Sacramento Cactus & Succulent Society 2013 show entries

Building on yesterday’s coverage of the 2013 Sacramento Cactus & Succulent Society show and sale, this post will show you some of the many plants members entered in the juried show. While it is true that the winners of the top prizes are likely to be either rare species and/or mature specimens, other entries were fairly common and/or juvenile plants. This realization was somewhat comforting for me; it means that I will be able to enter next year without fretting too much about not having an array of rarities to choose from.

Above all, though, the entries must be perfectly clean and immaculate. No debris caught between the leaves, no brown parts, no cobwebs. Just like dogs get groomed before a show, so do succulents. I wonder if anybody makes a shampoo and rinse for succulents?

Here are some of the winners as well as other plants and arrangements I found particularly interesting.

Class winners

Best of Show winner: Aloe pearsonii (Penny Newell)

Best Cactus, Advanced: Copiapoa serpentisulcata (Penny Newell)

Best Agave: Manfreda undulata ‘Chocolate Chip’ (David Calibo)
Best Opuntia: Cumulopuntia grahamii (George Avery)

Best Ferocactus: Leuchtenbergia principis (Keith Taylor)

Best Madagascan Succulent, Best Euphorbia: Euphorbia millottii (Penny Newell)

Best Caudiciform: Fouquieria fasciculata (Keith Taylor)

Best Succulent, Open: Sarcocaulon patersonii (Bill Munkacsy)

Best Crest: Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ (Linar Hornstein)

Prize-winning miniature succulents

Echeveria agavoides 'Lipstick'

Haworthia margaretifera ‘Aurea’

Haworthia fasciata

Aloe marlothii

Aloe striata ssp. karasbergenis

Dudleya lanceolata

Dyckia × ‘Brittle Star’

LEFT: Dioscorea elephantipes
RIGHT: Bowiea volubilis

Looking towards the stage with Best of Class winners

Fockea edulis

Trio of caudiciforms by SCSS president Keith Taylor

Cyphostemma simulans

Pelargonium carnosum

Euphorbia horrida

Euphorbia ambovombensis

Opuntia ‘Baby Rita’

Tephrocactus turpinii

Thelocactus phymatothelos

Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus ssp. klinkerianus (what a name!)

Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele

Escobaria roseana

Sulcorebutia rauschii

Sulcorebutia bicolor

Ariocarpus retusus

Ariocarpus scapharostrus

Most show categories are for specific groups of succulents. The entries are typically individual plants, each in a separate container. Creativity is limited to the choice of container and how to stage and present the plant.

However, a few categories are for succulents arrangements, plants in natural containers, dish gardens and the like. This is where participants can give their creativity free reign. Here are some of this year’s entries in these categories:

“Plants on Fire” (Candy Suter)

“Landscape” (JoEllen Arnold)

“Nature’s Container” (Michelle Egan)

“Pearl’s Pond” (Candy Suter)

“Route 66” (Mara Aditajs)

Shadow boxes

Shadow boxes

If you want to find out more about how succulent shows are judged, here are a couple of interesting articles from the Cactus & Succulent Society of America:

• Shows and Judging
• The Correct Way of Judging Succulent Plants for Awards