Enjoy My Fun, Informative Succulent Show-and-Sale Videos Amazing tips

In my latest videos, we go behind the scenes at a San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society (SDCSS) show. You'll meet organizers, volunteers, and vendors; see amazing plants; and find out what to know before you go.

Sales Chairperson Chris Miller is a haworthia expert and the group's V-P

The idea of making a video about San Diego's show-and-sale came from friend/collector Rick Bjorklund. Such events are a huge undertaking, and organizers and volunteers deserve accolades. Plus they have great tips to share.

I met up with Rick the day before the show during set-up and took photos and footage of anyone and anything interesting. Well, everyone and everything was, so instead of one video, I realized I needed to do four. I haven't edited them all yet, but I can't wait to share these first two with you. The people and plants are so interesting, amazing and memorable!

You may spot yourself among the crowd if you were there, or your collector-friends. You'll definitely see experts you've heard of and---I'm betting---others you'll find equally fascinating.

For sale: Variegated aloes and agaves from Altman Plants' tissue culture lab. They originated with renowned hybridizer Kelly Griffin, past president of the SDCSS. In the third video of my series you'll see him in yet another role: judging plants members entered in the show.

Summary of my new video series

Part 1: SHOW SET-UP & VENDORS Taken the day before the SDCSS winter show. You'll see growers, the succulents they're especially proud of, and a set-up Rick describes "is like a symphony.”

Part 2: SHOW & SALE DAY More plants, vendors and experts, plus numerous rare and beautiful specimens that shoppers snapped up and happily discuss. So aglow are some, you'd think they'd birthed those small striped agaves or cacti themselves.

A collector's haul includes grafted cacti and haworthias

What's ahead

Subscribe to my YouTube channel to be among the first to see the soon-to-be-released sequels:

Part 3: PLANT JUDGING & WINNERS. We eavesdrop on judges, see impressive plants on display, and view blue-ribbon specimens staged in stunning art pottery.

Part 4: THE ALLURE OF SUCCULENTS. The delightfully erudite Steven Hammer of lithops fame holds forth on why succulents are sexy. Except he doesn't say it quite so bluntly.

Shoppers and collectors arrive at the San Diego CSS show in Balboa Park early for the best selection.

The SDCSS holds two shows annually. The big summer show takes place the first weekend in June at Casa del Prado in Balboa Park. Find details on my Shows and Sales page or the SDCSS website.

For decades, Casa del Prado in historic Balboa Park has served as the venue for SDCSS shows, sales and meetings. Photo: San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society

Postscript

I tend to be more into getting photos than plants, but every so often I can't resist one. At the SDCSS show, I wanted a yellow-and-red fairy castle (Acanthocereus tetragonus 'Variegata'), shown in the top photo at far right.

I lost track of time and before I could grab one, they sold out. Obtaining it was what lured me to Josh Allen's Fairview Nursery two weeks later...resulting in even more photos and footage!

Take a virtual tour of this up-and-coming grower/collector here on my site and in the corresponding video:

See Josh Allen’s Rare Aloe & Cycad Nursery Near San Diego

Josh Allen is making his dream come true: Developing a nursery and botanic garden specializing in rare succulents and cycads. “There’s a big market for beautiful, hard-to-find plants,” he says, adding that creating new hybrids and “playing with plant genetics” are what he does best. He especially enjoys Aloe hybridizing and  breeding rare and desirable…

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Upcoming Succulent Shows & Sales 

Save the Dates! Upcoming Succulent Shows & Sales  Some of these open early for members. I’ve listed dates and times that events welcome the general public. Details may change as dates approach; click links to verify.  SAT-SUN April 27-28 San Jose C&SS , Fairgrounds: 344 Tully Rd, San Jose, CA SAT April 27, 11 to 3 Palomar C&SS Spring…

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Plants and Pots at the Cactus & Succulent Society Show

To see amazing succulents in elegant art pots, attend a Cactus & Succulent Society Show. The largest in the US is the annual Inter-City Show at the Los Angeles Arboretum mid-August. Judges award ribbons and trophies based on how well a specimen is grown, its rarity, and how well it’s “staged” in its pot. Pots aren’t…

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Garden Etiquette Gaffes Amazing tips

No one wants to commit an etiquette gaffe, but when it comes to garden tours, plant shows and sales, and going to nurseries big and small, it's all too easy to do. We get caught up in all things spring and can be, well, clueless.

Perfect for spring garden touring: A garden hat decorated with succulents. By Laura Balaoro for Better Homes & Gardens. Get how-to and design ideas.

Yes, we’ll wear sunscreen, closed-toe shoes and bring a hat and drinking water. We’ll park legally, duh. But have you considered…

• Owners of private gardens would rather you don’t bring pets; uninvited or unregistered guests; anything on wheels; or cumbersome bags or backpacks.
• Beverages are best left in the car. You want your hands free, and you sure don't want to spend time hunting a trash can.
• Access may be challenging. I like how the SDHS/APLD Garden Tour (Sat., April 14) advises diplomatically, “Stay on paths and respect your own abilities to navigate stairs, steps, paths and walkways.”
• Watch out for mud puddles, uneven terrain, and plants with sharp tips or spines.
• Rethink wearing floaty clothes that can get snagged.
• Accidentally break something? Mortifying, I know. But do tell the host or whomever is in charge. Don’t try to hide it, or leave it to be found and fixed later.
  

Avoid touching succulent leaves that have a powdery coating. It rubs off easily, and you’ll leave behind fingerprints. (Which means we can find out who did it, ha.)

Heed these nursery no-no’s

Don’t filch fallen pieces of plants. They may be sweepings headed for the trash, but the nursery or vendor is in the business of selling plants, not giving them away.

• Keep an eye on your kids. Employees cringe when children throw rocks, jump off retaining walls, pick flowers, and splash in water features.

Tempted to take a tag to help you remember? Aiee! It’s better for both you and the nursery to photograph the tag with the plant.

• If you pick up a succulent or other nursery plant, take care to set it down where it was. Otherwise it might miss its regular watering schedule or get too much (or too little) sun exposure.

Tips from San Diego’s ultimate garden host

I’m indebted to Jim Bishop, past-president of the San Diego Horticultural Society, for helping me with much of the above...and for yet another tip you may find amusing (as I do):

• Probably best not to bring food into anyone’s garden…but bringing a special treat for the owner is often welcomed.

Re plant IDs, Jim advises, “If you want to know the name of a plant, and the host isn’t available, take a photo and ask later. Nothing worse than being asked what ‘the yellow flower is’ when 50 different ones are blooming!” Photo: Jim Bishop

• Finally and importantly, Always thank the host for opening their garden, and thank any volunteers for helping out.

Btw, Jim’s garden, which has been on numerous Mission Hills Garden Walks, isn't in 2024, but do enjoy it virtually in his stunning Facebook photos.

And if you’ve yet to do so, be sure to watch my two-part You Tube tour and interview with Jim:

P.S. Helpful ideas for hosts

When showing my garden to friends, neighbors, or small groups, I usually...

• Offer cuttings. If I have plenty to give away, I have bags handy. I say, “I’m happy to share cuttings, so don’t hesitate to ask. No worries, if it’s something I don’t want to part with, I’ll tell you.”
• I take cuttings myself rather than handing a guest clippers. I think it makes us both more comfortable.
• Three cuttings are better than one. It delights the recipient and makes the host seem incredibly generous. (Ahem.)

A friend's grandkids loved all the flowers. They made a play "salad" with some of them.

• If there's an abundance of flowers or fruit, I ask guests to take some home. It's a shame for appealing perishables to go to waste. I won’t miss them, and people invariably are hesitant to ask.
• If I've told friends to BYOV (bring your own vase), I'll have boxes and packing materials handy to avoid arrangements spilling on the ride home.
• Save glass jars that fit car cupholders.

Did I miss anything? Do you have your own tips and experiences to share? Please tell us in the Comments below!

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Upcoming Succulent Shows & Sales Amazing tips

Save the Dates! Upcoming Succulent Shows & Sales 

Some of these open early for members. I've listed dates and times that events welcome the general public. Details may change as dates approach; click links to verify. 

SAT-SUN April 13-14 Monterey Bay Area C&SS Spring Sale and Show, Portuguese Hall, 124 Atkinson Lane, Watsonville, CA 95076

SAT-SUN April 13-14, 9 to 4 South Coast C&SS Show & Sale, Palos Verdes Art Center, 5504 Crestridge Rd., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

SUN April 14, 9 to 4 Conejo Cactus & Succulent Society Spring Sale, 558 N Ventu Park Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA

SAT-SUN April 27-28 San Jose C&SS , Fairgrounds: 344 Tully Rd, San Jose, CA

SAT April 27, 11 to 3 Palomar C&SS Spring Festival. Free workshops on growing cacti & succulents. Community Center, 210 E. Park Ave., Escondido, CA

SUN April 28, 10 to 5 Huntington Spring Plant Sale, RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: www.huntington.org. Huntington Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino, CA

FRI-SUN May 3-5 (see hours above) Sacramento C&SS, Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento

FRI-SUN May 3-5 Sunset Succulent Society Show & Sale, Veterans Memorial Center, Teen Center, 4117 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA Includes bromeliads.     

SUN MAY 5, 12 to 4 Long Beach Cactus Club Show and Sale. Women’s Club of Bellflower, 9402 Oak St., Bellflower, CA

FRI-SAT MAY 10-11, 9 to 4  Gates Cactus & Succulent Society Show & Sale , Redlands Church of The Nazarene, 1307 E. Citrus Ave., Redlands, CA

SAT MAY 11, 10 to 3 Santa Barbara C&SS Show and Sale, Santa Barbara Women's Club, 670 Mission Canyon Rd., Santa Barbara

FRI-SAT May 17-18 (see hours above) Los Angeles C&SS Spring Sale, Tarzana Community & Cultural Center, 19130 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, CA New dates & location; Kids Day Sat 10-2

SAT-SUN May 18-19, Carmichael C&SS, Carmichael Park Clubhouse, 5750 Grant Ave., Carmichael, CA 

SAT-SUN May 25-26, Central Coast C&SS Show and Sale, Nipomo High School, 525 N. Thompson Ave., Nipomo, CA

I hope to add more as details become finalized. If you're a show organizer, please update your club's website so I can link to current info. Thanks. 

Don't see your sale here? LMK! -- Debra

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Select, Care For & Collect Dwarf “Star” Aloes Amazing tips

The savviest succulent collectors frequent a new Facebook group: "All That is Kelly Griffin." Kelly, a renowned succulent breeder, is responsible for dozens of aloe and agave cultivars.

Also find Kelly on Instagram. 

Kelly is perhaps best known for colorful dwarf aloes textured with raised dots and dashes. He also hybridizes aloes that make great landscape plants---which is mainly where my interest lies. Kelly scours the world for rare species, sometimes out-climbing goats in remote, rocky regions, in order to gather seeds.

Above: Kelly calls this Aloe viridiflora x A. ferox "Smokey Eyes."

The best way to find Kelly used to be at San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society meetings. He's a past-president and judges show plants. Yet public gatherings are dicey these days. With the "All That is Kelly Griffin" online group, you needn't leave home to see eye-candy succulents, learn from members (and the breeder himself), and show off your own KG collection.

Self-described "avid fan" Gina Julia started the group in May, 2020. "It's mainly for members to show Kelly's aloes in different growing environments," she explains, "and how beautiful they really are in their forms and colors. It is also our 'giving back' for the joy he brings to collectors."

How a Hybridizer Thinks

Although he may have been bemused initially by a Facebook group dedicated to his life's work, Kelly soon started adding comments and photos, answering questions, ID'ing plants, and sharing insights. "When you take two nice species and put them together, the result you hope for is not always the one you get," he says in a comment that accompanies his photo of an F1 cross:

Aloe suprafoliata x cameronii. Seed-grown Agave ovatifolia is in the background.

Of white aloes Kelly observes, "I have been trying to make a good white aloe as well as every other color combination. In 'Snowdrift' I was pleased with the shape, margins, growth habit, vigor, flower and solid color. It is a plant that I asked to go to production. I think it is better than most of mine in this vein."

Aloe 'Snow Drift' PPAF (Altman Plants)

Kelly's own garden

I first met Kelly in the '90s as a journalist covering dry-climate gardening for magazines and newspapers. Much later, after my books came out, I made several YouTube videos with and about him. His is one of the Featured Gardens in my book, Designing with Succulents (2nd edition), pp. 128-131.

Kelly praises Agave guiengola during a visit to his garden.

 

Gallery: Kelly Griffin Aloes

Below you'll see photos by Kelly, used with his permission. They're from the "All That Is Kelly Griffin" Facebook group. Most are aloes under cultivation in the test garden at Altman Plants, Vista, CA.

Aloe 'Blue Distans' (distans x meyeri) KG

Aloe 'Delta Dayglow' KG

Aloe 'Delta Rose' PPA KG

Aloe divaricata hybrid 'Zigzag' KG

Aloe ferox, green flower KG

Aloe fievetii hybrid cross KG

Aloe cv 'Frida'

Aloe hereroensis

Aloe 'Krakatoa' KG

Aloe mawii x A. powysiorum

Aloe microstigma KG

Aloe 'Oik' variegate

Aloe 'Peach Blush' KG

Aloe peglerae hybrid KG

Aloe rubroviolacea cross KG

Aloe 'Snow Drift' PPAF (Altman Plants)

Aloe suprafoliata x cameronii KG

Aloe vacillans from Yemen KG

Aloe viridiflora x A. ferox KG

Aloe 'Wildfire' KG

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Aloes: Uses, Photos, IDs & Varieties

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