Norm Klein's Sacramento-area cactus garden 40 years in the making
Norm Klein has been living in his suburban Rancho Cordova, California home for almost 40 years, steadily building what has got to be one of the largest private cactus collections in the Sacramento area. I'm not talking about small cacti in a greenhouse (Norm doesn't have one), but mature specimens in the ground and in terracotta pots, occupying virtually every square inch in the front and backyard. Norm is a legend in Sacramento cactus and succulent circles, and this past Saturday I finally had the opportunity to see his collection during an open house for the Sacramento Cactus & Succulent Society . A big thank you to SCSS membership chair Carole Hada for making the arrangements. Norm's property is typical for the area, about 7,800 sq.ft., but it appears larger. That's probably because there are so many plants that beg to be looked at. By the time I left, it seemed like I'd explored a garden an acre or two in size. As you can see, most plants are cacti, but th...