Day 2 of the 2023 Sacramento Cactus & Succulent Society Show & Sale (Saturday, May 6, 2023) started out gray and drizzly. It had rained overnight, and quite a bit of rainwater had collected in the canopies protecting the outside tables. When we raised the canopies, the water sloshed out, and several of us helpers and some of the vendors got a good soaking. One vendor had wet socks well into the afternoon!
Temperatures in the 90s are not uncommon on show weekends (always the first weekend in May). Rain this late in spring, however, is very rare.
Day 2 started slow because of the dark clouds and the occasional drizzle, but foot traffic picked up noticeably by mid-morning. Personally, I’d rather walk around looking at plants when it’s 65°F rather than 85°F.
Below is a random collection of photos I took on day 2. I tried to include a variety of vendor plants as well as some of the plants SCSS members had brought for the non-judged exhibition.
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| It’s rare to see landscape-sized succulents. San Diego County vendor Peter Walkowiak brought these exceptional pony tail palms (Beaucarnea recurvata). $350 is a fair price for these 4-5 ft. plants. |
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| This Beaucarnea recurvata had a particularly striking pattern on its caudex |
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| A few more Medusa head euphorbias... |
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| ...from Peter Walkowiak |
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| Specimen-sized Echeveria agavoides ‘Ebony’ |
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| Variegated cacti were everywhere. Striking—and pricey. This is a variegated Obregonia denegrii. |
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| Variegated crested Trichocereus pachanoi |
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| Another crested Trichocereus pachanoi |
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| The ever popular Eulychnia castanea ‘Spiralis’. Even small plants (6" or so) are in the vicinity of $50. This specimen was north of $200. |
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| Another crested oddity |
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| Every cactus vendor had the rainbow hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus rigidissimus var. rubrispinus) or its white-spined sibling (forma albispinus). This cactus has spectacular flowers (see here in my friend Justin’s garden). |
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| Ferocactus emoryi with variegated spines. I probably should have grabbed it... |
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| Haemanthus difformis, an amaryllis relative from South Africa |
Grow Nursery from Cambria had a nice selection of oddball crassulas:
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| Crassula alstonii |
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| Crassula barklyi |
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| Crassula hemisphaerica |
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| Crassula plegmatoides |
I don’t know the first thing about Lithops, or living stones, but I feel the pull...
Some exhibition plants by members of the Sacramento Cactus & Succulent Society:
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| Aeonium ‘Kiwi’ looking like a bouquet of flowers |
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| Melocactus azureus with the most amazing cephalium |
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| Haworthia collection |
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| Variegated Haworthia truncata |
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| Same plant from a different angle |
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| Dudleya pachyphytum grown hard |
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| Spectacular multiheaded bonsaied Aloe ferox |
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| Día de los Muertos themed dish garden |
Offerings from pottery vendors Mark Muradian...
...and Keith ‘Kitoi’ Taylor:
My haul from day 2:
Plant haul, day 2:
- Cochemiea (Mammillaria) thornberi
- Dracaena cinnabari (2x)
- Dudleya traskiae
- Echinocereus rayonesensis
- Lobivia acanthoplegma var. roseiflora
- Parodia rudibuenekeri
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| Parodia rudibuenekeri (for my friend Justin) |
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| Official T-shirt of this year’s Show & Sale |
The Show & Sale is continuing today, Sunday, May 7, until 3 pm at the Shepard Garden & Arts Center,
3330 McKinley Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95816. Stop by if you’re in the area!
© Gerhard Bock, 2023. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.
Another great haul. Thanks for sharing the show.
ReplyDeleteOf course! It sounds like it was the best show ever in terms of $$$.
DeletePeter Walkowiak and the medusa head euphorbias have been a long-standing feature of SoCal shows! I especially remember bugging him about supplies of Euphorbia atropurpurea. Interesting that the Muradian pots are not wheel-thrown but much more organic shapes, like the plants for which they're intended. Thanks for the report!
ReplyDeleteMark had some wheel-thrown pots as well, but I prefer more organic shapes, as you said.
DeleteSorry for the soaking. The selection of plants and merchandise looks incredible. If I lived closer, I'd definitely want to attend.
ReplyDeleteI worked at the cash register for half a day on Saturday, and it was great seeing the diversity of people visiting the show.
DeleteEchinocereus rigidissimus var. rubrispinus) is very popular. You can get pretty decent smaller ones at Home Depot for about $6.
ReplyDeleteI have friends who score regularly at the Home Depot. Me, I'm never that lucky :-).
DeleteFerocactus emoryi with variegated spines... how crazy is that! I doubt you'll see more of this wonderful oddity. Variegated Haworthia is an eye candy. I'll try and find it online... I'm smitten.
ReplyDeleteThe pot venders came to the right place to sell their collections: beautiful, natural looking, hard to resist creations.
Chavli
So many wonderful things to see! It does get a bit overwhelming.
DeleteThat Melocactus azureus is INSANE (in a good way)!
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteThat melocactus made me squeak out loud with its ridiculous cephalium! So cool.
ReplyDeleteI have a ferocactus emoryi rectispinus (so long) with spines like the variegated one, patchy white/pink. I thought that was their normal appearance all this time. Is it... not?