Mammillaria rekoi ssp.leptacantha

Transcription

1 Mammillaria rekoi ssp.leptacantha June 2015

2 Chairperson s thoughts, no 6 Finally summer has arrived and we can enjoy all the flowers that are bursting out of our plants. The weather has been extremely up and down this year. In April it was very warm and I put a lot of plants outside, then it turned really cold and I bought them all in again. Well, now I have put a lot outside again and they will have to stay there. I find a lot of our plants grow really well outside in summer and take on good colour and respond well to the better light. The better growth stands them in good stead for the winter and for the following year and may even lead to more flowers. Of course, I know some plants are better left in the greenhouse, as they do not enjoy our unreliable summers. Some do not need all the rain we get, so they are better left inside, others do not appreciate some of the cold we get in summer either. So, if you put plants outside make sure they are the less fussy ones. Most Agaves, Aloes and Crassulaceae will love the weather. I put some of the bigger tougher cacti out, such as Echinopsis, Trichocereus, Mammillarias and Opuntias but only a few as putting a lot of plants out gets tiring, especially if you have to rush them back in again. Hailstones are the thing you must look out for. A tarpaulin standing by is helpful. On the Forum I read the Essex Succulent Review. I have read it before and have been very impressed with it. This set me off thinking about all the plants we grow and what a variety there is. Many of us specialise in certain genera and it would be very helpful for the less knowledgeable among us to get that information to grow them better. So, what about if some of us could write a piece about their favourite genus? A different one each quarter should not be too difficult and it would help Alasdair fill up his newsletter and make interesting reading and improve the quality of what we grow. I could get us started by writing about something NOT in the Crassulaceae family. I do grow quite a lot of other things. I could cover Echeverias etc another time. Please, consider doing this and think about what you grow well, it would add real value to our newsletters. Finally don t forget the Wilmslow Show and our Show, it is on Sunday 5th July, at the High School playing fields, again. We have some very good growers in our branch and they should seriously think about sharing their plants with the rest of us and maybe win a prize as well. Also the symposium is on Saturday 20th June, at Middleton, 15 three good speakers and lunch and tea, a very good day out for all enthusiasts. The Tatton Show is the 22nd to 26th July and the Poynton Show is August Bank Holiday Saturday. Another summer full of plant interest, so good growing. Elizabeth 2

3 CHESHIRE TORTOISE DAY 16th MAY 2015 The 14th annual event was held at the Woodford Community Centre, Woodford. Organised by the five members of the Cheshire Group of the British Chelonia Group (BCG), the growing popularity of the day saw a record attendance of around 700 visitors. Many families arrived to enjoy the day, joined by reptile enthusiasts, vets, tortoise owners and those interested in conservation. The Cheshire group planned the experience to include educational and natural history aspects and fun activities for children. This year the organisers were proud to have an extensive team of 7 specialist tortoise nurses from the Veterinary Health Centre, Lytham St. Annes, Lancs. They were led by Siuna Reid MRCVS. The veterinary tortoise girls were busy throughout the day with tortoise health checks, advice, nail and beak clipping, diagnostic checks and the microchipping service. Siuna, an accomplished author, sold many of her tortoise books. A record 250 tortoises were examined and the species included not only the common ones but also some of the less frequently encountered exotic species. Siuna Reid gave a presentation in the afternoon to an enthusiastic audience on Tortoise hibernation and anatomy and they were fascinated to hear recordings of tortoise respiration on the specialised equipment. The range of free BCG tortoise care sheets were available on the literature and information stand and a display from the Marine Conservation Society had many educational handouts. Other attractions in the hall included the chelonian livestock display where visitors could view the various species close up with experts on hand to answer questions. A range of new and exciting stands showcased their crafts, pottery and unique artwork for sale, much of which had a tortoise theme. On other stands the tortoise food plants sold well, and Chameleoco (Manchester) displayed and sold reptile equipment. Also to be viewed was the National Trust display and our branch the British Cactus and Succulent Society. David and Judith Roseblade and Elizabeth Maddock were minding our shop and were kept busy with cactus sales and advice. In the tearoom area, light refreshments were available all day and the now famous bacon baps were back by popular demand. For children, the Turtle Island competition created much interest and the drawing competition with the Esiotrot theme kept little ones busy. The successful tombola and raffle raised much needed funding for conservation. The Cheshire Group of the BCG would like to thank the many volunteers and supporters of our now famous Cheshire Tortoise Day for their contribution to a very successful event. The Cheshire Group are proud to announce the main supporters of this year s Tortoise Day and special thanks go to Dame Judi Dench (following the recent TV production of Roald Dahl s Esiotrot ) and also 3

4 Barclay s Bank for their generous support. The funds raised from the Cheshire Tortoise Day support BCG tortoise, terrapin and turtle conservation worldwide. Details of the next Cheshire Tortoise Day will be available in Spring Further information on the day is available from Anne: or myself at: julia.davenport@virgin.net. Julia Davenport Did you see them? Two interesting short items concerning cacti and succulents were on television in the past few weeks. Firstly, the Beechgrove Garden, a long running BBC2 Scotland mid-week gardening programme which is repeated on Sunday mornings on BBC2, featured a good sized piece and interview with Hamish McKelvie of Glasgow branch. Hamish is a fine grower, has a beautiful collection and is a very successful exhibitor. I thought it was a good conversation that the reporter had with Hamish and an excellent advertisement for the hobby. The other item, also on a Sunday, was a part of Countryfile and the piece concentrated on cultivation of specialised crops for specialised creatures and it didn t take long to focus on harvesting of Oputias to feed tortoises. Any thoughts or comments on this, Julia? Essex Succulent Review 4 Alasdair I was going to mention Essex Succulent Review (ESR) and by coincidence Elizabeth also mentioned it in her Chairperson s thoughts. I had said to the present Editor, Sheila Cude, that I was intending to highlight this free online publication in our Newsletter and she was very supportive of this action. I feel that there is always a good mix of articles in each quarterly issue of ESR. If you don t know the publication it s very easy to give it a try. The web address for the back issues is or Sheila s address is sheilacude@blueyonder.co.uk Sheila says she would be delighted if anyone in our Branch wanted to subscribe, and she is more than happy to send them pdf to look at. If, by any chance you are not too happy with the contents then you are perfectly at liberty to write an article on virtually any cactus or succulent topic that you think would interest others. ESR is not something new. Before going on line the title had 200 issues of hard copy behind it with Eddy Harris, the present BCSS Secretary, as Editor for the past 30 years and the first issue goes back even further because it was started by Len Newton in I ve been a subscriber for the past 18 years and have always enjoyed the publication. Alasdair

5 Forthcoming attractions This is amazing, it s difficult to recall when we had quite so much coming up in the one quarter, there really is something for everyone June 20th Zone 19 Convention. This was mentioned in the March Newsletter and I ve repeated the information in this issue. Elizabeth still has tickets. A word about the speakers - From the UK is Graham Charles, who is giving two talks. Graham is one of the most popular and knowledgeable speakers in the country and despite giving a great many talks always seems to come up with something fresh. Few know more about South America or are as widely travelled. It s not all South America this time, although he s talking about the Small Andean Opuntias, we also go to North America for Thelocactus, a genus which I think is steadily increasing in popularity. Graham, of course always has some very fine sales plants. Guiseppe Orlando hails from Sicily but actually lives in Tenerife and I think was first introduced to a North West audience at the Northern Weekend in 2008 when we were all impressed by his command of English, his very fine presentation and his liking for travelling to areas where few others cared to venture to see and skilfully photograph the succulent plants. Guiseppe made such a good impression that he is now frequently invited back to this country to speak at Conventions. On the 20th he will be taking us to the Horn of Africa. Our third speaker is a Dutchman, Wiebe Bosma, perhaps less well known to local enthusiasts than the other two speakers but he will undoubtedly make a big impression on us with Stapieliads Tame and Wild. A great challenge for the grower and photographer alike. July July brings the Wilmslow Show/Branch Show and the following note from our Show Secretary, David Roseblade, as always, well supported by Judith covers the subject: Wilmslow Show Just a reminder our Branch Show is a week earlier than usual, it s on Sunday 5th July from 11am to 5pm. At Wilmslow hhgh School Playing Field SK9 1LZ Closing date for entries is Tuesday 30th June. Last year we had 180 entries. It would be nice if we could break the 200 barrier this year. Please, everyone consider entering to support your Show now and in the future. 5

6 As normal, the Wilmslow Horticultural committee is looking for help from our branch members in both setting up on Friday 3rd July starting at 2pm and dismantling after the show finishes on Sunday. Setting up this year will be a lot easier as there is no scaffolding to erect and only about six display boards. There will be about 100 tables to put in place. As many volunteers as possible for this task would be appreciated. Also volunteers required during the opening hours of the show to keep a check on the display plants to ensure no damage occurs and also giving advice to the general public if required. I have a supply of show schedules should anyone require one. Alternatively go to [As many of you will know, David has not been very well recently and we send our best wishes both to him and to Judith] Our July meeting on the 13th will be a first for the branch in that we have never previously had a talk illustrated with pictures in 3D. The talk is entitled Adventures in Chile and will be presented by Dr Jonathan Clark who is a member of Reading branch nowadays but there will be one or two of our members who will recall him as a Junior member of our own branch. It s Tatton Park time again from 22nd until 26th July and the Tatton Group have been diligently planning the BCSS exhibit. At our May meeting there was a preliminary request for helpers during Show week, The request will soon be more urgent so please help if you can. It s good fun, you will get to see a bit of the Show and on the minus side you are likely to have to be on your feet for quite long periods. In August, we welcome back Paul Klaassen, a regular August visitor, to present his regular August talk What I did last winter. As we now know, Paul does something different every winter and it always informs and entertains us. Last year we accepted an invitation from High Legh Garden Centre to promote cacti and succulents and they treated us very well. They have invited us to do a Sunday in August. If I can find two helpers I will be happy to progress this. 29th August, Bank Holiday Saturday brings round Poynton Show once again with eight cactus and succulent classes to enter and, hopefully, an exhibit to put together and to staff.please help if you can. Next day is Gordon Foster s Oak Dene Nurseries Open Day from 9.00am- 6.00pm. Society President, Colin Walker, pays us a visit in September to tell us about Agaves through the Ages. Colin, who is on the staff of the Open University, is a respected authority and writer on Aloes and Agaves and, what s more, a very entertaining speaker. As an extra, he might even be sharing some information about a new sponsored class at next year s National Show. 6

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8 Tickets from Elizabeth Maddock Tickets from Elizabeth Maddock 15 including buffet lunch or and morning and afternoon refreshmets 15 including buffet lunch and morning and afternoon refreshments A vegetarian lunch can be provided if requested at the time of booking