It’s officially halfway through the year now and it’s officially the summer season. The extended cool spring days and June gloom are all but gone now. That can only mean it’s the beginning of a long, dry, and balmy summer. Luckily for us we have succulent plants and most of them will fare much better during these next three months compared to non-succulents. Remember that the winter-growing succulents will be mostly dormant during the next three to four months, so you don’t have to water many of them as much. Some will even shed their leaves. Don’t be alarmed; this is their normal life cycle, and they will appreciate the rest. Just enjoy the magnificent spiny cacti blooms!
We are amid another busy and fun-filled season for cactus and succulent shows and sales all around southern California. I truly hope you get to visit some of them. The biggest one of them all is coming up the first weekend of August at the L.A. Arboretum, the Inter-City Cactus and Succulent Show and Sale. There will also be the Huntington Succulent Plants Symposium in early September. More information is in the newsletter and website.
As we celebrate 247 years of the U.S.A., let us also celebrate 64 years of our own Gates Cactus and Succulent Society. The club was started back in July 1959 with a small gathering of succulent enthusiasts in Rialto. Here we are today with over a hundred members…and still growing. You can read a short history of the club on the website. To celebrate the occasion, we will enjoy some festivities at the meeting with a birthday cake and munchies. Please bring a food or dessert dish to share with everyone at the meeting.
Our speaker, Kevin Kreucher, will take us on a trek through Baja California and share some amazing photos of succulents endemic to the peninsula. Get ready for the heat and see you on Wednesday evening.
Sincerely, Phuc
Gates Cactus and Succulent Society 