BCSS - Forum

Really enjoyed your talk Paul, unfortunately had some problems with sound for the first 20 minutes.
I really hope we can rewatch it.

Wayne

Hi Wayne,
Yes good talk & amazing what he can grow, sorry it wasn't recorded, you will need to ask if he is giving any local branch talks near you

Topic: Ronald Fonteyne - From Richtersveld to Klein Karoo
Time: Tuesday 19 April 2022 at 7:30pm (BST)

Meeting ID: 865 5779 4026
Passcode: bcss

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86557794026?p ... hBVDB5QT09

Ronald Fonteyne has collected cacti and succulents since the early 1970s. He is interested in all aspects of the adaptation of succulent plants to arid and semi-arid ecosystems, which has resulted in a mixed collection of both cacti and other succulent plants. This interest goes hand in hand with his pleasure in photography, which comes in handy when illustrating articles and giving lectures. Ronald is a member of the Flemish cactus and succulent societies Grusonia and Lophophora, as well as Succulenta, the BCSS and the DKG. Since 2006, after his retirement as a sea fisheries scientist, Ronald has been involved in the organisation of the ELK (www.elkcactus.eu), first as secretary-treasurer and now as chairman of the organising committee.

Ronald presented the first instalment of this travelogue for us last year. This second instalment continues the tour made on a visit to South Africa in 2018. The first episode covered the trip from the Cederberg area to the Richtersveld and this time he will take us on a journey from the Richtersveld to Klein Karoo. Obviously, more attention is given to the rich succulent plant life, but the beautiful scenery is not forgotten. We will also learn how South African nurseries grow succulents and end with a visit to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

Bump

And again.

Melocactus curvispinus subsp. obtusipetalus, Tatacoa desert


Alain Buffel at the Antioquia museum Medellin, with Fernando Botero


Topic: Alain Buffel – Travelogue of Colombia 2019
Time: Tuesday 3 May 2022 at 7:30pm (BST)
Meeting ID: 859 1674 9788
Passcode: bcss
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85916749788?p ... s1SExWUT09

Alain Buffel lives in Ostend, a town on the Belgian North Sea coast. He has grown cacti since 1978 and is mainly interested in seeing the plants that he loves growing in their natural environment. Alain’s first trip to see plants in habitat was in 1991 when he travelled to South Africa for six weeks. Trips to many other countries followed, including Paraguay, Argentina, Madagascar, Morocco, the Canary Islands, Cuba, USA, Mexico, Namibia, Syria, Jordan, Iran, Australia, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. Alain retired eight years ago after a career with the Belgian railroads and enjoys his retirement. He has travelled with many people from abroad who have become friends for life to see the plants they all love.

In this talk Alain takes us through the fascinating journey that he took to Colombia with his wife in 2019. He will take us to this beautiful country and introduce us to its wonderful variety of cacti and succulents.

bump

Pattock wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2022 11:58 ambump

Bit of a conflict tonight at 8pm, can arrange two screens but attention may wander. YNWA

Topic: Klaus-Peter Kleszewski - The world of Astrophytum - Habitats and Culture

Time: Tuesday 17 May 2022 at 7:30pm (BST)

Meeting ID: 862 9049 4118

Passcode: bcss

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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86290494118?p ... hFMDZRUT09

Klaus-Peter Kleszewski was five years old when he saw cacti for the first time. They were Echinopsis eyriesii growing on his grandmother’s windowsill. About 13 years later, he started his own collection in a cold frame with plants from South America. However, the spines of grandma’s Echinopsis were deep under his skin and very quickly a greenhouse was built to accommodate his growing collection. He developed a great interest in Mexican cacti, especially Astrophytum which is his favourite. His passion for photography goes hand in hand with his plant interests, and as a member of the DKG he has given many presentations. In 2010 Klaus wrote the publication Sternpflanzen for the DKG. He has also been involved in organising the ‘Wiesbadener Kakteenschau’ for the last 30 years, and has spoken twice at ELK.

In his talk Klaus will show us the habitats of the genus Astrophytum, beginning in the south and travelling to the north of their range. We will see the different species, variations and forms, flowers from plants in culture, abnormal growth, popular hybrids, and cultivars. This promises to be a fascinating talk on the genus, their habitat and culture.

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BCSS June 2022 Talks

Our talks take place twice a month on the first and third Tuesday. Please contact the talks team at bcss.talk@gmail.com if you have any suggestions or ideas for talks or speakers, or indeed would like to give a presentation yourself.

Topic: Steven Brack – Cacti and Xeric Succulents of New Mexico
Time: Tuesday 7 June 2022 at 7:30pm (BST)

Meeting ID: 857 9423 6544
Passcode: bcss

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85794236544?p ... luTW1idz09

Steven Brack became interested in horticulture from a young age while growing up on a small family dairy farm in Wisconsin. Seeing some cacti at a friend’s house resulted in trips to the library to look at books on the subject, then in turn joining societies and sending away for seeds. Having developed the seed-raising bug Steven decided to move to the desert state of New Mexico, to start a nursery to produce seeds. Along with his wife, he started Mesa Garden in 1976, which he sold in late 2016 to retire. Steven found that one of the best parts of his work was taking trips to see plants in habitat, which he continues to do.

In this talk Steven will show many of these plants which are native to New Mexico. Plants will be shown in all four seasons of the year, with photos of the plants partially covered by snow. There will also be many images of the plants in flower. In New Mexico these plants live in a wide range of elevations, from along the Pecos River at the Texas border up to high mountain peaks up to 12,000 ft elevation. These types of plants are found at nearly all elevations in New Mexico except the highest peaks. The lowest elevation for them is about 2,900 ft for Echinocactus horizonthalonius up to 12,000 ft for Sedums and Rhodiolas. Many of the cacti have spectacularly colourful flowers, and the Yuccas, Agaves and Dasylirions make nice landscape plants over a wide area of the southwest US. We welcome Steven back for another excellent