Mariel will have an open garden on Saturday, April 18, from 10 am to 3 pm.
WHAT: Mariel’s garden was recently was certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a wildlife habitat.
WHERE: Rancho Cordova (for address, see April newsletter emailed to members)
WHEN: Saturday, April 18, 10 am to 3 pm
SAVE THE DATE! Wednesday, April 22, 2025
WHAT’S HAPPENING? A Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society educational field trip to the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory.
The UC Davis Botanical Conservatory is home to a diverse collection of over 4,000 plant species from around the world, providing a unique space for education, research, and conservation. Our greenhouse showcases rare and unusual plants from tropical rainforests, arid deserts, and carnivorous habitats, offering visitors a hands-on experience with plant adaptations and biodiversity. Whether exploring on a self-guided
visit, joining a guided tour, or participating in internships and volunteer opportunities, the Conservatory is a hub for discovery and learning.
Join fellow plant lovers from the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society for a 45 to 60 minute docent led tour of this botanical gem.
DATE: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
TIME: 9:45am at the Conservatory. The tour will begin at 10:00am.They will break us up into groups no larger than 15 people at a time.
COST: Admission to SCSS members will be free. Non members $14.00. WOW! For $15.00 a non-member can become a member!
PARKING: Weekday parking on the UCD campus is $18.00/day, no hourly rate. Besides being eco-friendly, carpooling can be good for your pocket book. We highly recommend forming carpools.
HOW TO SIGN UP: Simply fill out this form and you’re ready to go.
HAVE QUESTIONS? If you have concerns or questions about the trip, please contact Dave Roberts. Email: roblands94@gmail.com. Cell phone: 916/416-9368.
Exploring remote locations to try to find new species and decipher relationships between species can often get researchers into challenging situations on the sides of cliffs or in sketchy boats. Stephen has braved rough seas, steep climbs, and close encounters with dangerous wildlife as part of the process of naming five Dudleya species new to science. While describing these adventures, he will also talk about the many endangered species of Dudleya (a.k.a Liveforevers) and how grow them successfully.
Stephen McCabe worked in Yosemite for three summers, started studying Dudleya in 1983, then worked at the University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum for 30 years. His hobby of rock climbing has come in handy in accessing some of the species in the group he studies. He has published widely on the genus Dudleya and on a variety of subjects. Some of the publications were in Madroño, the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Fine Gardening, the Jepson Manual second edition, Systematic Botany, the American Alpine Journal, and Rock Garden Quarterly. He has named five species of Dudleya and has developed cultivars of Dudleya, monkey flower, × Gasteraloe, manzanita, and an Australian shrub. He was named the first and only Fellow of the Society for the San Jose Cactus and Succulent Society. Stephen and his brother Bill, our current club president, have been growing cacti and succulents since they were young.
April meeting:
Monday, April 27, 2026
6:15pm -9:15pm
Doors open at 6:15 for plant sales and fellowship.
Program begins at 7 PM.
Theresa will have an open garden on Saturday, March 28, from 1-5 pm.
WHAT: Cactus & succulents, small greenhouse, California natives, hardy tropicals, succulent seascape, garden art.
WHERE: Fair Oaks (see March newsletter for address)
WHEN: Saturday, March 28, 1-5 pm
SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, April 11, 2026
WHAT’S HAPPENING? A Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society educational field trip to Poot’s Cactus Nursery in Ripon, about 1 hour south of Sacramento.
There are some of you out there who have never been to Poot’s Cactus Nursery?! The perfect opportunity to right that wrong is coming up on Saturday, April 11. It’s also the perfect time of
year to shop at Poot’s. The crew at Poot’s will have filled all of their tables with the new stock of plants for 2026. In addition to that, Poot’s is planning on having other Cactus Succulent Vendors at their place on April 11 th. Despite it being a busy day for the nursery, we should be able to take a behind the scenes tour of the propagation greenhouse.
Any Club members that wish to come should meet at Poot’s about 10 minutes before 9AM on Sat, April 11 (we want to avoid the rush). There is a small paved parking area directly in front of the nursery, as well as a larger dirt parking area. We can gather there and enter as a group.
DATE: Saturday, April 11, 2026
TIME: 8:45am at Poot’s
WHERE: Poot’s Cactus Nursery, 17229 E. Hwy 120, Ripon, CA 95366
COST: Free
HOW TO SIGN UP: No need to sign up. Simply show up at Poot’s before 9 am.
HAVE QUESTIONS? If you have concerns or questions about the trip, please contact Dave Roberts. Email: roblands94@gmail.com. Cell phone: 916/416-9368.
The Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society Show and Sale will be on May 3-5, 2026. This is the time for club members to show your plants in either novice or advanced categories!
The March meeting will focus on how to show your plants to best advantage. Club members who volunteered will bring in plants and get expert feedback on those plants grom Keith Taylor, Penny Newell and Cassidy Roberts-Yee, club members who have had winning entrants. Ok you club members who volunteered, please remember to bring those plants in!! Details on the judging, entering of plants for the judged show, and general ins and outs of the annual sale will be covered.
Even if you do not plan to enter plants this year (but we hope you will), the growing and showing tips to be offered will help get those “up and comers” growing beautifully and ready for next year or for display in your garden. Please feel free to bring photos of any plants you would like to get feedback on, as time permitting, there may be opportunity in a small group format to talk about those plants with other club members.
March meeting:
March 23rd, 2026
6:15pm -9:15pm
Doors open at 6:15 for plant sales and fellowship.
Program begins at 7 PM.
Gerhard will have an open garden on Saturday, March 7, from 11 am to 3 pm. Even if you came to Gerhard’s open garden in October, there’ll be plenty of new things to discover. Plus, the aloes should be in full bloom, including some fairly mature specimens.
Check out this photo from last year. To see more pictures, visit his blog, Succulents and More.
WHERE: Davis (see February newsletter for address)
WHEN: Saturday, March 7, 11 am to 3 pm
Cassidy wiil show you plants and tell you about them!
Rare and exotic plants that you may not have seen in person will be featured. Cassidy is a club member and owns Radiant Cactus. He will be a vendor at the club May show.
Come to the meeting to see and hear about some special plants!
February meeting:
February 23rd, 2026
6:15pm -9:15pm
Doors open at 6:15 for plant sales and fellowship.
Program begins at 7 PM.
presented by Kyle Johnson and Gerhard Bock
Want a climate-resilient, modern, water-wise succulent garden but don’t know where to start? Think you need to visit specialty nurseries to find plant material for your design? Think again!
Join us for an inspiring presentation and learn how to create a stunning landscape using affordable and accessible succulents from your local big-box store. We’ll demystify the process from start to finish, showing you how to:
Whether you’re a beginner or a budget-savvy gardener, you’ll leave with the confidence and knowledge to turn a simple shopping cart of plants into a showstopping, low-maintenance garden display.
SCSS members Kyle Johnson and Gerhard Bock have created spectacular succulent landscapes in their own gardens. Many plants are from low-cost sources like Lowe’s and The Home Depot. To see photos of both their gardens, visit Gerhard’s
blog, Succulents and More.
Disclaimer: Although this talk is on big-box plant acquisition, we highly recommend starting at your local nurseries, where your dollars will stay local, supporting your community and neighbors. Additionally, local nursery folks can help guide you in your plant selection.
EVENT REMINDER:
The club will have a booth at the Northern California Home & Landscape Expo at Cal Expo on Jan 30, 31, and Feb 1: https://www.homeandlandscapeexpo.com/.
Members are welcome to come visit our booth, and we can always use a few volunteers to talk with interested people about cacti & succulents. If you volunteer for at least 3 hours, we can provide parking passes for you. There is a special place for volunteer parking that also allows you to get into the Expo for free. If interested, please contact Bill.
WHAT: Northern California Home & Landscape Expo
WHERE: Cal Expo (Google Maps)
WHEN:
Friday, Jan 30, 11AM-5PM
Saturday, Jan 31, 10AM-5PM
Sunday, Feb 1, 11AM-5PM
