Compiled by Chris Leather. Is your branch not listed here? Do you know of events not listed yet? Please let us know!
Around the country each month there are many Branch meetings where you can meet like minded enthusiasts and have the opportunity to enjoy interesting talks by visiting speakers. Often at Branch meetings there are plants for sale too. If you don’t regularly go to meetings, or have never been before, please consider supporting your local branch.
This list is not exhaustive (not every branch has submitted information). It gives a flavour of what our meetings are about. If you are attending a Branch for the first time please check the relevant Branch website for the most up-to-date information about any particular meeting.
Note that Branch Shows and other events likely to be of wider interest to the BCSS are also listed on the Shows, Regional and National Events page.
All BCSS meetings are open to everyone. You do not have to be a member to attend (although if you are not a member we hope that you may be encouraged to join!) Some branches may charge a small admission fee to cover the cost of the venue.
Last updated: 01/01/2024.
January 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 January 2024 | Norwich | Sempervivum and Jovibarba | Laurie Poulson | Plus practical session on cultivation |
| 05 January 2024 | Chester and North Wales | Evolution of the Cactus Family Part 1. Looks at the innovations that allowed the family to evolve and radiate but for a branch audience. | Ivor Crook | Zoom Talk |
| 05 January 2024 | Hull | East Africa Part 2 | Neil Hyde | |
| 05 January 2024 | Southend-on-Sea and District | TBC | Colin Cutler | |
| 08 January 2024 | Huddersfield | TBA | Peter Hoyle | |
| 08 January 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | Bolivia - Part 15 : Searching for Sulcos | Martin Lowry | |
| 09 January 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | Cultivation of Cacti and Succulents | Elizabeth Maddock | Everyone's growing methods are slightly different- plenty of discussion expected |
| 10 January 2024 | High Wycombe | Northern Mexico' | Chris Davies | |
| 10 January 2024 | Teesside | ‘Pot Luck’ | Mike Stansbie | |
| 11 January 2024 | Chelmsford | Central Mexico | Prof Frank Sengpiel, University of Cardiff | |
| 11 January 2024 | Northumbria | Branch nostalgia and mini quiz | Ray Stephenson | Reminder of our dispays '23 + What folk grow in Mediterranean countries. |
| 11 January 2024 | Rother Valley | Winter-growing succulents / Cultivation | Alan Bromley / members | A short talk about plants that grow in the UK winter, plus our annual chat about the cultivation of cacti and succulents |
| 12 January 2024 | Sheffield | 1) Random Shots in the Greenhouse and 2) Stemless Mesembs | Horace Kennewell, BCSS Library | Some Sheffield Branch history, as well as many well grown plants to see |
| 13 January 2024 | Gloucester | AGM and plant auction | ||
| 13 January 2024 | Isle Of Wight | Show and Tell | ||
| 13 January 2024 | Manchester | Succulent Masterclass (combined live and zoom meeting) | Gillian Evison | |
| 16 January 2024 | Birmingham and District | Branch Meal. The Junction Harbourne | Branch Run | A chance to socialise and chat over a meal and drink. Parking in Harbourne. |
| 17 January 2024 | Herne Bay and District | AGM and Auction | ||
| 18 January 2024 | Chelmsford | Plant nutrition and Members' evening | Dr Richard Rolfe | |
| 20 January 2024 | Portsmouth and District | Turbinicarpus | Julian Cooke | |
| 20 January 2024 | Reading and Basingstoke | AGM and members' slides | Zoom | |
| 23 January 2024 | York | Up and Down in Peru | Peter Beresford | |
| 24 January 2024 | Bromley | AGM/Plant doctor /Plant ID/Members slides | AGM and general chat | |
| 27 January 2024 | Dover | AGM and Bring and Buy Auction | Dover Branch Committee | The Annual General Meeting of the Dover BCSS Branch in line with our branch constition. Our annual Bring and Buy Auction for branch funds. |
February 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 February 2024 | Clacton-on-Sea | Adventures in South America | Ron Crawford | Plus Branch AGM |
| 01 February 2024 | Wiltshire | 2024 Seed sowing workshop | Mike Read and Derek May | Updatee on previous years seedlings and opportunity to sow some more. |
| 02 February 2024 | Chester and North Wales | Adventures in Central Mexico | Frank Sengpiel | Zoom Talk |
| 02 February 2024 | Hull | More Bobbing About | Bob Hall | Another walk around my life interests |
| 02 February 2024 | Northampton and Milton Keynes | Galapagos Tour | Trevor Wray | |
| 02 February 2024 | Southend-on-Sea and District | Cacti of North Argentina | Dr Hazel Taylor | |
| 07 February 2024 | Norwich | Huntington Gardens | Mike Harvey | Plus members' auction |
| 08 February 2024 | Chelmsford | ZOOM meeting - Travels in Arabia | Alan Butler, Malaga | |
| 08 February 2024 | Northumbria | South Africa #4 | Richard Torr | Continuation of adventures with wild and cultivated plants. |
| 08 February 2024 | Rother Valley | European Sedums in Habitat | David Sheppard | Hardy and alpine succulents described by an expert in this field |
| 09 February 2024 | Sheffield | 1) Growing from seed and 2) Succulent Question Time | 1) Mike Thewles 2) Sheffield expert panel | 1) Advice on growing C and S from seed, with free seed to start you off. 2) Bring any plant for which you don't know the name, or want cultivation advice - can our expert panel give you an answer? |
| 10 February 2024 | Fife | The National Show 2022 | Various | Photographs of exhibits, discussion and Q/A |
| 10 February 2024 | Gloucester | Members' short talks | Mike Domanski (Tylecodon) and Philip Moor (Gymnocalycium) | |
| 10 February 2024 | Isle Of Wight | Conservation | ||
| 10 February 2024 | Manchester | Plants I have owned and lost and some I own today | Brian Doherty | |
| 12 February 2024 | Huddersfield | My Plant Journey part 2 | Ess Green | |
| 12 February 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | AGM + Quiz | ||
| 13 February 2024 | Croydon | The Year in Flowers-Part 2 | Dave Ilett | Talk will be a photographic reference of plants in flower from July to December. |
| 13 February 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | Plants I Have Owned and Lost, and Some of Those I Own Today | Bryan Doherty | I think we can all empathise with the title ! |
| 14 February 2024 | High Wycombe | ‘Texas 2019’ | Martin Edwards | |
| 14 February 2024 | Teesside | South Africa Revisited | Richard Torr | |
| 15 February 2024 | Chelmsford | Exploring all the 'A's | Brian Cradwick | |
| 17 February 2024 | Portsmouth and District | Bring your named plants for ID | N/A | Member's Evening |
| 17 February 2024 | Reading and Basingstoke | A new love (Dudleya's) | Simon Snowden | Zoom |
| 20 February 2024 | Birmingham and District | Mexican Night, an evening of new short films, Nachos and Agave juice drink | Branch Run | Several films about Mexico will be shown and these reveal a lot more about some of the plants we love - both cacti and succulents |
| 20 February 2024 | Bristol | The Other Desert Plants | Alan Goldsmith | |
| 21 February 2024 | Herne Bay and District | Members’ Talks | ||
| 21 February 2024 | South Wales | Echinocereus | Julian Cooke | Table show: Echinocactus group, Opuntia group, Espostoa subgroup, Echeveria subgroup, Agave group, Pelargonium group |
| 22 February 2024 | Edinburgh | Propagation and Care of Cacti and Succulents | Nick Evens | |
| 22 February 2024 | Grampian (N.E.Scotland) | Book Sale (provisional) | ||
| 22 February 2024 | Oxford | From JI to lava rock; what do habitats tell us about growing cacti? | Dr. Curt Lamberth | I am sure that you may know Curt, a chemist now an environmental consultant, who’s been growing cacti for 50 years. He has a passion for finding out what makes things tick, and applies his talents of inventing, designing and building equipment and analysing data for projects like tracking and monitoring wild mice, measuring the effect of ash-dieback on woodland microclimates and checking water quality in our rivers. He has an interest in raising cacti and orchids from seed and has been trying to solve some of the trickier problems of cultivating cacti. Tonight is a unique opportunity to hear about some of the solutions Curt has worked out along his 25 year long journey from John Innes to lava rock. |
| 24 February 2024 | Dover | The Elham Valley | Martin Newcombe | Something different from a branch member talking about our lovely local scenery, folklore, history, wildlife and more. Cutting through the chalk between Canterbury and Folkestone, the Elham Valley is a typical bit of old chalk countryside within the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. |
| 27 February 2024 | York | History of York Branch | David Slade | |
| 28 February 2024 | Bromley | NE Mexico part 2 | Dr. Hazel Taylor | Part two of Hazels travels around NE Mexico. |
| 29 February 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | Marvellous Mammillarias | Graham Evans |
March 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 March 2024 | Chester and North Wales | Rebutia (and much more) in Argentina | Ralph Martin | This covers a trip to Argentina with the primary goal of seeing Rebutias in habitat, but many other cacti were also spotted along the way. |
| 01 March 2024 | Hull | Big Bend National park and the Southern Rockies | Graham Walker | Larger version of trip we did in 2006 showing many plants of the area and some of the wonderful scenery. |
| 01 March 2024 | Northampton and Milton Keynes | Crassulas Everywhere | Derek Tribble | |
| 01 March 2024 | Southend-on-Sea and District | Favourites | Stirling Baker | |
| 05 March 2024 | King's Lynn | Namibia 2017 | Ron Crawford | |
| 06 March 2024 | Leicester | Namibia re-visited Or Mexico | Alan Brown | |
| 06 March 2024 | Norwich | Madagascar | Ron Crawford | Summer table show begins |
| 07 March 2024 | Chelmsford | ZOOM meeting - Where North meets South - The cacti of Mendoza and Neuquen | Elisabeth Sarnes | |
| 07 March 2024 | Clacton-on-Sea | Monotypic genera | Julian Cooke | |
| 07 March 2024 | Wiltshire | Agaves I have known' | Keith Flanagan | A history of the plants grown by Keith throughout his lifetime with photographs and cultivation guidelines |
| 08 March 2024 | Sheffield | Hardy Succulents | Ray Stephenson | Ray organises the Sedum Society, and holds the Sedum National Collection, but his knowledge extends well beyond Sedums. |
| 09 March 2024 | Gloucester | Canary Islands: Tenerife and Lanzarote | Frank Sengpiel | |
| 09 March 2024 | Isle Of Wight | TBA | Cliff Thopmson | |
| 09 March 2024 | Lea Valley | AGM & members evening to discuss plants & problems | Members | |
| 09 March 2024 | Manchester | Hardy Succulents | Ray Stephenson | |
| 11 March 2024 | Huddersfield | Just 2 More Days | Ian Robinson | |
| 11 March 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | Plant ID and Surgery | ||
| 12 March 2024 | Croydon | Down Mexico Way | Alan Bromley | Alan from Rother Valley branch tell us about a cactus hunting expedition to Mexico |
| 12 March 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | Succulent Karoo Biome part 2 | Andy Young | Second half of the South Africa talk from a couple of years ago |
| 13 March 2024 | High Wycombe | ‘Defeating Drought - a Tour of South African Biomes’ | Derek Tribble | |
| 13 March 2024 | Teesside | Remembering Colin Norton | Bob Hall | |
| 14 March 2024 | Northumbria | More wonderful Echinocereus | Peter Beresford | |
| 14 March 2024 | Peterborough | AGM and Landmarks of Cactus Literature | Graham Charles | |
| 14 March 2024 | Rother Valley | To be advised | TBA | |
| 15 March 2024 | Spalding | Doing Things Our Way | Carlos Zeferino | |
| 16 March 2024 | Havering | Small Opuntias in habitat and culture | Mike Partridge | |
| 16 March 2024 | Portsmouth and District | Los Angeles County Arboretum and The Huntington | Benjamin Turner | to be confirmed |
| 16 March 2024 | Reading and Basingstoke | American travels | Stuart Riley | Chapel Hall |
| 18 March 2024 | Leeds | Digital Presentation And Members Talks | Branch Members | |
| 19 March 2024 | Birmingham and District | Brazil - Part 1 | Martin Lowry | Martin is a amateur botanist with a particular interest in South American Cacti, especially those of Andean Bolivia. There is still much to discover and he recently discovered and described a new genus of cactus. |
| 19 March 2024 | Bristol | North West Argentina | Ian Woolnough | |
| 20 March 2024 | Herne Bay and District | What’s New | Stuart Riley | |
| 20 March 2024 | Somerset | ‘Southern Peru 2009’ | Cliff Thompson | |
| 20 March 2024 | South Wales | Western Cape | Hazel Taylor | Table show: Pachycereus subgroup, Mammillaria group, Thelocactus group, Aeonium subgroup, Crassula subgroup, Peperomia group |
| 21 March 2024 | Chelmsford | Ramble through the collection | Julian Cooke | |
| 21 March 2024 | Exeter | Mexico - January 2022 | Ian Woolnough | (Note: 3rd Thursday of the month) A 2 week trip covering the west and central to NE. First post covid trip includes Digitostigmas, lots of Mammillarias, Ariocarpus scenery and animals etc. |
| 21 March 2024 | Grampian (N.E.Scotland) | Plant of the Month A-G | ||
| 26 March 2024 | York | Succulents of Parnossas | Ray Stephenson | |
| 27 March 2024 | Bromley | A few days in Patagonia part 5 - the middle bit. | Mike Partridge | Further travels in Patagonia. Covers landscape, cacti, alpines, animals and birds. |
| 28 March 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | BCSS National Shows | Bill Darbon | |
| 28 March 2024 | Oxford | Sulcorebutias | Les Hewitt | Les may be familiar to some of you who were at the last Branch Show with The Haworthia Society he is a committee colleague who is responsible for the Societies advertising at shows. In edition to The Haworthia Society Les is one of the BCSS approved judges . Tonight he will be presenting a talk on the Sulcorebutia group of plants, this is a group he grows well,so I am sure we will have some wonderful pictures of these plants in flower and that he will be able to pass on some of his experience growing this group of plants/ |
| 30 March 2024 | Dover | Cacti and Succulents of NE Mexico Part 1 | Hazel Taylor | This is a trip through North Eastern Mexico, starting from Mexico City and travelling via Pachuca through the Sierra Madre Oriental as far north as Tula taking in the famous and scary Barranca de Toliman on the way. We see many wonderful cacti of the area , succulents as well in equal measure as well other flora we encountered along the way. |
April 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 April 2024 | King's Lynn | Arizona Byways | Trevor Wray | |
| 03 April 2024 | Leicester | Thelocactus | Julian Cooke | |
| 03 April 2024 | Norwich | South Africa | Trevor Wray | |
| 04 April 2024 | Clacton-on-Sea | Adventures in Mexico | Paul Spracklin | Highlights from 7 field trips, travelogue as much as plants |
| 04 April 2024 | Exeter | The Cactus Shop | Ralph Northcott | |
| 04 April 2024 | Wiltshire | Mini Show - What to be aware of when showing your plants | Bill Darbon | A small seet of classes using branch members plants to understand what the judge will be looking for. |
| 05 April 2024 | Chester and North Wales | A Beginner's Guide to Caudiciforms | Gillian Evision | Zoom Talk |
| 05 April 2024 | Hull | Argentina | John Arnold | |
| 05 April 2024 | Northampton and Milton Keynes | Monotypic Genera (or the Oddballs!) | Julian Cooke | A look at species that are, or have been, in a Genus for them only |
| 05 April 2024 | Southend-on-Sea and District | American Travels (Plant Sale) | Stuart Riley | |
| 06 April 2024 | Bristol | South West Succulent Plant Spring Fair | Tony Irons | |
| 08 April 2024 | Huddersfield | 25 Years in Bolivia | John Carr | |
| 08 April 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | Plants and Animals of the Western Cape. Pt.1 | Hazel Taylor | |
| 09 April 2024 | Croydon | Bob Dale's Pictures | Dudley Baker(Presenter) | This will be a presentation of plants photgraphed in his collection and shows by the late Bob Dale. |
| 09 April 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | Big Bend with the CSSA 2013 | Hazel Taylor | Shared speaker, at Macclesfield branch the night before, Big Bend a well known area |
| 10 April 2024 | Fife | Growing in a mineral substate | Colin S Hay and others | Help for growing problems, plants, bugs and more |
| 10 April 2024 | High Wycombe | Flowers of the Pyrennees' | Richard Horswood | |
| 10 April 2024 | Leicester | Committee Meeting | ||
| 10 April 2024 | Lincoln | AGM | ||
| 10 April 2024 | Teesside | Baja 2023 | Ian Woolnough | A 3 week trip covering all of the peninsula from just south of the US border and some of the islands with lots of plants, animals and scenery. |
| 11 April 2024 | Northumbria | Baja 2023 | Ian Woolnough | A 3 week trip covering all of the peninsula from just south of the US border and some of the islands with lots of plants, animals and scenery. |
| 11 April 2024 | Peterborough | Back to Basics; cultivation success | Graham Charles | |
| 12 April 2024 | Sheffield | Cleistocactus | Martin Lowry | We welcome back Martin from Macclesfield, always a popular speaker, to learn about these South American columnar cacti |
| 13 April 2024 | Gloucester | Wild Haworthia, not a cultivar in sight | Alan Rollason | |
| 13 April 2024 | Isle Of Wight | Question Time | Your questions answered, hopefully. | |
| 13 April 2024 | Lea Valley | Topic to be announced | Chris Coombs | |
| 13 April 2024 | Manchester | Repotting session | Jo + all members | |
| 15 April 2024 | Leeds | Out And About With The Late Colin Norton | Robert Hall | |
| 16 April 2024 | Birmingham and District | Curious cacti and selected succulents | Ralph Martin | Ralph grows cacti and succulents as a hobby, and is Chairman of the Research Committee of the British Cactus and Succulent Society. He regularly gives talks to BCSS branches and gardening clubs. He has lists of plants and journals for exchange or sale. His cactus and succulent field number database is well-known, as is his related database of collectors acronyms. |
| 16 April 2024 | Bristol | Propagation--A master lesson in seed raising and grafting | Alan Weaden | |
| 17 April 2024 | Herne Bay and District | Greenhouse Automation | Julian Cooke | |
| 17 April 2024 | Somerset | ‘Fuerteventura’ | Chris Hayes | |
| 18 April 2024 | Chelmsford | 3D Adventures in Chile | Jonathan Clark | |
| 18 April 2024 | Grampian (N.E.Scotland) | Plant of the Month H-M | ||
| 18 April 2024 | Rother Valley | AGM and Plant Auction | Note: 3rd Thursday | Lots of plants to buy! |
| 18 April 2024 | South Wales | Harri Lorenzi and the Plantarum Botanic Garden | John Hughes | Table show: Rebutia group, Parodia group, Strombocactus group, Sedum subgroup, Adromischus subgroup |
| 19 April 2024 | Spalding | Haworthia Past, Present and Future (How Do You Like Yours?) | Ian Armstrong | |
| 20 April 2024 | Chelmsford | Chelmsford Cactus Mart | New Village Hall, Rawreth | |
| 20 April 2024 | Havering | Western Cape in 2016 | Bill Darbon | Note: This meeting is now being held on the 13th April. |
| 20 April 2024 | Portsmouth and District | Plant Auction | N/A | Annual branch fundraising event |
| 20 April 2024 | Reading and Basingstoke | My plants past but mostly present | Trevor Jackman | Chapel Hall |
| 20 April 2024 | Spalding | 16th Spalding Cactus Mart, Holbeach Community Centre, 10.00 to 16.00 | ||
| 23 April 2024 | York | Grafting Workshop | John Carr | |
| 24 April 2024 | Bromley | Chile part 1 | Colin Cutler | Part 1 of Colins travels in Chile. |
| 25 April 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | Harry Lorenzi and the Jardim Botanico Plantarum | John Hughes | |
| 25 April 2024 | Oxford | USA | David Minnion (Harrow) | David may not be quite so familiar although he has been to the Branch before, he is the principal of The Ruislip Group and a member of Harrow Branch. He has travelled widely in the South West States of the USA and has a depth of knowledge of plants that grown in this area, he is very keen on Railways and I suspect apart from one pictures of wonderful plants in habitat there may be a train that creeps into his presentation. |
| 27 April 2024 | Dover | Echeveria (Species) | Dr John Hughes | Echeverias are a very large and popular genus which have many lovely new hybrids that we heard about from a speaker last year. So this time we are going to take a step back to look at the species Echeverias. |
| 27 April 2024 | Edinburgh | Collection Visit to Livingston | A visit to the collection of Justin Gilbert in Livingston | Timing 14:00 – 16:00; Address available from Branch Secretary |
May 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 May 2024 | Leicester | The Galapagos islands | Trevor Wray | |
| 01 May 2024 | Norwich | Baja California | Ian Woolnough | |
| 02 May 2024 | Clacton-on-Sea | Southern Arizona | David Minnion | |
| 02 May 2024 | Wiltshire | Travels from Northern Peru 2017 | Cliff Thompson | North from Lima along the Pacific coast with excursions into the lower Andes, then North and East into the sub-tropical/tropical state of Amazonas, then East and South, back across to the Pacific coast and south past Pisco and Nasca. Haageocereus, Armatocereus, Loxanthocereus, Melocactus, Espostoa, Matucana, Austrocylindropuntia, Oroya, Puya, Mila, Borzicactus, Browningia, Oreocereus, Hylocereus, Tillandsia, Orchids, Rhipsalis and more. Amazing scenery along classic scenic routes. |
| 03 May 2024 | Chester and North Wales | Plant Auction | ||
| 03 May 2024 | Hull | Cactus Evolution | Ivor Crook | |
| 03 May 2024 | Northampton and Milton Keynes | Texas | Martin Edwards | |
| 03 May 2024 | Southend-on-Sea and District | My Succulent Addicition | Chris Coombes | |
| 04 May 2024 | Bristol | The Tom Moggs Memorial Meeting Joint Meeting with the Bristol Cactus Society. Mexico 2022 | Ian Woolnough | |
| 04 May 2024 | Manchester | North West Cactus Mart | n/a | |
| 07 May 2024 | King's Lynn | General Greenhouse Ramble and Automation | Julian Cooke | |
| 08 May 2024 | High Wycombe | ‘A Year in Flowers Part 2’ | Dave Ilett | |
| 08 May 2024 | Lincoln | South America | TBN | |
| 08 May 2024 | Teesside | Eyecatchers’ | David Quail | |
| 09 May 2024 | Northumbria | Eyecatchers | David Quail | After many years of going to shows - some real gems. |
| 09 May 2024 | Peterborough | Marvelous Mammillarias | Graham Evans | |
| 09 May 2024 | Rother Valley | Baja, Mexico 2023 | Ian Woolnough | A much-travelled cactophile tells us about his recent visit to this part of Mexico |
| 10 May 2024 | Sheffield | Texas and Big Bend | Les Pearcy | From nearby Matlock, Les organises the Sedum Society Seed Distribution, but tonight will be concentrating not on Sedums but on cacti |
| 11 May 2024 | Edinburgh | Collection Visit to Gifford | A visit to the collection of Nick Evans in Gifford | Timing 14:00 – 16:00; Address available from Branch Secretary |
| 11 May 2024 | Gloucester | Plant problems and problem plants | Branch forum | |
| 11 May 2024 | Grampian (N.E.Scotland) | Greenhouse Visit to Paul's collection | To see the plants at their best, this visit will start from 10am | |
| 11 May 2024 | Isle Of Wight | Cultivation | Vicky Davis | |
| 13 May 2024 | Huddersfield | Grafting | John Miller | |
| 13 May 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | Baja part 1:Tijuana to Mulegé | Carl Howard-Morton | Mexico's Baja Peninsula is a natural paradise that has long held a fascination for cactophiles. In the first of these travelogues, Carl Howard-Morton takes us on a six-day journey from Tijuana on the Pacific north-west, down through the famous Cataviña boulder fields and incredibly arid Vizcaíno Desert, then up into the Sierra San Francisco mountains before arriving in the oasis town of Mulegé on the Sea of Cortez. En route, we'll see many of the endemic cacti and succulents found only in these unique ecosystems and explore some of Baja's rich culture and history. |
| 14 May 2024 | Croydon | Past but Mostly Present | Trevor Jackman | Trevor, Secretary, Woking Branch to show his plants now and then. |
| 14 May 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | Cacti of the Sierra Madre Oriental | Alan Brown | Mexican talks are always popular |
| 15 May 2024 | Herne Bay and District | Cool Customers | John Hughes | |
| 15 May 2024 | Somerset | ‘South West USA’ | Martin Edwards | |
| 15 May 2024 | South Wales | The Asclepiadoideae – a talk about Stapeliads and related species | Tom Radford | Table show: Cleistocactus subgroup, Echinocereus group, Melocactus group, Euphorbia group, Stapelia group, Adenia group |
| 16 May 2024 | Chelmsford | Practical photography | Marion Sidebottom, Professional phhotographer | |
| 17 May 2024 | Spalding | Bolivian Adventures | Martin Lowry | |
| 18 May 2024 | Bromley | Annual Show | Held at Keston Village Hall | |
| 18 May 2024 | Havering | An ABC of Cacti in Flower, Part 2 | Graham Evans | |
| 18 May 2024 | Portsmouth and District | Social Evening - Details to follow | N/A | |
| 18 May 2024 | Reading and Basingstoke | Inspiration from Tresco Abbey Garden | Ben Turner | Chapel Hall |
| 19 May 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | Open Day at Brenfield in Ansty | Tony and Suzanne Mace | |
| 20 May 2024 | Leeds | Grafting Workshop | John Carr | |
| 21 May 2024 | Birmingham and District | Aeoniums - in habitat and cultivation | Mellie Lewis | Mellie Lewis holds a National Plant Collection of Aeonium in Shropshire. This collection is held in a private garden and conservatory and in a greenhouse over winter.Find out about some of the fascinating 35 succulent plant species of Aeonium, also known as tree houseleeks, all with unusually glossy, waxy leaves arranged in rosettes. |
| 21 May 2024 | Bristol | The Great Outdoors | Paul Spracklin | Gardening with succulents. Focuses on using cacti and succulent plants as landscape subjects. |
| 22 May 2024 | Bromley | Crassulaceae | John Hughes | |
| 23 May 2024 | Oxford | Ethiopian succulents | Dr Mike Gilbert | It’s been great to have Mike attending our Branch again, He is probably someone that you may not know he has been attached to KEW as an Honorary Research Associate for sometime and has travelled widely in Africa and published many papers on Succulents Plants he encountered on his travels. Tonight he will give a presentation on Ethiopian Succulents this country that has changed greatly in recent times |
| 25 May 2024 | Bristol | Bristol Cactus Society Show | Tony Irons | |
| 25 May 2024 | Dover | Namibia 2007 | Derek Tribble | A travelogue on his adventures in Namibia in 2007 whilst on expedition with Ernst van Jaarsveld. |
| 25 May 2024 | Edinburgh | Fife Show | The Annual show of the Fife Branch of the BCSS | Venue: Leven Parish Church Hall, 7 Durie Street, Leven, KY8 4HA |
| 25 May 2024 | Fife | The Annual Show | 10am to 3.30pm | Free admission, plant sales, refreshments |
| 25 May 2024 | Lea Valley | Annual show (25 - 27 May 2024) | Derek Tribble | |
| 28 May 2024 | York | Return to USA part 2 | Graham Walker | Continuation Part 1, Big Bend NP, and New Mexico, including Carlsbad Caverns, several State Parks, visit to Steve Brack’s nursery in Belen, returning to Phoenix on the Apache Trail from Roosevelt Lake |
| 30 May 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | My New Greenhouse | Ralph Martin | A discussion of the the features in my new greenhouse and how they work, as well as a summary of the plants I grow within it. |
June 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 June 2024 | Northumbria | Open Greenhouses Hepscott Mike Stansbie and Richard Torr | Stansbies and Torrs | |
| 01 June 2024 | Sheffield | Sheffield Annual Show, incorporating Mammillaria Society Show | At the Dorothy Fox Centre, Sheffield Botanical Gardens, 12md to 5pm; free entry; plant sales | |
| 02 June 2024 | Sheffield | Sheffield Annual Show, incorporating Mammillaria Society Show | At the Dorothy Fox Centre, Sheffield Botanical Gardens, 10am to 4pm; free entry; plant sales | |
| 04 June 2024 | King's Lynn | Parodia/Notocactus | John Arnold | |
| 05 June 2024 | Leicester | South African Safari | Graham Walker | |
| 05 June 2024 | Norwich | Melocactus and Discocactus | John Arnold | Plus King Cup |
| 06 June 2024 | Clacton-on-Sea | South African Gems 2016 | Martin Edwards | |
| 06 June 2024 | Exeter | TBC | ||
| 06 June 2024 | Wiltshire | Los Angeles County Arboretum and The Huntington | Ben Turner | |
| 07 June 2024 | Chester and North Wales | Cactus hunting in the Sierra Madre Oriental | Alan Brown | |
| 07 June 2024 | Hull | C is for | Ian Robinson | Cactus and Succulents and growing begining with C |
| 07 June 2024 | Northampton and Milton Keynes | Cool Customers | John Hughes | A talk on plants to grow with minimum heating |
| 07 June 2024 | Southend-on-Sea and District | Gardening with Cacti and Succulents | Paul Spracklin | |
| 08 June 2024 | Gloucester | Thelocactus | Martin Doorbar | |
| 08 June 2024 | Isle Of Wight | Fraileas and all that Jazz | Stephen Woods | |
| 08 June 2024 | Lea Valley | Topic to be announced | Derek Tribble | |
| 08 June 2024 | Manchester | Interesting Cactus Facts | Jo Adderley | |
| 09 June 2024 | Edinburgh | Caley Show | Joint BCSS / RCHS show | Venue: Saughton Park |
| 10 June 2024 | Huddersfield | If Its Flowers You Want | Peter Bint | |
| 10 June 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | Whistle stop Lithops 2024 | Keith Green | |
| 11 June 2024 | Croydon | Cacti of Northern Peru | Cliff Thompson | Cliff will show us plants from a expedition in 2017. |
| 11 June 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | Lithops in Habitat | Keith Green | Shared speaker, at Macclesfield branch the night before, has rarely spoken in the North |
| 12 June 2024 | High Wycombe | ‘Sulcorebutias’ | Kathy and Keith Flanagan | |
| 12 June 2024 | Lincoln | Greenhouse Visit And BBQ | Sectretary 1830 Onwards | |
| 12 June 2024 | Teesside | Propagation and Grafting | John Carr | |
| 13 June 2024 | Edinburgh | Aloes through the ages | Dr Colin Walker | |
| 13 June 2024 | Northumbria | 25 years in Bolivia | John Carr | Exploring Andean heights on horseback. |
| 13 June 2024 | Rother Valley | Coryphantha Update 2024 | Kathy and Keith Flanagan | An interesting genus of easy cacti given a close look by these experienced growers |
| 14 June 2024 | Sheffield | Where do we start? Cactus and Succulent basics | Mike Thewles | Cactus or succulent - what's the difference? All you need to know to get started growing these amazing plants, together with advice for the experienced grower |
| 15 June 2024 | Chelmsford | Cactus display and mart | Danbury | |
| 15 June 2024 | Havering | Peru | Ian Woolnough | A 3 week trip from Nasca in the south up along the coast to Chiclayo and inland with lots of plants including Opuntia pachypus, Matucanas, Orchids, wildlife and scenery. |
| 15 June 2024 | Portsmouth and District | Mini Show and Judging | Bill Darbon | to be confirmed |
| 15 June 2024 | Reading and Basingstoke | Down Mexico way | Alan Bromley | Chapel Hall |
| 17 June 2024 | Leeds | Introduction To Bonsai | Graham Walker | I introduce Bonsai, its origins, styles etc. I also explain some of the terms used and how I got involved with the hobby. I bring several bonsai trees to talk about. Alternative subject for a change from C&S** |
| 18 June 2024 | Birmingham and District | Cacti and Succulents of the UK | Andy Harris | Andy is a conservationist and has prepared a new talk about the surprising number of natives and esaped plants that have naturalised on our islands. |
| 19 June 2024 | Herne Bay and District | Branch Closed Show | ||
| 19 June 2024 | Somerset | (TBA) | Jonathan Clark | |
| 19 June 2024 | South Wales | TBA | Derek Tribble | Table show: Gymnocalycium group, Matucana group, Turbinicarpus group Anacampseros group, Aloe group |
| 20 June 2024 | Chelmsford | Gardening with succulents | Paul Spracklin | |
| 20 June 2024 | Peterborough | Baja California, Mexico | Cliff Thompson | |
| 21 June 2024 | Spalding | Baja California Peninsula, Mexico | Cliff Thompson | |
| 22 June 2024 | Grampian (N.E.Scotland) | Greenhouse Visit to Christine's and David's collection | From 2pm | |
| 25 June 2024 | York | Visit to the Plant Biology Dept. at York University, further details from Branch Secretary | Host - Dr Liz Rylot | |
| 26 June 2024 | Bromley | Fish and Chip supper | Annual fish and Chip supper - venue TBC. | |
| 27 June 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | Cacti of the Big Bend, Texas | Hazel Taylor | |
| 27 June 2024 | Oxford | Opuntias | Mike Partridge | Mike is the Secretary of Bromley Branch and tonight he will try and convince us that this is not that much of a a Prickly subject and possibly convince us to grow some of this group of plants – I am sure we all have one somewhere in the collection and some apart from their spiky exterior have some really lovely flowers |
| 29 June 2024 | Bristol | SW Cactus, Succulent and Exotic Plant Fair | Peter Warren | |
| 29 June 2024 | Dover | Dover Branch Show | Show Committee | Our annual closed Mini Branch Show. Show Programme to follow nearer the time. |
| 30 June 2024 | Leicester | Branch Open Day | Leicester Botanical Gardens |
July 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 July 2024 | King's Lynn | Texas | David Minnion | |
| 03 July 2024 | Leicester | Haworthia | Adrian Weatherill | |
| 03 July 2024 | Norwich | Summer Social | ||
| 04 July 2024 | Clacton-on-Sea | Argentina | Ian Woolnough | |
| 04 July 2024 | Exeter | Explorations of the Western Cape | Bill Darbon | |
| 04 July 2024 | Wiltshire | Tephrocactus and small opuntia's' | Alan Wheadon | |
| 05 July 2024 | Chester and North Wales | Cactus Mini Show | Judge - Gareth Darbon | |
| 05 July 2024 | Hull | John Hughes | Holambra -Home of Horticulture | |
| 05 July 2024 | Northampton and Milton Keynes | Show and Tell Session | Branch Members | General discussion on a range of cultivation topics |
| 05 July 2024 | Southend-on-Sea and District | Down Mexico Way | Alan Bromley | |
| 07 July 2024 | Bristol | Visit to Alan Weaden | Peter Warren | |
| 07 July 2024 | Northumbria | Stephenson's open day | R and JT Stephenson | |
| 07 July 2024 | York | Greenhouse Visits (confirmed) further details from Branch Secretary | ||
| 08 July 2024 | Huddersfield | Island of Dragons | Neil Oakman | |
| 08 July 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | Evolution of Cacti Part 2 | Ivor Crook | |
| 09 July 2024 | Croydon | Planting in Commonwealth War Cemeteries | Ian Small | Ian, will show us cacti and succulents growing at war cemeteries worldwide. |
| 09 July 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | Japan 2023 | John Godwin | Our chairman's passion for wildlife took him to Japan in early 2023, to see wildlife, especially birds |
| 10 July 2024 | High Wycombe | ‘Cool Customers’ | John Hughes | |
| 10 July 2024 | Leicester | Committee Meeting | ||
| 10 July 2024 | Lincoln | No Hall Available | Decision at AGM | |
| 10 July 2024 | Teesside | Mini Show | Judged by Ian Armstrong | |
| 11 July 2024 | Northumbria | Hoya | Felix Horne | National collection holder extols the genus. |
| 11 July 2024 | Peterborough | USA 2019: California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona | Ian Woolnough | Just over 3 week trip along the Californian coast then inland to Nevada, Utah and Arizona. Lots of plants, wildlife and stunning scenery. |
| 11 July 2024 | Rother Valley | A Journey Throught Minas Gerais, Brazil | John Hughes | An intrepid explorer talking about an area seldom covered in travelogues |
| 12 July 2024 | Sheffield | Bring and Buy Auction | Any plants that you no longer have room for? Spares? Bring them along and get something new instead. Proceeds to Sheffield Branch | |
| 13 July 2024 | Gloucester | A grand day out (USA desert road trip) | Geoff Bowman | |
| 13 July 2024 | Isle Of Wight | Ethnobotany | Interrelations between man and plants | |
| 13 July 2024 | Lea Valley | Topic to be announced | Julian Cook | |
| 13 July 2024 | Manchester | Possible trip out to a nursery | n/a | |
| 15 July 2024 | Leeds | Cacti in Flower A - Z From Collections & Habitat | Ian Woolnough | An A-Z of cacti flowers in cultivation and habitat with information on them. |
| 16 July 2024 | Birmingham and District | USA 2019 The south-west and Californian coast | Ian Woolnough | Ian is a geologist and cartographer whose interest in cacti started as a teenager. As well as having written numerous articles on cacti and other succulents he has spoken widely throughout the UK and internationally on the subject. He is well travelled and will relates some of his ventures to the USA. |
| 17 July 2024 | Herne Bay and District | South African Gems A-Z | Martin Edwards | |
| 17 July 2024 | South Wales | My affection for Agaves | Bryan Doherty | Table show: Astrophytum group, Echinopsis group, Rhipsalis group, Lophophora group, Gasteria group, Didierea group |
| 18 July 2024 | Chelmsford | North East Mexico - Part 2 | Dr Hazel Taylor | |
| 19 July 2024 | Spalding | Big Bend National Park and Southern Rockies | Graham Walker | Larger version of trip we did in 2006 showing many plants of the area and some of the wonderful scenery. |
| 20 July 2024 | Bristol | The Diane Tripp Memorial Meeting Joint Meeting with the Bristol Cactus Society Baja California | Jonathan Clark | |
| 20 July 2024 | Havering | Gardening with succulents | Paul Spracklin | |
| 20 July 2024 | Portsmouth and District | Baja 2023 | Ian Woolnough | |
| 20 July 2024 | Reading and Basingstoke | Plants and animals of the Western Cape, part 2 | Hazel Taylor | Chapel Hall |
| 20 July 2024 | Somerset | |||
| 23 July 2024 | York | Mystery Evening | Mike Stansbie | |
| 24 July 2024 | Bromley | Hardy Bromeliads | Paul Spracklin | Something of an open secret but there are lots of bromeliads that are hardy enough to be grown outside |
| 25 July 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | Brazil (Part 1) | Cliff Thompson | |
| 25 July 2024 | Oxford | Haworthias in Habitat and cultivation | Alan Rollason | Alan is the former Chairman of The Haworthia Society, he is a wonderful artist and has produced some interesting articles on probably his favourite plants, which he grows exceptionally well. He has been privileged to travel to the habitat of these plants in South Africa and visited some of the major growers. Tonights presentation I am sure will bring out his passion for this group of plants. |
| 27 July 2024 | Croydon | Summer Open Show | Dudley Baker | The venue is Sanderstead Methodist Church. The show is open from 11:00am untl 3:30pm. |
| 27 July 2024 | Dover | Utah | David Minnion | A slide show on the cacti of Utah. |
| 31 July 2024 | Chelmsford | RHS Hyde Hall | 31 July to 4 August |
August 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 August 2024 | Clacton-on-Sea | Monsters, Freaks and Chimeras | Chris Coombes | |
| 01 August 2024 | Wiltshire | Cacti and Other Animals | Alan Goldsmith | A continuation of 2023's presentation |
| 02 August 2024 | Chester and North Wales | Travels in Arabia and covers Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman | Alan Butler | Zoom Talk |
| 04 August 2024 | Hull | Greenhouse Visits | No Meeting | TBA |
| 04 August 2024 | Norwich | Gorleston Clifftop Festival | Sales Stall | |
| 06 August 2024 | King's Lynn | Brazil | Cliff Thompson | |
| 07 August 2024 | Norwich | Peru | Cliff Thompson | Plus Jubilee Shield |
| 08 August 2024 | Rother Valley | South African Gems | Martin Edwards | Travels around a land full of succulents |
| 09 August 2024 | Sheffield | Lithops:home, diversity and beauty of living stones | Harald Jainta | A great chance to hear an internationally renowned expert. Harald, from Quickborn, Germany, is the author of the recently published 'Wild Lithops' |
| 10 August 2024 | Lea Valley | Western Cape part 2 | Hazel Taylor | |
| 10 August 2024 | Manchester | Lithops: Home, diversity and beauty of living stones | Harold Jainta | |
| 12 August 2024 | Huddersfield | Evolution of Cacti pt 1 | Ivor Crook | |
| 12 August 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | Lithops: home, diversity and beauty | Harald Jainta | |
| 13 August 2024 | Croydon | Haworthia | Les Hewitt | Les, is a specialist in the genus and will prsent an overview. |
| 13 August 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | Aloe Hybrids | Steve Smith | Our branch member's love of modern Aloes with textured and coloured leaves |
| 14 August 2024 | High Wycombe | ‘Chile and Argentina 2010’ | Ian Woolnough | A 3 week trip crossing the Andes when we were lucky enough to catch the desert in flower following rains. lots of wildflowers, cacti and wildlife. |
| 14 August 2024 | Lincoln | Visit | Woodside Cacti Holbeach | 1530 Onwards |
| 14 August 2024 | Teesside | Welbury Social and Sales | ||
| 15 August 2024 | Peterborough | Mesembs in habitat and cultivation | Alice Vanden Bon | |
| 15 August 2024 | South Wales | Astrophytum – short talk with plants and 2016 show photos | Bill Darbon | Table show: Stenocactus group, Pediocactus group, Conophytum subgroup, Lithops subgroup, Ceropegia group, Dorstenia group |
| 16 August 2024 | Spalding | Matucana | Graham Charles | |
| 19 August 2024 | Leeds | A Evening Tour Of York Gate Gardens At - | Back Church Lane Adel Leeds Ls16 8dw | |
| 20 August 2024 | Birmingham and District | Evening Garden Visit to Adrienne and Gavins paradise | Adrienne Wade | Gavin and Adrienne have an exotic garden in Birmingham full of rare and unusual subtropical plants including Agaves, bananas, Tree ferns, Cacti and Gingers and lots more |
| 22 August 2024 | Oxford | How I do it my way | Carlos Zefferino (Woodside Cacti) | Carlos and his wife Terry are well known as the proprietors of Woodside Cacti, they have been to a number of our Branch Shows as well as attending plant fairs and other shows around the UK. Tonight Carlos will give us an insight into how he propagate plants at his nursery (I expect you may be able to have a go yourself!! |
| 27 August 2024 | York | Social Evening | Visit To David Slade’s | |
| 28 August 2024 | Bromley | Peru | Paul Hoxey | Further travels looking at cacti in Peru from Paul who is a frequent visitor to the country. |
| 29 August 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | Argentina and Chile (Part 1) | Mike Partridge | |
| 31 August 2024 | Dover | Texas Plant Hunting | Martin Edwards | A new presention on Plant Hunting in Texas. |
September 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 September 2024 | King's Lynn | Argentina 2023 | Ian Woolnough | My newest talk from a 3 week trip to the NW of Argentina in November. Includes plants such as Yavia cryptocarpa, Eriosyce umadeave, Tephrocactus geometricans, Gymnocalycium spegazinni etc etc. Many in flower as well as stunning scenery, wildlife and birds. |
| 04 September 2024 | Leicester | Mexico Part 2 | Ian Woolnough | |
| 04 September 2024 | Norwich | What is a Species? | Laurie Poulson | Plus Moody Shield |
| 05 September 2024 | Clacton-on-Sea | A few days in Patagonia part 1 | Mike Partridge | |
| 05 September 2024 | Exeter | TBC | ||
| 05 September 2024 | Wiltshire | Mexican visit | Frank Sengpiel | |
| 06 September 2024 | Chester and North Wales | Western Cape part 2 | Dr Hazel Taylor | Zoom Talk |
| 06 September 2024 | Hull | Saguaro Country | Ann and Rick Hudson | |
| 06 September 2024 | Northampton and Milton Keynes | To be confirmed | ||
| 06 September 2024 | Southend-on-Sea and District | Showstoppers | Les Hewitt | |
| 09 September 2024 | Huddersfield | Auction | n/a | |
| 09 September 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | TBC | Ralph Martin | |
| 10 September 2024 | Croydon | Patagonia -Part 3 | Mike Partridge | Mike has travelled extensivly in this region of South America and will show plants in habitat. |
| 10 September 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | Rebutia and Much More in Argentina | Ralph Martin | Shared speaker, at Macclesfield the night before, our only South American talk of the year |
| 11 September 2024 | High Wycombe | Members Evening | talks by our own members | |
| 11 September 2024 | Lincoln | My Favourite Cactus or Succulent | Branch Members Plants | |
| 11 September 2024 | Northumbria | My Scottish greenhouse | Brian McDonough | Results of interbreeding + more splendid photography. |
| 11 September 2024 | Teesside | My Scottish Greenhouse | Brian McDonough | |
| 12 September 2024 | Peterborough | Haworthia | Les Hewitt | |
| 12 September 2024 | Rother Valley | Members' Evening | All welcome | After the success of last years, another opportunity for members to share their passions |
| 13 September 2024 | Sheffield | Canary Islands | Elizabeth Maddock | As a change from winning Gold Medal at RHS Tatton Park, Elizabeth will take us on a succulent trip to the Canaries |
| 14 September 2024 | Gloucester | Minishow | ||
| 14 September 2024 | Isle Of Wight | Winter Growing Succulents | ||
| 14 September 2024 | Lea Valley | Topic to be announced | TBA | |
| 14 September 2024 | Manchester | Early evolution of cacti part 2 | Ivor Crook | |
| 16 September 2024 | Leeds | Flowering (Northern) Mexico (2014/2015) | Peter Berresford | |
| 17 September 2024 | Birmingham and District | Evening Showing and Judging, a great preulde to our own show. An opportunity to gain confidence in showing off the best plants in our collections | Branch Run | Please bring along plants to show. We will judge one anothers plants and award one another with prasies and prizes. |
| 17 September 2024 | Bristol | Copiapoa | Alan Weaden | |
| 18 September 2024 | Herne Bay and District | Patagonia Part 2 | Mike Partridge | |
| 18 September 2024 | Somerset | ‘Continetal Collections’ | Tom Radford | |
| 18 September 2024 | South Wales | TBA | Richard Booth | Table show: Coryphantha group, Copiapoa group, Mesembryanthemum group (excluding Conophytum and Lithops subgroups), Pachypodium group, Kedrostis group |
| 19 September 2024 | Chelmsford | Monsters, freaks and chimeras | Chris Coombes | |
| 19 September 2024 | Grampian (N.E.Scotland) | Plant of the Month N-S | ||
| 20 September 2024 | Spalding | Astrophytum Plant Workshop | Bill Darbon | |
| 21 September 2024 | Havering | Namibia | Ron Crawford | |
| 21 September 2024 | Portsmouth and District | Social Evening - Details to follow | N/A | |
| 24 September 2024 | York | Show and tell | Members’ | |
| 25 September 2024 | Bromley | Haworthias | Stirling Baker | An overview of Haworthias from an excellent grower of the Genus. |
| 26 September 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | AGM and Plant Auction | ||
| 26 September 2024 | Oxford | My latest trip (Angola)??or unusual succulents | Bob Potter | Bob and Beryl are well known to us from their nursery “ TOOBEES” they regularly attended many BCSS events selling succulent plants. Bob is one of the committee of The Euphorbia Society as travelled widely to see Succulents plants in their natural environment, mainly in the African Continent. His presentations always show some of the plants he has encountered on his travels so I am sure we will enjoy the evening. |
| 28 September 2024 | Dover | Argentina Part 1 - People, Places and Plants | Dr Richard Rolfe | Aimed to give some idea of the spectular scenery, varied climates, the people and other places of interest all linked with seeking plants in habitat in NW Argentina. The added idea is to give people some idea of the soil types in which many succulent plants grow without humus. |
October 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 October 2024 | King's Lynn | Plants Ans Animals of the Western Cape Part1 | Hazel Taylor | |
| 02 October 2024 | Leicester | Growing the Mesembs | Roland Tebbenham | |
| 02 October 2024 | Norwich | NE Mexico Part 2 | Hazel Taylor | |
| 03 October 2024 | Chelmsford | ZOOM Meeting - Mesembryanthemums | Alice Vanden Bon | |
| 03 October 2024 | Clacton-on-Sea | Meeting Marlon | Dr John Hughes | This is chronologically the first of my Brazilian talks and takes us on a journey through Minas Gerais to meet Marlon Machado and finally takes us to cactus locations in the Salvador, Bahia area. I was fortunate to have Marlon’s field notes to allow me to make the best of the localities I visited before I was able to team up with Marlon. |
| 03 October 2024 | Exeter | Colorado | Jenny Nunn | |
| 03 October 2024 | Wiltshire | Lithops in Cultivation' | David Lambie | |
| 04 October 2024 | Chester and North Wales | Mini Mesemb show | Judge - Peter Bint | |
| 04 October 2024 | Hull | Tender Sedums | Ray Stephenson | |
| 04 October 2024 | Northampton and Milton Keynes | Agave, Aeonium and Haworthia | Stuart Riley | |
| 04 October 2024 | Southend-on-Sea and District | What's New With Gasteris | Derek Tribble | |
| 06 October 2024 | Birmingham and District | Our Autumn Show held at the Birmingham Botanic Gardens. Free entry for any participants! | Branch Run | See the main Shows and Regional / National Events page on this website for more details. |
| 08 October 2024 | Croydon | Autumn Closed Show | Dudley Baker | The evening show at Sanderstead Methodist Church mainly showcases Succulents. |
| 08 October 2024 | Lincoln | Social Evening and Blind Auction | ||
| 08 October 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | 2 Days More with the Pink and the Green | Ian Robinson | Final part of Ian's South African trilogy of talks |
| 09 October 2024 | High Wycombe | ‘Baja California Peninsula Mexico 2008’ | Cliff Thompson | |
| 09 October 2024 | Leicester | Committee Meeting | ||
| 09 October 2024 | Teesside | ‘A Bit of This and That’ | Ralph Martin | This talk covers a range of different topics, illustrated by about 10 slides on each, covering both cacti and succulents, favourites and the unusual, and a couple of "special topics". |
| 10 October 2024 | Northumbria | A bit of this and that | Ralph Martin | This talk covers a range of different topics, illustrated by about 10 slides on each, covering both cacti and succulents, favourites and the unusual, and a couple of "special topics". |
| 10 October 2024 | Rother Valley | Haworthias 2024 | Stirling Baker | An amazing grower of these popular succulents shares his knowledge |
| 11 October 2024 | Sheffield | Namibia - Etosha National Park and Lithops Hunting | Alan Brown | We welcome Alan to find out about one of Namibia's National Parks. Hunting, not with guns for animals, but for living stones |
| 12 October 2024 | Gloucester | My cacti in flower | Dave Hartnell | |
| 12 October 2024 | Havering | What's new? | Stuart Riley | |
| 12 October 2024 | Isle Of Wight | Madagascar | Dr Hazel Taylor | |
| 12 October 2024 | Lea Valley | Plants from South Africa | Roger Day | |
| 12 October 2024 | Manchester | North West Mesemb Show - talk title TBC | TBC | |
| 14 October 2024 | Huddersfield | Eye Catchers | David Quail | |
| 14 October 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | M' is mainly for cacti | Ian Robinson | |
| 15 October 2024 | Birmingham and District | Halloween workshop: Freaks of nature | Branch Run | A look at all thinks bizarre including variagations, cristates and grafts. Please bring plants along to discuss. |
| 16 October 2024 | Herne Bay and District | Argentina Part 2 | Richard Rolfe | |
| 16 October 2024 | Somerset | ‘Brazil 2023’ | Peter Sparks | |
| 16 October 2024 | South Wales | More adventures in Mexico | Frank Sengpiel | Table show: Ariocarpus group, Eriosyce group, Cristate / Monstrose cactus, Haworthia group, Sempervivum subgroup |
| 17 October 2024 | Chelmsford | AGM - Members' evening | ||
| 17 October 2024 | Edinburgh | Baja – flora and fauna | Stan da Prato | |
| 17 October 2024 | Grampian (N.E.Scotland) | Plant of the Month T-Z | ||
| 18 October 2024 | Spalding | AGM/A Cold Front Moving Up From The South | Peter Dennis | |
| 19 October 2024 | Portsmouth and District | Details to follow | Cliff Thompson | |
| 19 October 2024 | Reading and Basingstoke | Bryan Makin | Derek Tribble | Chapel Hall |
| 20 October 2024 | Bristol | Autumn Event at Cleeve Village Hall | Peter Warren | |
| 21 October 2024 | Leeds | Hardy Succulents | Ray Stephenson | |
| 22 October 2024 | York | AGM | ||
| 23 October 2024 | Bromley | Autumn Show | Branch Autumn show for members and frequent visitors. | |
| 24 October 2024 | Oxford | Our road to Chelsea | Daniel and Jo Jackson Ottershaw Cacti | Daniel and Jo are the proprietors of”Ottershaw Cacti “- they have a number of large greenhouses at their premises and a vast collection of plants. They have now attended and displayed these at `RHS Shows around the UK for a number of years and have achieved “ GOLD MEDAL” awards at many. THIS IS THEIR STORY |
| 26 October 2024 | Dover | Opuntias | Mike Partridge | A talk by the Bromley branch secretary to be confirmed nearer the time. |
| 31 October 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | A Tourist in Baja California | Trevor Wray |
November 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 November 2024 | Chester and North Wales | AGM | ||
| 01 November 2024 | Hull | Agm and members pictures | Any branch member | 30 pictures any subject of your intersts |
| 01 November 2024 | Northampton and Milton Keynes | Title to be confirmed | Ray Stephenson | |
| 01 November 2024 | Southend-on-Sea and District | Cultivation Evening | ||
| 05 November 2024 | King's Lynn | AGM | ||
| 06 November 2024 | Leicester | TBC | ||
| 06 November 2024 | Norwich | AGM and Auction | Winter Table Show begins | |
| 07 November 2024 | Clacton-on-Sea | Cacti and succulent film night | Ron Crawford | |
| 07 November 2024 | Exeter | Brazil 2023/2024 | Peter Sparks | |
| 07 November 2024 | Wiltshire | T.B.C | David Richards | |
| 08 November 2024 | Sheffield | My affection for Agaves | Bryan Doherty | We welcome Bryan from Stockport to find out more about those striking plants, Agaves |
| 09 November 2024 | Gloucester | 2016 National Show (an organiser's view) | Bill Darbon | |
| 09 November 2024 | Isle Of Wight | Another Year Another Slide Show | A yeas in plants and Flowers | |
| 09 November 2024 | Manchester | What winter is like in South Africa | Peter Bint | |
| 11 November 2024 | Huddersfield | AGM | n/a | |
| 11 November 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | Conophytums | Peter Bint | |
| 12 November 2024 | Croydon | Annual General Meeting | Dudley Baker | This be followed by a cacti and succulent related activity (to be decided). |
| 12 November 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | An Introduction to Mint Plants | Hayley Stephens | Owner Hayley's enthusiasm for plants and her business |
| 13 November 2024 | High Wycombe | A BCSS talk From the Archives (t.b.c.) | Ian Small | |
| 13 November 2024 | Teesside | AGM and Members Photo Competition | ||
| 14 November 2024 | Northumbria | California/La Gomera | Les Pearcy | Brief summaries of 2 trips. |
| 14 November 2024 | Rother Valley | Soqotra | Neil Oakman | A second talk by this speaker with more about the endemic succulents of this magical island |
| 16 November 2024 | Havering | Cotyledon, Adromischus and Tylecodon | Derek Tribble | |
| 16 November 2024 | Portsmouth and District | AGM and Social Evening | N/A | |
| 16 November 2024 | Reading and Basingstoke | Mesembs in habitat and cultivation | Alice Vanden Bon | Chapel Hall |
| 19 November 2024 | Birmingham and District | The Great Outdoors Gardening with Cacti and Succulents | Paul Spracklin | Paul is a garden designer with a special interest in growing hardy cacti and succulents. His own garden in Essex is a showcase for what is possible. |
| 19 November 2024 | Bristol | AGM | Peter Warren | |
| 20 November 2024 | Herne Bay and District | Plants and Animals Madagascar | Hazel Taylor | |
| 20 November 2024 | Somerset | ‘California Roadtrip’ | Frank Sengpiel | |
| 20 November 2024 | South Wales | AGM | No table show | |
| 21 November 2024 | Chelmsford | Haworthias and Caudiciforms | Wasim Siddiqui and Ron Crawford | |
| 22 November 2024 | Grampian (N.E.Scotland) | AGM at The Redgarth, Oldmeldrum | 6.30pm start with meal to follow | |
| 26 November 2024 | York | Members’ Discussion Evening | ||
| 27 November 2024 | Bromley | Members evening | General chat + members participation evening – ‘What I enjoy about growing Cacti and Succulents’, ‘My favourite plant’, Plant QandA, etc. | |
| 28 November 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | Sulcorebutia and Weingartia | Vicky Davies | |
| 28 November 2024 | Oxford | Branch A G M | Christmas Nibbles | following the official business we hold a social function over Christmas nibbles |
| 30 November 2024 | Dover | Christmas Meeting | Dover Branch Committee | Our annual branch Christmas bring along buffet meeting. Including a general knowledge Quiz in teams hosted by Mark James. |
December 2024
| Date | Branch | Talk Title | Speaker | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 December 2024 | Norwich | Christmas Social | ||
| 05 December 2024 | Clacton-on-Sea | Branch Christmas Dinner | ||
| 05 December 2024 | Exeter | AGM and Auction | ||
| 05 December 2024 | Wiltshire | AGM and Christmas Quiz and Buffet | Branch Chairman and Secretary | All welcome bring a plate of food to share |
| 05 December 2024 | York | The Olive Tree, York | Christmas Supper | |
| 06 December 2024 | Chester and North Wales | Stapeliads and related species | Tom Radford | (Zoom Talk) A wide ranging talk about the asclepiads in the greenhouse and in habitat. |
| 06 December 2024 | Hull | Xmas Party and Fun Quiz | Bob Hall | General Knowledge and picture quiz |
| 06 December 2024 | Northampton and Milton Keynes | Branch AGM and Social | ||
| 06 December 2024 | Southend-on-Sea and District | Short talk/AGM/Social | ||
| 09 December 2024 | Huddersfield | Christmas Dinner | n/a | |
| 09 December 2024 | Macclesfield and East Cheshire | Demonstrations and Short talks | ||
| 10 December 2024 | Birmingham and District | Christmas celebration and AGM, with Quiz | All members welcome | |
| 10 December 2024 | Croydon | Collecting, Growing and Travelling | Stuart Riley | Stuart, proprietor of a nursery, will give us a photgraphic account of his life-long activities. |
| 10 December 2024 | Stoke-on-Trent | AGM and Christmas Party | N/A | Final meeting of our branch, and enjoying Christmas party food ! |
| 11 December 2024 | Brighton, Hove and District | Christmas Drinks and Lunch | ||
| 11 December 2024 | High Wycombe | AGM / Christmas Supper | No speaker | |
| 11 December 2024 | Teesside | More Wonderful Echinocereus | Peter Berresford | |
| 12 December 2024 | Chelmsford | Members' WhatsApp photos from the year | WhatsApp Administrator and members | |
| 12 December 2024 | Edinburgh | The National Collection of Aylostera, Rebutia & Weingartia (including Sulcorebutia) | Paul Doyle | |
| 12 December 2024 | Northumbria | Before the Great Quake | Ray Stephenson | 9 trips to Turkey have resulted in lots of succulent finds in a tectonically active area. + Oukaimeden Sept ‘23 |
| 12 December 2024 | Rother Valley | Chrismas Social | All welcome | Our annual pub lunch - come and join us! |
| 13 December 2024 | Sheffield | AGM followed by Branch Social and Quiz | AGM, social, with a quiz on cacti, succulents - and allsorts: win your 2025 BCSS membership fee | |
| 14 December 2024 | Gloucester | Christmas social | ||
| 14 December 2024 | Isle Of Wight | Branch AGM and American Supper | ||
| 14 December 2024 | Manchester | AGM, Christmas Celebration | something unexpected | |
| 18 December 2024 | Herne Bay and District | Christmas Party | ||
| 21 December 2024 | Reading and Basingstoke | Succulents for the showbench | Gillian Evison | Zoom |