BCSS - Forum

Hi everybody,

I'm Martin, currently in the Hove area but based in Wiltshire. Some might know me as david_phil's son.

I'm very interested in Gasterias, and smaller Haworthias and Aloes (mostly due to space). I've also recently taken an interest in the smaller Bulbines as well.

As for cacti, I'm interested in Gymnocacti, Gymnocalyciums and to a lesser extent Lobivia and Astrophytum. I also have several cacti from various genera.

Unfortunately, most of my plants are taking up precious my dad's precious greenhouse space, and I have only been able a single Gasteria with me, so I get to miss the majority of my plants in flower. I hope to be able to free up his greenhouse space when I have a place to call my own, so he can finally create the stapeliad paradise he's always wanted.

Hoping to rejoin the BCSS once I'm no longer a student. I'm looking forward to talking about my hobby here!

Hi Martin, welcome to the forum.
Your story is all too familiar to me, as a studant I left my collection with my father for far too long, like about thirty years, hope you don't take so long to get your plants back.

Welcome, Martin.
There are several gasterophiles here

'Several gasterophiles' - that sounds more like a warning Tony!!. I'd recommend the Brighton BCSS meetings, not far from you in Hove, one of the more lively BCSS branches with a good attendance and usually quite a few sales plants. Watch out for gasterophiles though, they've been known to attend these meetings!
Stuart

Hello gasteraloe94

As chairman of Brighton Branch I can assure you of a warm welcome. We do indeed have plenty of plant sales, many provided by, among others, the Lesser Spotted Stuart, who is far too modest to assert his position as top nurseryman and supplier of high quality, reasonably priced plants to BCSS events.

We meet on the last Thursday of the month at the hall of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Stanley Avenue, Mile Oak, Portslade, BN41 2WH. We're very friendly and only bite when there's a full moon!

Our next speaker is Tom Hart Dyke of Lullingstone Castle fame.

By the way, Tony R. is a gasterophile par excellence and his Gasterias in the Flesh talk is highly recommended ... and if you're really desperate I'm giving my Gymnocalycium in Person talk in Herne Bay and Southampton this year.

Graham.

Thankyou for the warm welcome.

I'll see if I can make it to the meetings at Hove, Werewolf, but it is a fair walk away and I don't have a car. I also shouldn't really be put in the position where I can buy more plants though (because I will), it'll just make lugging them back to Wiltshire more difficult at the end of my stay in Hove. I'll see what I can do - especially as it's a New Moon this month.

Once I'm back in Melksham in April I'll see if I can take some pictures of plants that I can put up; or ask my dad to send me some. He has a fair amount of photos online of the collection.

It would be nice to meet some of you soon.

Martin