Welcome to the Southampton & District Branch of the British Cactus and Succulent Society

Main BCSS Home Page - Details about what the BCSS is and how you can join.
Monthly Meetings - About our monthly meetings.
Branch Programme - What's on this coming year?
BCSS Zone 11 - Details of what's on at local Branches.
Contact Details - Who do I get in touch with?
Other Branches - A list of other BCSS branches and links to their home pages.

Monthly Meetings

The Southampton and District branch holds regular meetings on the first Tuesday of each month, at Saint James' Church Hall, Church Hill (A27), West End (SO30 3LT). The Hall is located on the A27, about one mile west of junction 7 of the M27. There is no charge for attending meetings and visitors are just as welcome as members. In addition, the Branch takes part in shows and displays at other venues throughout the year.

Each monthly meeting starts at 7:30pm and finishes at 10:00pm, with a break for refreshments. The meetings generally consist of a speaker and slide show, or a practical demonstration or talk. A good selection of plants are available for purchase, and there is also an extensive library of books which can be borrowed on a monthly basis. There is also a table show, where members bring along plants from a nominated category or genus.

Newsletters

Each month, the branch publishes a newsletter. These contain summaries of the talks given at meetings and also provide additional information about forthcoming events. You can download these newsletters (in PDF format) here.

50th Anniversary

2004 was a very special year for the Branch since it marked our 50th Anniversary. We held a special birthday convention to celebrate this occasion. If you are interested in the history of the branch, click here.

Library

The branch holds an extensive collection of books which can be borrowed by members. Click here for details of the branch library and for a list of the titles available.

Additional Information & Links

Click here for some general information on the cultivation of cacti and succulents. It's also fun to try and raise plants from seed.
Click here for links to other Internet websites containing useful information on cacti and succulents.

Photo Galleries

Photos of plants, of some of the events we took part in during recent years, and of the 2004 National Show (which featured some of the best plants in the country).
Gallery 1   Gallery 2
Events 1   Events 2   Events 3
2005   2006   2007
2004 National Show 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2008 Programme

Date	Subject/Speaker	Table Show
1st Jan	No meeting
5th Feb	Short Talks by Branch Members	Neoporteria & Copiapoa, Adromischus
4th Mar	Asclepiadaceae (Tom Radford)	Echinocactus, Agave
22-24 Mar	Display / Plant Sales @ Spring Garden Show, Broadlands, Romsey	10am - 5pm
1st Apr	Mesembyranthemums (Terry Smale)	Rebutia, Echeveria
6th May	Grafting - Practical & Slides (Stuart Riley)	Opuntia, Haworthia & Gasteria
24-26 May	Display / Plant Sales @ Whiteley Village Shopping Outlet - now cancelled
3rd Jun	Euphorbias for You (Dr Gillian Evison)	Parodia, Crassula
21-22 Jun	Display / Plant Sales @ Craft/Garden Fair, Hilliers Arboretum, Ampfield	10am - 5pm
1st Jul	Unusual Cacti (Stirling Baker)	Echinopsis, Aloe
11th Jul	Annual Branch Dinner @ The Luzborough, Romsey SO51 9AA	7:30pm
26-27 Jul	Display / Plant Sales @ Solent Fuchsia Show, Titchfield Community Centre
29-31 Jul	Display / Plant Sales @ New Forest Show, Brockenhurst	9am - 6pm
5th Aug	South African Miscellany (Ian Acton)	Mammillaria, Euphorbia
16 Aug	BCSS National Show @ Wood Green Animal Centre Godmanchester, Cambs	11am - 5pm
2nd Sep	Canary Islands : Wild & Tamed (Jonathan Clark)	Gymnocalycium, Mesembs (excl Lithops)
7th Oct	Beyond the Chirachuahas (Arizona) (Doug Donaldson)	Cacti 3 Plants, Succulent 3 Plants
4th Nov	Cerenaceae - An ~introduction to Columnar Cacti (Tony Mace)	Echinocereus, Lithops
2nd Dec	Annual General Meeting, followed by Christmas Social

Key
Regular Meetings (@ St James)
Shows, Displays and other Events

Note: Amendments are very rare, but if they are necessary, they will be posted on this website. If travelling from a distance, please check here (or with the secretary) a day or two before the event.

Contact Details

To obtain further information or for correspondence, please contact:

Secretary:
Margaret Corina,
79 Shirley Avenue,
Southampton,
Hampshire
SO15 5NH
Tel: 023 80779057

Website:
Vinay Shah,
29 Heathlands Road,
Eastleigh,
Hampshire
SO53 1GU
Tel: 023 80261989
Email: info at southampton.bcss.org.uk
(replace at with @ and remove all spaces when emailing)

British Cactus and Succulent Society Calendar of Events.