A big thank you to all those readers who took part in last month’s survey, Are BCSS Branches in Danger of Extinction? The results are complicated, fascinating and helpful. Please bear with me for a couple of short paragraphs while I quote a few statistics from the survey results.
About half of respondents said they attended Branch meetings regularly. Of the remaining half, about half declared that they either lived too far away from the meeting place or that the day of the week was not convenient. The remainder said they would take advantage of the opportunity to explain better at the end of the survey. And Branch meetings are spread relatively evenly throughout the days of the week, except Sunday.
When they attend meetings about 80% of respondents are looking to buy plants, meet fellow growers and listen to talks. Workshops, plant swaps and visits to other members’ collections are fairly popular (about half of the respondents), whereas plant competitions secured only a quarter of votes. But check this out: four out of five respondents said they would participate in Branch outings to gardens, C&S nurseries, marts, National Shows, etc, if offered.
Essentially, we conclude that BCSS Branches are not going to join dinosaurs and dodos in the graveyard of planet Earth. But Branches do need to accept that we are definitely in the twenty-first century and their activities need to incorporate social media and take account of the hustle and bustle of modern-day life. More about this next month. I’m also going to save the fun part for next month. By ‘fun part’ I mean the voluminous comments and suggestions made by respondents. Many wrote a small book and their anonymous and thoughtful ideas will be useful to Branches.
For this month (April), the BCSS AGM takes centre stage. If you would like to meet the Society’s officers and make your views heard, this event is a must. You will also have the opportunity to buy plants and accessories, listen to talks by experts and meet other enthusiasts. The eNews team will be there, too. You’ll find more details later in this copy of eNews, in the current issue of CactusWorld and on the Society’s website, www.bcss.org.uk
At this time of year, it remains only for me to wish you Good Growing! And may the sun be with you and your plants!
Our talks take place on the second Tuesday of each month, and we hope that you will be able to join us. BCSS members and friends are all welcome. The BCSS Talks Team is committed to delivering an excellent series of talks in 2024. Indeed, we have several wonderful speakers booked. Please remember that the talks are UK time and that the clocks changed to British Summer Time at the end of March.
Please contact the talks team at bcss.talk@gmail.com if you have any suggestions or ideas for talks or speakers, or indeed would like to give a presentation yourself.
April Talk Topic: Rebutia Then and Now with Ralph Martin
We are delighted to be able to bring you a talk by Ralph Martin on one of the most popular groups of plants. Many of us consider the developing flower buds on these plants to be the first sign of spring. Even before the days start to lengthen, these plants are preparing to provide a fantastic show of flowers. They should be in every collection and are probably one of the best ambassadors of our wonderful hobby.
Ralph Martin is currently the Chairman of the BCSS Research Committee, having retired a few years ago as a Professor at Cardiff University. He has been growing cacti and succulents since he acquired a Rebutiaminuscula at a school fete; he also has a treasured copy of the Observer's Book of Cacti which he won as a primary school prize. Despite growing many other genera, Rebutia and Aylostera remain among his favourites. He is well known for his Field Number Database hosted by the BCSS at https://www.fieldnos.bcss.org.uk/fieldno.html and has spare seedlings and cuttings for swap and sale at https://www.rrm.me.uk/Cacti/forsale.php
This talk considers plants that for a long time were believed to be Rebutias, but some of which are now known to be genetically quite distinct and are placed in the genus Aylostera. As well as explaining the historical background and reason for the change, the talk will show from where they come. They are rewarding and easy to grow, being readily propagated from seed and offshoots, with many showy flowers readily produced in late spring from a young age. Ralph’s talk embraces both the beauty of these plants and the practicalities of growing them. Be sure not to miss it!
Early birds ticket buyers will be entered into a raffle for an exciting prize!
Details to come…
Non-members and Members are all welcome to come along! Note that you need to log in to the website in order to buy tickets. If you have not registered before, please register first, then log in (everyone can register; you don’t have to be a BCSS Member).
Sellers*, both professional and amateur, please fill out the Seller Application and email the Shows Chairman as soon as possible to book your tables: ShowsChairman@bcss.org.uk
*More info about selling at the National Plant Fair available in the Seller Application form below.
21-22 September 2024 at the Hilton Hotel, Leicester
We are taking bookings now! This is such a fun and social event, so why not come along and see what it is all about? The booking form is now available and you can download it here
To date, we can announce the confirmed speakers:
Ray Stephenson, How to identify that cactus
George Thomson, Kedrostis and Adenia Groups
Ian Armstrong, Haworthias − a Judge’s perspective.
The survey that was distributed via email to all members by the Shows Committee to determine why the Showing and Judging Weekend was not supported as well as we would like received an extremely good response. The Committee suspected that the cost of the event was a major, perhaps the major reason for the drop in attendance. From the responses, it was clear that this is not the case. The main reason indicated by a large majority is that many members are simply not interested in judging and/or showing. In terms of judging, many feel they do not have the skills or knowledge. Another main reason appears to be that members believe the location of the event is too far away. Our ageing membership is a problem and many of the ‘regulars’ no longer are interested in judging and the weekend’s activities. While the event must focus on showing and judging, there has been an attempt to widen the scope of its content to make it more attractive to those who are not primarily interested in showing or judging. All this has made us ask the important question – do we need competitive shows and the judges who support them? The Committee believes events of that sort are important to maintain a high profile of the Society and that the competitive element is important, encouraging exhibitors to show their plants to look as good as possible. This means we need a Showing and Judging Weekend to retain and enhance our pool of qualified judges. We hope the survey will have sparked some interest in the weekend and that members will consider supporting it.
Are you intending to have a Branch show this year?
If so, remember it's a way of advertising the Society and what you do locally - our window to the world of succulent plants. Remember to order your BCSS stationery well in advance. ALL prize cards are now FREE and stationery can be collected at the BCSS AGM to save the Branch paying postage costs.
Please send all orders to Bill Darbon at showschairman@bcss.org.uk
Remember that we encourage newly qualified or less experienced judges to gain experience by accompanying a more experienced judge when they judge a show. Judges who are qualified only in cacti or only in other succulents may not have many opportunities to judge because most shows require both cactus and other succulents judges. By accompanying a more experienced judge with both qualifications, they can gain judging experience. The judge the Branch chooses may therefore invite a less experienced or newly qualified judge to join them. The Branch pays the expenses of the more experienced judge of their choice, but the Society pays the expenses of the less experienced judge where this is the case.
FUTURE OF SHOWS AND NATIONAL EVENTS
It is imperative that the committee starts training the next generation of committee members to enable them to:
Organise Showing & Judging Weekends,
Organise National Shows and National Plant Sales,
Set up tests for potentially new judges,
Support local shows,
And, above all, ensure the continuation of the progress made by the committee over many decades.
If you think you have the ability to judge a show, please attend. If you think you have skills in modern communications, please consider being part of the committee.
Ray Stephenson for the Shows Committee
Wythenshawe Park
Wythenshawe Park is a large urban park in South Manchester that surrounds the Tudor mansion, Wythenshawe Hall. The Horticultural Centre is next to the main car park and is open from 12.00pm until 4.00pm Wednesdays to Sundays.
Fig. 1 A varied selection of cacti and other succulents
Run by the local charity ‘Blossom’, there are various displays and activities, but of special interest to BCSS members will be the area at the far (western) end of the long, glazed corridor and connected glasshouse.
Fig. 2 Aloe arborescens in flower in February
These contain a varied collection of cacti and succulents, some of which are from, or propagations of, the Darrah collection gifted to the people of Manchester in 1903, and formerly housed at Alexandra Park. At one time it was cared for by Harry Hall until his move to Kirstenbosch in the late 1940s. The plants include well-established cereoids, some of which have needed recent ‘topping’, large (perhaps too large?) opuntias which flower and fruit profusely, agaves, aloes, euphorbias, cleistocacti, mammillarias and other globular cacti.
Fig. 3 Mainly Adromischus
During the Covid lockdown periods, very little work or even access was possible, though few losses were experienced. As you would expect, the weeds loved it. It was a lot of work to clear these, especially the oxalis. Local BCSS members remember this as a long-term problem, but it is now under reasonable control.
Fig. 4 Gasteria disticha
Weed removal and pruning of basal plant growth has given space to establish smaller plants such as gasterias, parodias, mammillarias etc. A very recent feature is the making of small beds between the new paving and the main beds along the long corridor. These are developing week by week this spring to display smaller succulents like aloes and adromischus. Before the new paving was put in, small plants at the front were at risk of a coating of gravel dust in dry weather. New labelling is in progress, but signage and information boards are having to wait for time and money.
Fig. 5 Another new planting with opuntias and old cereoids behind
There have been recent donations of plants, large and small, from BCSS members and the general public. With extra volunteer help, the collection has come a long way in the past year. Come and see us - and introduce yourself.
Access to Wythenshawe Park is from local roads close to where the M56 and M60 meet the A5103 (Princess Parkway) and A560 (Altrincham Road) - but consult your map! Look out for the brown signs for Wythenshawe Park and Hall.
More information about the project can be obtained from John Leaning john@blossom-mcr.co.uk
Wickerworks: the genus Rhipsalis Part 2
Text and photos by Tony Holder
Last month, I concluded by noting that the ‘classical’ Rhipsalis morphology is of often-branching pendant cylindrical stems. But other species have flattened leaf-like stems that may be broad (for example, Rhipsalis pachyptera and R. elliptica) [Figs. 8 and 9] or narrow (for example, R. wercklei (syn. R. micrantha)) [Fig. 10].
Fig. 8 Rhipsalis pachyptera. This plant has broad leaf-like stems. Flower buds (usually up to three) form at the peripheral areoles, followed by prolific flowers of about 10mm diameter
Fig. 9 Rhipsalis elliptica. The long pendant leaf-like stems bear white flowers at the areoles on the perimeter of the stems
Fig. 10 Rhipsalis wercklei (syn. R. micrantha). The long pendant leaf-like stems are narrow, and fertilized flowers develop into white mistletoe-like berries around the stem
Fig. 11 Rhipsalis ewaldiana. The short dense branches are angular in form
The species with a ridged or angled stem morphology include Rhipsalis ewaldiana, R. paradoxa, and R. dissimilis [Figs. 11 to 13].
Fig. 12 Rhipsalis paradoxa. Ridges in alternate directions run along the long branches
Fig. 13 Rhipsalis dissimilis. The branches are angular and relatively thin, with occasional 15mm diameter flowers of white tinged with pink
For cultivation, people have their own choices for how to grow these plants and it would be impossible to list all the conditions here. However, what works for me, starting from a cutting, is growth in a substrate that I use for all my epiphytic cacti, comprised of three parts by volume ericaceous compost, one part orchid compost and one part perlite. This mix has a light and open structure and, unlike that used for most cacti or succulents, contains no sand or grit.
Since most Rhipsalis species are pendant they are best grown in a hanging pot that allows them to cascade downwards. Cuttings may be taken either with a knife or scissors or by lightly twisting a segment from the mother plant. If using a blade or scissors the implement should be sterilised first, for example briefly in a flame or by wiping with a disinfectant or alcohol (e.g. hand sanitiser), to minimise the possibility of transferring pathogens to the plant. The cutting should also be examined carefully to ensure that there are no surface pests such as mealy bugs, which can also be killed by wiping or spraying with alcohol (ethanol) or rubbing alcohol (isopropanol). Cuttings can be encouraged to make roots, for example by the use of rooting hormone, putting them in a sealed plastic bag with a little bit of water, or placing them directly into the compost.
Water should be given regularly when the soil surface is dry to the touch, but pots should never be left to stand in water. These plants generally like a bright but quite shady position with little direct exposure to sunlight, and in too much sun some species will turn reddish as the plant seeks to protect itself. I try to restrict the temperature to below 30°C in the summer and above 12°C in the winter. At lower temperatures in the winter, particularly if the plant has been overwatered, it can be quite susceptible to rot. Although one might expect that high humidity would be beneficial, this does not seem to be so important. As a rule, I find that plants grown from a cutting will not flower until three to four years later, but the wait is well worth it.
Fig. 1 Ferocactus viridescens subsp. viridescens in bud in late March
Ferocactus viridescens in its forms
Text and photos by Ian Woolnough
Ferocactus viridescens is one of the smaller growing Ferocacti well worth a place in any collection. Depending on who you follow, there are either two or three subspecies. Generally, F. orcuttii, a plant growing inland in the far North of the Mexican Baja peninsula, is regarded as synonymous with F. viridescens subsp. viridescens (Figs. 1 and 2). Whatever they may be called, they will never demand too much space in your greenhouse and will flower readily when quite small. The flower colour, which varies from yellowy green to green, contrasts the reds and purples of many of the other Ferocactus species.
Fig. 2 A young Ferocactus viridescens subsp. viridescens showing red spines on new growth
F. viridescens subsp. viridescens is the more northerly growing of the two. It can be found in southern California growing on low grassy hills near the coast (Fig. 3) down into northern Baja as far as the San Quintin area where I have seen it growing on the rocky cliffs beside the sea. This subspecies inhabits lower altitudes, has fewer ribs and is less spiny than the other subspecies, Ferocactusviridescens subsp. littoralis. To me, they also seemed flatter to the ground.
Fig. 3 Areas such as the foreground in this shot in Southern California near San Diego are the habitat of F. viridescens subsp. viridescens
F. viridescens subsp. littoralis is rarely seen on the market (in the form of either plant or seed) compared to subsp. viridescens. Subsp. littoralis is typically larger with more ribs and central spines as well as a denser overall spiny appearance. It is confined to northern Baja, not reaching the USA. I was fortunate enough to see plants in January 2023 growing East of La Providencia. Here at higher elevations, the plants were more out in the open (Fig. 4) although many were also under bushes.
Fig. 4 The open habitat of F. viridescens subsp. littoralis is at higher elevations inland
Again, plants were quite variable in their appearance, perhaps accentuated as it was raining whilst I was there, with new spines again red and older ones that had faded to white or ivory in colour (Fig. 5).
Fig. 5 Ferocactus subsp. viridescens becoming more columnar with age and with spines that had faded to ivory
Plants also tended to become more columnar with age. The oldest plant I found was a venerable specimen of subsp. littoralis (Fig. 6). Both this and the plant in Fig. 7 exhibit a much higher rib count compared to subsp. viridescens.
Fig. 6 This old F. viridescens subsp. littoralis had a very spiny appearance and was about 25cm tall
Fig. 7 A mature F. viridescens subsp. littoralis showing the much higher rib count
A younger plant of subsp. littoralis is shown in Fig. 8, sandwiched between a dead plant (left) and a Dudleya, most likely edulis
Fig. 8 The good, the bad and the ugly? A live plant sandwiched between a dead one and a Dudleya!
Clearly, both subspecies grow happily on fairly free-draining, sandy, cobble-strewn hillsides. With their disjunct populations and differing characteristics, it does seem that two subspecies are warranted.
Dentona – a smelly tale
of sewage works and sludge 💩
In last month's issue of eNews we carried an article from the September 1964 News Bulletin of the Manchester Branch of the NCSS. The writer of the article, a certain Mrs J Hayes, spoke about how she raised seedlings in her greenhouse. She explained that she sowed the seeds in “Eclipse No-Soil Compost”. An online search of newspapers from the ‘60s indicates that this was a peat-based compost.
After about six months, Mrs Hayes carefully pricked out the seedlings into trays containing John Innes compost, where they resided for another six months. At the end of this period, the seedlings were “again pricked out into similar compost to which had been added one part of Dentona to three parts of compost and sufficient small grit added to make an open mixture”. Your Editor asked if anybody could throw some light on this mysterious product known as ‘Dentona’.
Fortunately, John Foley read the article and responded, “As a junior Manchester Branch member in the early ‘60s I attended a visit to Mr and Mrs Hayes’ collection. Samples of Dentona were passed around − a dark, odourless, fine-grained product. Mr Hayes was manager of the adjacent Denton Sewage Works, and Dentona was the end product!”
So, it appears that the enterprising Mancunians of the ‘60s ground up the dried sludge from the sewage works and used it to fertilize their cacti. Your Editor remembers that in a similar timeframe, this product could be obtained from the sewage works of Surrey, but not refined like the Dentona product. You could take your vehicle to the sewage works and load it up with the raw, dried slabs of sludge. You broke it up and used it in your garden or the greenhouse and you were guaranteed outstanding results.
But it came with one small disadvantage: wherever you used it, tomato plants grew! It appears that tomato seeds are resistant to both the human digestive system and the sewage treatment process! But surely that is an advantage: free tomatoes!
My Youth and the Revenge of the Cacti!
Text and photos by Sharon Hurst
I love gardens and plants and always have done. My grandmother nurtured that little seed within me when I was a child. She was also a keen gardener, one of the hardy breed that grew plants and veg and raised animals during the war years to feed her family. We spent many hours out in the garden, and I played by her side as she worked. As I grew, I was given my own little patch to work and I learned to grow seeds, water them and eventually eat the produce.
My dad built a lovely cedar greenhouse for mum, and I can still smell that delightful tangy wood when I think of those days. This introduced me to a new plant regime again as I watched the miracle of seed packets and wooden seed trays being covered with glass, then marvelling at the emerging babies as they grew.
Now the greenhouse also taught me care and diligence. The glass wasn’t safety glass in those days, and the loose glass over the seed trays meant that I had to have my wits about me too. (No health and safety warnings here. As a kid in the 60’s you just got on with it or got hurt…you didn’t do it again!) However, things became a bit stickier as the greenhouse was populated.
Pretty things arrived… fuchsias of every shape and colour, nemesias, and crotons. Such delightful and exciting colours, shapes to explore and things to touch until…the cacti arrived! Well, this was grand, wasn’t it? Different and diverse, I just wanted to love them to death! I had always been attracted to the unusual and strange. All you had to do was ask mum about my friends. She used to say that I could find any needy child within a 100-mile radius to play with, bringing “waifs and strays” home frequently. It was only years later that I realised the reason why she often didn’t eat with us was because she had given her dinner to the hungry kiddie I had brought back to play. So, I adopted these weird plants and slowly, so as not to be too obvious, they made their way over to my side of the greenhouse and mum didn’t seem to notice.
When I said that I wanted to love them to death, I wasn’t joking. Not knowing any different, I watered them lovingly. They had a regular weekly splosh from the watering can and in my 7-year-old mind, a bit extra to help them grow well was rather fine. I learnt about plant feed when I watched the tomatoes being fed and got in on that act too. These beloved pricklies must have seen me appear in the doorway and quaked in terror. How they must have wished that they could pick up their roots and run away. I am sure they all needed snorkels and flippers. It goes without saying that so many died, and my loving parents duly replaced them so that I could commit more murders. In retrospect, maybe a little trip down to the library might have been in order.
One of the plants mum bought was Opuntia microdasys or Bunny Ears. This particular plant decided that its life mission was to get even on behalf of the cacti population. The Revenge of the Cacti was about to begin…I loved this furry little fiend (yep, I did mean fiend, not friend) and stroked its tiny little padded tufts with devotion. (You know what’s coming, don’t you?) Everything I picked up or touched hurt and I was howling a few hours later as my mystified family tried to work out what was happening. That was a very unhappy evening as my disgruntled parents both sat with a hand each, wielding tweezers, trying to remove the brittle little spines that often broke off as they tried their best. From there, it went from bad to worse.
Mum and nan were great knitters, and I had a collection of little pastel cardigans, pearl buttons, you know what I mean. The spines loved the cardigans and I swear the plant saw me coming each time. I’m sure it used to lean over so that it could launch its deadly projectiles as I walked into the greenhouse. I was told to be careful again and again, but try as I might, I couldn’t avoid it and my wrists were often rubbed raw by these scratching terrors lodged in the cuffs. Multiple washes in the washing tub (nothing like today’s miracles of engineering) could remove the blighters and I really suffered. To this day, I won’t have this plant in my greenhouse and well-meaning “gifts” are given away immediately. Their drip saucers barely touch the bench!
Myself, mum, and nan
In many ways I think the Revenge of the Cacti still continues to this day having found myself at the docs with an infected finger on more than one occasion, after being needlessly and mercilessly stabbed in my own greenhouse. I call it ungrateful personally when they carelessly topple over when you’re not looking and get you with everything they’ve got. It’s unreasonable…until they flower. Then all is forgiven of course.
Compagnie Liebig was a French company that made meat stock cubes. OXO cubes were originally made by them and released with a series of cards that were given away with the products.
This set of six, titled ‘Plantes Grasses’ (Succulents), was produced in 1955 with text in French, each card measuring4.25x2.75in.
Fig. 1 Agave potatorum
Fig. 2 Aloe nobilis and Aloe (Kumara) plicatilis
Fig. 3 Hoya carnosa
Fig. 4 Crassula falcata and Sempervivum arachnoideum
Fig. 5 Euphorbia milii var. splendens
Fig. 6 Delosperma sp. and Pleiospilos simulans
What incentive do we receive with products these days? At one time, cards like these were given away with tea, cigarettes, biscuits and chocolate. I will show some of these in the upcoming months.
I is for…
Photos and text by Gareth Darbon
We’ve arrived at the first difficult letter in the series − I. Technically there are plants in both cactus and succulent genera for every single letter of the alphabet. So in this episode, we could discuss Islaya, Isolatocereus, Ipomea, Ibervillea or Idria for example. But Islaya is covered under Eriosyce and we looked at that genus last December. I have never seen an Isolatocereus, so I am unable to describe how to identify it. I would have chosen Ipomea for the succulent genus as the flower is very identifiable. These caudex plants are typically deciduous and produce a large blousy flower which is easily identified.
So, instead of concentrating on these genera, I have chosen to go back to the letter A and look at two popular genera. You may remember that A was for Adromischus and Astrophytum last August; this month A is for Agave and Ariocarpus.
Both of these genera hail from the same neck of the woods, which for cacti and succulents is uncommon. Mexico and Southern USA provide homes for these genera although Agave does have a wider distribution.
Agaves are monocarpic, which means they will only flower once − and then die. So if you grow plants for flowers Agaves are not for you. However, when they do flower they are spectacular, with large specimens that can have flower spikes that tower up to four or five metres and look exceptionally architectural. Because of the effort and energy needed to flower and produce a large amount of seed, they usually die thereafter, but can occasionally produce new heads − so don’t despair.
Agaves are thick-leaved succulents with robust spines or teeth on the leaves. An example of these thick leaves can be seen on the plant in Fig. 1, Agave victoria regina. This photograph also demonstrates some very collectable signature markings. This species has been subject to a cultivation process providing stunning variegates; see Fig. 2 for an example, Agave victoria regina ‘white lines’.
Because of their slowness to flower, cultivars tend to be obtained by the process known as coring (https://www.succulentsandmore.com/2013/10/coring-agaves-for-propagation.html ) or pups from bodies rather than seedlings, but when you do get seed you get a lot of it. Some species do cluster more easily than others, such as the plant illustrated in Fig. 3, Agave toumeyana var. bella, which proliferates from stolon-like runners.
Fig. 3 Agave toumeyana var. bella
The other feature that can be really striking in Agaves is the spination, an example of which can be seen in Fig. 4, Agave utahensis var. eborispina. These patterns, spinations and architectural beauty make them a very popular genus.
Fig. 4 Agave utahensis var. eborispina
In terms of cultivation, some species can be hardy even in many parts of the UK as long as they are in very gritty soil. They can be used in the garden to bring contrast to the border. Other species like the ones mentioned in this article will still cope with colder temperatures but will need some cover in the winter similar to the cactus species we are about to investigate.
The cactus portion of this month’s article is a genus which is ubiquitous and much revered by collectors − Ariocarpus. This genus is slow-growing and requires a very free-draining compost to grow well and does like being pot-bound. They have long tap roots and can be ‘icebergs’ with nearly as much growth under the soil as above. This is particularly the case for the flatter species such as Ariocarpus bravoanus seen in Fig. 5.
Fig. 5 Ariocarpus bravoanus
In terms of identification, the tubercles and thick wool are the key features and these are easiest to see on Ariocarpus retusa (Fig. 6).
Fig. 6 Ariocarpus retusa
This wool can be located in different parts of the tubercle and the most different species for this is Ariocarpus agavoides (Fig. 7). This used to have its own genus (Neogomesia) as it is significantly different in terms of body morphology to any other species of Ariocarpus, but these days it is widely accepted in Ariocarpus.
Fig. 7 Ariocarpus agavoides
In terms of growing patterns Ariocarpus species grow later in the season and can produce some beautiful flowers as illustrated by Ariocarpus ‘Hi Ho’ (Fig. 8).
Fig. 8 Ariocarpus ‘Hi Ho’
As mentioned above, these plants come from Mexico and are known as the ‘rocks of the desert’ due to their slow rate of growth and long lives. They are most commonly grown from seed but take many years before reaching flowering maturity.
These plants will grace any collection and will not grow you out of house and home although there are some majestic specimens in cultivation which are 10s of years old like the plant in Fig. 6. This specimen was shown at the 2016 national show.
Vibrant Videos
After a hard day's work in the greenhouse (or windowsill), relax with these inspiring clips from past episodes of BBC Gardeners' World
Planting Succulent Alpines (with Monty Don), July 2013, 3 minutes. Click here
Cactus Man (with Paul Spracklin), March 2017, 3 minutes. Click here
Succulents in Pots (with Monty Don), March 2017, 5 minutes. Click here
Succulents for Free (with Monty Don), August 2017, 5 minutes. Click here
Sedum Cuttings (with Carol Klein), September 2017, 2 minutes. Click here
Aeonium Cuttings (with Monty Don), October 2017, 1 minute. Click here
Events
If you have an upcoming event, please send us your flyers for eNews
Click here for the full schedule of events for 2024.
There are heaps of events happening at many branches, so be sure to check to see what's going on in your area!
It's free and available to all BCSS Members and friends.
Your member number is: <<Member Number>>
Contact
If you would like to discuss anything in this newsletter or make a contribution, please email the Editor at enews@bcss.org.uk
If you would like to discuss any aspect of the Society in general please email the Chairman
Editor: Brian Ayres
Layout: Betty Bair
Contributors: Tony Holder, Hazel Taylor, Ray Stephenson, Gareth Darbon, Nigel Cole and his Talks team, Les Pearcy, Ian Woolnough, Sharon Hurst
