BCSS Macclesfield & East Cheshire Branch

Newsletter September 2008

Echinocactus grusonii Photo: Alasdair Glen

Harold Cooper’s plant which gained the award for best cactus in our Show in July. This species, described in 1891, is very popular in cultivation and most cactophiles, even if they haven’t got one at present, will probably have had a plant at some time although perhaps not of this size and quality. It’s rather a different story in its Mexican habitat where it is now scarce and is categorised as critically endangered. Visitors to the National Show would no doubt see and admire the impressive thematic exhibit of the different forms of Echinocactus grusonii. This illustration also fits in with this issues news item, contributed by David Poole.

Maybe the wettest summer for a while, even surpassing last year’s in some respects but no matter the weather, with a collection of cacti and succulents there’s always something to marvel at or be surprised about. This year one of the surprises for me was the amount of water that potted plants put outside tolerated and indeed looked the better of. The rain really keeps them so clean and fresh looking and virtually puts paid to mealy bug. I would never dare to pour so much water over them in the greenhouse. One thing I’m not sure about is how one feeds a plant that is subject to a deluge about every second day. Nevertheless, one resolution I’ve already noted down for 2009 is to put more plants outside to be rained on. That will surely bring us a dry summer!

— Alasdair Glen

• Trev's Topics — Trevor Shannon (chairman)
• The National Show — Elizabeth Maddock
• The Poynton Show — Elizabeth Maddock
• The Wilmslow Show
• The RHS Tatton Show — Elizabeth Maddock
• Book Review: The Genus Echeveria — Alasdair Glen