Midwest Cactus and Succulent Society Show and Sale

Saturday, March 20: 10:00 am  – 5:00 pm
Sunday, March 21: Noon –5:00 pm
Free with Garden admission  
Special presentation: 2:00 – 3:00 pm both days

What better way to herald the first weekend of spring than with a visit to the Garden to enjoy the Cactus and Succulent Society Show and Sale? Expanded to two days this year, the show features vendors selling the largest variety of cacti and succulents anywhere in the Midwest in a variety of price ranges.

You’ll get creative ideas for incorporating these diverse and waterwise specimens in your own home, whether you’re creating an indoor desert-themed dish garden or incorporating hardier varieties outside, in your rock garden or as groundcover. With their fascinating range of unusual forms, colors and textures, few plant categories can match the visual appeal and creative design possibilities of cacti and succulents.

Also, don't miss the free 2:00 pm presentation each day by Bill Hendricks of Klyn Nurseries, president of the Midwest Cactus & Succulent Society. Bill will offer a special presentation on The Nature of Glass, the recent installation by master glass blower Dale Chihuly at The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. Chihuly fans won't want to miss this talk, which combines an appreciation for Chihuly's oeuvre with the inspiring juxtaposition of handblown glass in a desert garden setting.

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Here are just a few of the many plant varieties that will be for sale:

• Dwarf aloes: These diminutive succulents, many of which are native to Madagascar, are perfect for dish gardens or indoor pots situated on a sunny windowsill. Orange or yellow flowers are a plus!
• Haworthias: Haworthias are some of the easiest succulents to grow as houseplants. Mostly small and rosette-forming, their great diversity is exhibited in the textures and markings of their leaves. Bet you can’t pick just one.
• Conophytums (Stone Plants): Conophytum is a genus of plants from the winter-rainfall deserts of South Africa and Namibia. The common name, stone plants, refers to their remarkable resemblance to small, scattered pebbles.
• Burro’s Tail: This fun-to grow succulent has trailing stems covered with tiny, fat round leaves, like peas. A perfect choice for hanging baskets.
• Senecios: Plants in the genus Senecio are many and varied. The common garden plant Dusty Miller is a Senecio! The succulent forms are usually grown for their beautiful leaves and stems, which can be blue, silver or even purple.