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

Contents


March 2024 Meeting

Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday March 5th and will feature Paul Spracklin who will be giving us a talk titled "The Great Outdoors - Gardening with Cacti and Succulents". Paul lives near Southend on Sea in Essex, where he maintains an extensive outdoor planting of cacti, succulents, bromeliads and other exotics, and this is what he will be talking to us about. He visited us a few years ago and mentioned that he benefits from a microclimate, and hence is able to grow a surprising range of plants.

The branch programme for the year is being worked on, and will be published soon.

We look forward to seeing all our members and friends in March. The hall will be open from around 7pm, with the meeting starting around 8pm.


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 3LA). The Hall is located on the A27, about one mile west of junction 7 of the M27. Access to the hall car park is from Hatherell Close - if this car park is full, you can also go round the corner and use the main church car park which can be entered from West End Road. 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.

Badge

The branch has available an enamel badge which allows members to show their affiliation to the branch. Click here for further details.

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
2004 BCSS National Show   1  2  3  4  5  6  7
2005   2006   2007
2016 BCSS National Show   1  2  3  4  5  6 
ELK Conferences   ELK 2012  ELK 2013

2024 Programme

Further details to follow as soon as possible.
Date Subject/Speaker Table Show
2nd Jan Members' Evening - A Selection of Short Talks by Branch Members none
6th Feb Brazil Part 1 - the State of Rio Grande de Sul (Cliff Thompson) TBD
5th Mar The Great Outdoors - Gardening with Cacti and Succulents (Paul Spracklin) TBD
2nd Apr American Shows, Nurseries & Collections (Stuart Riley) TBD
7th May Annual Cultivation & Propagation Evening - presentations & discussions TBD
4th Jun TBC TBD
2nd July TBC TBD
6th Aug TBC TBD
3rd Sep TBC TBD
1st Oct TBC TBD
5th Nov TBC TBD
3rd Dec Annual General Meeting, followed by Christmas Social none



Contact Details

To obtain further information or for correspondence, please contact:
 
Secretary:
David Neville, 
Tel: 023 8055 1173
Mob: 07974 191354
Email: davnev at btopenworld.com
(replace "at" with @ when emailing)
Website:
Vinay Shah, 
Tel: 023 80261989 
Email: info at southampton.bcss.org.uk
(replace "at" with @ when emailing)

British Cactus and Succulent Society Calendar of Events.