more in our April Newsletter)

Come visit our first Sale event of 2024. Some new vendors will be joining us with new pottery and plants. Come find that must have plant or that perfect pottery you have been looking for. Many options for top dressings will also be available.

There will be no club meeting in March.

When?
February 28th, 2024 Wednesday
Social time starts at 7:00 pm
Meeting starts at 7:30pm

Location: Anaheim United Methodist Church
1000 State College Blvd
Anaheim, CA

Visitors welcome!  Light refreshments will be served.

Steven Hammer has been admiring plant life since he fell in love with a half-hidden scarlet canna at the age of 3. It was passionate and mutual. In 1961, at the age of 10, he moved on to Lithops, Mammillarias and Haworthias; one hopes Miss Canna found more suitable suitors.

In 1978 Steven began to hybridize Conophytums, and for some still-unexplained reason also began writing about succulents instead of composing the Harlequin novels for which he was plainly destined. He’s still at it! In his spare time, he runs the Sphaeroid Institute along with his co-waterer and collaborator Oakes Austin.

Kelly Griffin will be giving a presentation on his recent travels.

An adventure to Namibia…….

My talk will center on my most recent long trip to South Africa and Namibia. In May of this year, I traveled with Tom Knapik and Joey Betzler to Cape Town and then made a giant loop from southern RSA up to the Brandberg in Namibia and then back to Cape Town.  That is a distance of nearly 1000 miles if you drove direct.  We did not do that.  We covered some 4500 kilometers.  Although this is a travel log, I hope to impart some helpful info regarding the cultivation of the plants from these areas.  We also had the opportunity to visit some special people on our way to special plants.  We found some truly magnificent things including Welwitschias, Aloes, Lithops, Pachypodiums and everything in between.  I look forward to sharing this with you all. –Kelly Griffin