We meet at 7.30pm for a start on the fourth Thursday of the month (unless indicated otherwise) and our programme is as follows.
Please see our contact us page for more information about the venue and directions.
Venue: Rose Hill Methodist Church, Rose Hill, Iffley, Oxford, OX4 4JP
Cost: Tea and biscuits 50p and a donation of £1 towards the hire of the hall.
| 22 February 2024 | From JI to lava rock; what do habitats tell us about growing cacti? | Dr. Curt Lamberth | I am sure that you may know Curt, a chemist now an environmental consultant, who’s been growing cacti for 50 years. He has a passion for finding out what makes things tick, and applies his talents of inventing, designing and building equipment and analysing data for projects like tracking and monitoring wild mice, measuring the effect of ash-dieback on woodland microclimates and checking water quality in our rivers. He has an interest in raising cacti and orchids from seed and has been trying to solve some of the trickier problems of cultivating cacti. Tonight is a unique opportunity to hear about some of the solutions Curt has worked out along his 25 year long journey from John Innes to lava rock. |
| 28 March 2024 | Sulcorebutias | Les Hewitt | Les may be familiar to some of you who were at the last Branch Show with The Haworthia Society he is a committee colleague who is responsible for the Societies advertising at shows. In edition to The Haworthia Society Les is one of the BCSS approved judges . Tonight he will be presenting a talk on the Sulcorebutia group of plants, this is a group he grows well,so I am sure we will have some wonderful pictures of these plants in flower and that he will be able to pass on some of his experience growing this group of plants/ |
| 25 April 2024 | USA | David Minnion (Harrow) | David may not be quite so familiar although he has been to the Branch before, he is the principal of The Ruislip Group and a member of Harrow Branch. He has travelled widely in the South West States of the USA and has a depth of knowledge of plants that grown in this area, he is very keen on Railways and I suspect apart from one pictures of wonderful plants in habitat there may be a train that creeps into his presentation. |
| 23 May 2024 | Ethiopian succulents | Dr Mike Gilbert | It’s been great to have Mike attending our Branch again, He is probably someone that you may not know he has been attached to KEW as an Honorary Research Associate for sometime and has travelled widely in Africa and published many papers on Succulents Plants he encountered on his travels. Tonight he will give a presentation on Ethiopian Succulents this country that has changed greatly in recent times |
| 21-23 June 2024 | Blenheim Palace Flower Show | Display and sales | Time: 10:00-17:00, tickets online. Link to Blenheim Palace website |
| 27 June 2024 | Opuntias | Mike Partridge | Mike is the Secretary of Bromley Branch and tonight he will try and convince us that this is not that much of a a Prickly subject and possibly convince us to grow some of this group of plants – I am sure we all have one somewhere in the collection and some apart from their spiky exterior have some really lovely flowers |
| 13 July 2024 | Oxford Branch & Mammillaria Society Show | Bill Darbon showschairman@bcss.org.uk |
Time: 10:00-15:00, free entry. Location: Old Mill Hall, Grove, OX12 7LB Schedule to be published here |
| 25 July 2024 | Haworthias in Habitat and cultivation | Alan Rollason | Alan is the former Chairman of The Haworthia Society, he is a wonderful artist and has produced some interesting articles on probably his favourite plants, which he grows exceptionally well. He has been privileged to travel to the habitat of these plants in South Africa and visited some of the major growers. Tonights presentation I am sure will bring out his passion for this group of plants. |
| 22 August 2024 | How I do it my way | Carlos Zefferino (Woodside Cacti) | Carlos and his wife Terry are well known as the proprietors of Woodside Cacti, they have been to a number of our Branch Shows as well as attending plant fairs and other shows around the UK. Tonight Carlos will give us an insight into how he propagate plants at his nursery (I expect you may be able to have a go yourself!! |
| 26 September 2024 | My latest trip (Angola)??or unusual succulents | Bob Potter | Bob and Beryl are well known to us from their nursery ” TOOBEES” they regularly attended many BCSS events selling succulent plants. Bob is one of the committee of The Euphorbia Society as travelled widely to see Succulents plants in their natural environment, mainly in the African Continent. His presentations always show some of the plants he has encountered on his travels so I am sure we will enjoy the evening. |
| 24 October 2024 | Our road to Chelsea | Daniel & Jo Jackson Ottershaw Cacti | Daniel and Jo are the proprietors of”Ottershaw Cacti “- they have a number of large greenhouses at their premises and a vast collection of plants. They have now attended and displayed these at `RHS Shows around the UK for a number of years and have achieved ” GOLD MEDAL” awards at many. THIS IS THEIR STORY |
| 28 November 2024 | Branch A G M | Christmas Nibbles | following the official business we hold a social function over Christmas nibbles |