San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society Show

Believe it or not, behind all the floral-themed fashion shoots, photos and artist interviews, there is someone who loves actual, root-in-soil plants. That’s right – I talk the talk and walk the walk. Aside from curating posts, I have a B.S. in Urban Horticulture, a full time job managing a retail nursery, care for a garden of my own and engage in lots of hardcore plant geekery.

This weekend, that included the San Diego Cactus and Succulent Society’s summer plant show and sale. Having spent a great deal of time in Arizona, I am not the biggest fan of cacti and succulents. But I do have a soft spot for rare and unusual varieties, and collectors’ societies are the best place to not only see amazing specimens, but purchase them, as well. So I came, I saw, and I bought.

Everything was covered in horrible blue tarp. Who does the planning for these events?

An award-winning Gymnocalycium covered in fluorescent pink flower buds.

A beautiful, unidentified Euphorbia specimen with pink-veined leaves and chartreuse bracts. Decaryi?

Gorgeous clump of Euphorbia obesa.

I was so excited, I forgot to write down the names of these plants. Whoops!

Considering that I made the mistake of going to the show with a large amount of cash, I think I did a decent job of restraining myself. The only real splurge here is the Hoodia gordonii – after seeing a huge specimen in flower, I have been dying to have one of my own. And for $20, this specimen couldn’t be any more perfect. It has lots of branches and not a single flaw. Here’s hoping I don’t kill it.

Aside from the Hoodia, I picked up an Ehinocereus rigidissimus, E. rubispinus, Mammillaria duwei, M. perezdelarosae and Huernia insigniflora. There were different aspects of each that I loved – their colors and spines, for the most part. I could have stayed there all afternoon: I think my general distaste for succulents might have been shaken. Great. Another entire genus of plants for me to lust over.

When you have a bengal, of course, nothing ever really belongs to you. Especially your plants. And your dinner.