ELK 2020

[Aiko]

It was big fun as usual. I don't think I have ever bought as many plants...
Mainly Lobivias and Gymnocalyciums.

[Aiko]

The ELK 2023 is coming. Just five more weeks.
Anyone from here attending?

[Transki]

I am going! It will be my first time. Really looking forward to it. The presentations sounds interesting but I would probably not understand a word of the one spoken in French?

[Aiko]

I sometimes intend to visit the lectures (if they are in a language I can understand).
But in practise I always keep on circling for hours around the tables looking for plants. There is just too much to see.

[WoBo]

As a member of the ELK organisation committee I'd like to point out that every visitor will receive a booklet. In this you'll find a. o. short versions of all talks, including translations to the ELK's main languages (ca. 2 - 3 pages each). With this information everyone should be able to enjoy the lectures.
And yes, English still is one of our main languages - this hasn't been affected by Brexit!

So, all you 'islanders' are welcome, see you at Blankenberge!
Wolfgang

[Stuart]

The great advantage of the ELK talks is that, unlike a UK Branch Meeting, you're not 'trapped in'. If the talk isn't quite what you're expecting, you can quietly slip out and go to the bar next door. The talks are in a large room and it's easy to leave early! The booklet for ELK last year was superbly produced with a 'Copiapoa by starlight' photo on the cover. It's probably not appropriate to show it here without permission but I can't think how it could be better this year. ELK is always a great weekend with excellent organisation and easily done on a day trip from Dover. It looks like I'm the only English nursery there but I've been going for about thirty years. It's grown over the years to be the largest cactus event in Europe with around 130 nurseries in an exhibition hall and a 50 metre marquee. Apart from European nurseries, there's also sales from Thailand, Japan, South Africa and Israel. It's also in a nice seaside resort just across the road from lovely sandy beaches.

Stuart

[Tina]

I was hoping they would get someone IN to supply phyto certificates so it would be safe to shop.

[Aiko]

I was hoping they would get someone IN to supply phyto certificates so it would be safe to shop.

That is actually an interesting idea!
Maybe propose this to the ELK organisation for next year, if this is feasible (and why wouldn't it!).

[Stuart]

The way the system works is that the Phyto request has to be initiated by a Belgian nursery but maybe the ELK committee could look into it. It's a shame as there's quite a few from the UK that have stopped going to ELK. I'm not sure the Belgian phyto people would work weekends and the phyto details should be declared online in advance of returning to the UK just to add to the difficulty. I'd have thought returning to the UK with a few plants and a phyto wouldn't cause any problems.
It can be done with a bit of planning - I've obtained a phyto each time though it's expensive. If all the UK plants were lumped together for one phyto and the cost split between everyone it wouldn't come to much though. If there's any CITES plants on the phyto then it can make everything more complicated.

Stuart

[Darren S]

I've seen this done at international alpine plant conferences here in the UK, but not for a while. The inspectors were on site for the last day and able to issue phytos on the spot. Unfortunately for many overseas visitors they were not allowed to have a trace of soil on the roots even with a phyto. So the conference organisers set up trestle tables with bowls of water for root washing. For most cacti and succulents this would not trouble the plants, but a lot of alpine plants would not have been happy. I wondered how many of those very expensive Daphne and cushion plants survived.