Palomar Cactus & Succulent Society Meeting January 27th

The role of botanic gardens in the display and conservation of cactus and succulents (A photo journey of succulent gardens around the world) will be the topic of a presentation at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 27th at the Palomar Cactus & Succulent Society meeting at the Park Avenue Community Center at 210 E. Park Avenue, Escondido 92025. Our website is www.palomarcactus.org. The speaker is Brandi Eide, Senior Director of Facilities at the San Diego Botanic Garden.

Meetings are the fourth Saturday of each month, with a few exceptions, at the Park Avenue Community Center in Escondido, 210 E Park Ave, Escondido CA 92025. Check the newsletter or website for the exact dates. The basic schedule is as follows, with times being flexible:

11:00 – 12:00 pm Sign in, check out the Brag, Exchange, Benefit Drawing, and Sales Tables. Meet up with friends.

12:00 – 12:50 pm Meeting starts – Announcements, Club Business, Brag Table Judging

12:50 – 1:20 pm BREAK – Refreshments, chat with fellow members, enjoy all the plants

1:20 – 2:30 pm Name Badge drawing, Main Speaker presentation

2:30 – 2:50 pm Benefit drawing followed by Exchange Table drawing

2:50 – 3:00 pm Clean-up

Check-in Welcome Table – Members and guests sign in here, join or renew their membership, order nametags, sign up to bring refreshments, and get name badge drawing tickets. There are also handouts, flyers, etc.

Programs – Experts in the hobby present a variety of programs and sometimes bring plants to show. Some are club members, but more often they are other well-known guest presenters, some from around the world.

Plant of the Month – A different cacti/succulent is featured. Members are encouraged to bring in their specimens of the featured plant to share and to enter them in the Brag Table competition, if desired.

Brag Plant Table – Bring in your favorite plants and show them off! This is a mini-competition with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners chosen in Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced divisions of both cactus and succulents. Members get a chance to see each other’s special plants, and this is also excellent practice for our big Annual Show held at San Diego Botanic Garden. The judge shares details about the plants as they are evaluated. Winners earn 3 points for first place, 2 points for second place, 1 point for third place, plus 1 point for each plant entered. The points go towards choosing from a selection of beautiful gift plants at the December Holiday Luncheon.

Exchange Table – Cactus and succulent enthusiasts love to share, and this is the place! Bring in cuttings and/or plants, used pottery and get a ticket to participate in the Exchange Table drawing. One ticket per person. Tickets are randomly drawn and each person chooses what they want from the wide assortment available. After all tickets are called, you can help yourself to what is left over. This is an excellent way to share your surplus and to collect cuttings or plants that you’ve been searching to find.

Benefit Drawing – Each month members donate plants, pottery, and/or other garden related items to the Benefit Drawing. These items are a bit nicer than those for the Exchange Table. The club also provides plants to enlarge the selection. Tickets are $1, or 6 for $5, with proceeds going to the club. This is the place to pick up some excellent plants for a bargain.

Plant Auction – Plants that have been donated to and/or purchased by the club will be auctioned off. It’s a great opportunity to get some harder-to-get plants at a good price and also support the club activities monetarily.

Sales Table – Members sell plants they have grown or collected, in addition to pots, rocks, and other merchandise of interest to succulent fanatics. See our Treasurer for information if you are interested in selling. At some meetings the Speaker will be selling plants, pottery, or books that they have brought to the meeting.

Library – Our library has over 200 books, journals, etc. Many are not available at your local library. New books are purchased regularly, and we love suggestions.

Name Badge Prizes – To encourage members to sign in and wear their name tags so that everyone knows who you are, we have a name badge plant drawing. When you wear it to a meeting, make sure to get a ticket at the Membership Table to enter in the drawing. After the break, 3 lucky members will have their ticket chosen! You can order a name badge for $8 at the Membership table.

Refreshments – The club provides coffee and bottled water. Members take turns bringing in food for the break. Sign up and treat everyone to your specialty or something else tasty! If you are not able to bring something, you may make a small monetary donation towards the cost.

Socialize – Spend some time with old friends and get to know other fellow club members who share this rewarding hobby. Introduce yourself to someone you don’t know. The club is full of wonderful people with a wide range of interests! They love to answer questions, so don‘t be afraid to ask!

Contact Charlyne Barad for more info at charbar6000@gmail.com