Washington DC Cactus Club

The next event of the National Capital Cactus and Succulent Society of Washington, D.C. will be our Regular Monthly Meeting on
Sunday, May 20, 2012.

Opuntia aff. orbiculata

The opuntia shown above has been growing for the past 15 years in the outdoor winter hardy planting of member Bob Stewart. It's an imposing plant, with hundreds of stems (called "pads") and each stem 6 to 10 inches in diameter. Each June it produces many 2 to 3 inch diameter yellow flowers, followed by large, reddish purple fruit. It's a great plant, and the only thing Bob dislikes about it, is dealing with any weeds among and near those spiny pads.

Aeonium arboreum var. atropurpureum

For More Photo's Visit Our Plant Gallery

The Plant Gallery features photos from our recent newsletters and photos of our member's plants and plant related activities. Here's Aeonium arboreum var. atropurpureum, one of the most commonly grown aeoniums. Aeonium arboreum is native to the Canary Islands. It is grown primarily for its very attractive, dark colored foliage.

Would You Like To Know More About Aeoniums?

Society member Donna Kuroda presented a program on Aeoniums at our October 2011 meeting and she has agreed to allow you access to that program through a PDF presentation. Just click here on the word AEONIUM to call up the program. This is a large file and make take a minute or two to load, depending on the speed of your computer.

May 2012 Program

The Big Opuntias of the United States

presented by Joe Shaw

NCCSS Member, and opuntia aficionado Joe Shaw will present a program on the larger opuntias native to the United States. Opuntias are one of the most common native cacti in the U.S. and a mainstay of any outdoor hardy C&S planting in our area. Joe has a great web site devoted to opuntias at: http://opuntiads.com/O/ If you want to learn more about some of the great cacti of the United States visit us in May for the Big Opuntias.

The National Capital Cactus and Succulent Society

The NCCSS is a group of individuals sharing an interest in the collecting and growing of cacti and other types of succulent plants. We meet once a month from September through June. In August we hold an annual plant show and sale at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. Our Regular Monthly Meetings are held at St. Anselm’s Abbey School at 14th & South Dakota Ave. N.E. Washington, DC. Our meeting begin at 10:30 a.m. and end at Noon. If you live in the Washington, D.C. area and are interested in succulent plants, why not visit one of our meetings and share your interest with others who also love these weird and fascinating plants.

Special NCCSS Activities

Summer Picnic

Each summer, usually in August, National Capital Cactus and Succulent Society members get together for a summer picnic at a members home. There's always lots of food, lots of interesting succulents to see, and great fellowship with other members. For more information about the National Capital Cactus and Succulent Society Member's Annual Summer Picnic, or the NCCSS in general, contact Lee Miller le ejmiller@verizon.net or Bob Stewart stewart723@gmail.com

Annual Show and Sale

Early each August the NCCSS holds its annual show and sale at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. The event features of show of members' best cacti and succulent plants, and a large plant sale of both common and rare succulent plants. NCCSS members will be on hand throughout the show and sale to answer your questions about plants in the show, plants in the sale, or your succulent plants at home. The exact dates and times of the show and sale are finalized in the spring, so keep an eye on this web site for more information.

Membership & Dues:

To join the National Capital Cactus and Succulent Society contact Lee Miller leejmiller@verizon.net or Bob Stewart stewart723@gmail.com. If you would like a sample of our most recent newsletter, The Eastern Spine, contact newsletter editor Bob Stewart. Annual membership dues are $20.00 per individual and $30.00 for a family. There's a five dollar deduction for those receiving their monthly newsletter via email.

Recommended Web Site
There are a lot of great web sites for the cactus and succulent enthusiast. This month we go with the theme of growing winter hardy cacti and succulents in the Washington, D.C. area and list a site that sells such plants.

www.rareplants.de

http://www.rareplants.de is a commercial site that sells plants and seeds of a wide range of plants, including cacti and other succulents. Actually C&S plants make up just a small part of the various plants offered by this site, and the "other" succulents are primarily featured over the cacti. I'm making it a Recommended Web Site because it features a very nice article on aeonium, aichryson and greenovia, a group of plants nicely covered by member Donna Kuroda at our October 2011 meeting. When you get to the web site look for (and click on) the listing of Aeonium, Aichryson & Greenovia in the menu on the left; that will take you to the article.

Monthly Newsletter:

The Eastern Spine is the official newsletter of the National Capital Cactus and Succulent Society. It is published monthly, September through June and is included with your society membership. Bob Stewart is our newsletter editor. Join our club and get your own copy delivered to your mailbox.
Click NEWSLETTER-PDF to view a sample copy, in PDF format, of a recent newsletter.

Purpose of the National Capital Cactus and Succulent Society:

the study, culture, and propagation of cactus and other succulent plants;
to exchange information among interested persons and organizations, and to further the education about and understanding of succulent plants and their habitats;
to encourage conservation of plants and preservation of natural habitats;
to affiliate or associate with other organizations of similar purpose;

Benefits of the National Capital Cactus and Succulent Society:

Share ideas and techniques with other cactus and succulent growers.
Interesting and informative programs.
Good fellowship and refreshments.
Use of an extensive club library.
A monthly newsletter, The Eastern Spine.
Sales table with members plants and related items.
Monthly raffle of donated plants and related items

Programs:

Our program committee arranges for us to have a unique event each and every month. These consist of lectures, slide shows, informal discussions and presentations; they are always interesting and informative.

Plant of the Month:

Each month a succulent genus, or special selection of succulent plants are featured as our plant of the month. Our plant of the month for October 2011 was Aloe aristata. This dwarf aloe is very common in cultivation. Unfortunately, it is become rare in its native South Africa. It's easy to grow and fits comfortably in a 4 to 6 inch pot. Given enough sunlight it will reward its grower with a foot tall stalk of pinkish-red tubular flowers. Over time offsets will form and eventually it will develop into a nice clump of dark green, tight leaved rosettes.

Information on Growing Succulent Plants:

One of the important aspects of growing healthy succulent plants is using the proper potting soil mix. You can read the NCCSS Potting Soils for Succulent Plants handout by clicking right HERE.

Plant Sales:

If you have any surplus plants, seeds, pots, books or any other plant related items you want to sell, you can bring them to the meeting. Set your own price. 25% goes to the club to buy new books and cover other club related expenses.

History:

First meeting was held July 21, 1974 at the Samson House at Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD. The club newsletter, The Eastern Spine, became official for the November 1974 meeting. The club began its affiliation with the Cactus & Succulent Society of America with the adoption of the By-Laws at the September 15, 1974 meeting.

Extra-Curricular Activities:

Annual Cactus & Succulent Show & Sale.
Summer field trips.
Summer picnic.
Holiday Buffet at St. Anselm's Abbey School in December.

NCCSS Officers for 2010/2011

President: Donna Kuroda

Vice-President: Ben Burkhardt

Recording Secretary: Ric Tursan

Membership Secretary: Lee Miller

Treasurer: Ty Tydings

Hospitality:
Ty Tydings

Directors at large: Bob Petza
Bob Stewart

Newsletter Editor
Bob Stewart

Librarian
Ben Burkhardt

Links to Gardens and Other Societies in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area:

Cactus and Succulent Society of America (CSSA)

The National Capital Cactus & Succulent Society is an affiliate society of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America. For more information about the CSSA see their web site at: http://www.cssainc.org

The NCCSS web site is maintained by Bob Stewart

The NCCSS Web Site is part of the Cactus Mall Web System
Use the Link Below to Visit the Cactus Mall Site

The next event of the National Capital Cactus and Succulent Society of Washington, D.C. will be our Regular Monthly Meeting on Sunday, May 20, 2012.