BCSS Macclesfield & East Cheshire Branch

Newsletter March 2005 - Forthcoming attractions

April

Before we have our April meeting the annual Warrington Cactus Mart will take place on Saturday the 2nd. It’s at the usual venue of Woolston Leisure Centre. To get there, leave the M6 at Junction 21, take A57 towards Warrington, turn right just past the Rope and Anchor pub into Laburnum Avenue (signposted Leisure Centre) and go right at the T-junction at the end. The Leisure Centre is on the right.

The April meeting is something of an innovation for us. John Betteley, who’s coming over from Newark, will give us short talk on Gymnocalyciums, illustrated with some plants. We’re all invited to bring any Gymnos we have and we’ll set them out into species. This will give us a chance to make comparisons, to see how big they might grow, to see how small they might be and still flower, to see the variation within species. There should be a chance to spot any that are wrongly labelled and perhaps identify any with no name. The evening should be a sort of Gymnofest. Please remember this is not a show, the condition of the plants is immaterial and the plants will not be judged. So please lend your support.

May

A return visit from John Miller but not, as in March, in the guise if a traveller. This time he comes as a cultivator. John is highly skilled in grafting tiny seedlings of rare and slow growing plants on to easily manageable rootstocks and thus making them readily available to the average grower. He will be demonstrating his grafting technique and other propagation skills.

June

Back by public demand is what we can say about this month’s guest, Peter Berresford. Peter is hunting the Hedgehog again. Last year he was doing the hunting in Baja California, this year it’s in Texas.

July

The 10th is the date for your diary. That’s the date of the Wilmslow Show which of course embraces our Branch Show. Once again Mike Stansbie is coming up from Coventry to do the judging. One or two minor changes in the Schedule compared to last year. All the information will be in the June News Letter. In the meantime, how about everyone thinking about entering at least one plant.

September

Saturday the 24th is another important date for the diary. It’s the Zone 19 Symposium in the British Legion Hall in Wilmslow. Three first class British speakers have been booked and the ticket will include lunch. Geoff Hough and Roger Adamson, our Zone Committee representatives, can give you more information and full details will be in the June Newsletter.