The Beaver Tale March 2008

President’s Note
We’re almost there! I always think of March as the beginning of summer (we don’t really have a spring
here in southern Nevada, in my opinion). February alternates between winter and summer. It can go
from a day like last Thursday (Valentine's Day): cold, windy, rainy, with temperatures in the 40’s and
50’s, to a day like yesterday (Presidents’ Day): sunny and warm, temperatures in the high 60’s and
touching 70. If you think we’re confused, check out the plants on the trails at the Springs Preserve.
Some of the mesquite trees are starting to bud, others are still totally dormant. A few of the Desert
Marigolds are still in flower, others not so.

But March will be here soon. Lots of things going on in March, beginning with a club field trip to
Meadview, AZ, (the so-called western rim of the Grand Canyon area) on Saturday, March 1. If you want
to go, or have questions, contact Victor. We will meet and depart from the parking lot of Sunset Station
in Henderson (NE corner, near the big sign) at 7:30 a.m. This is an all-day trip, but I expect we’ll be back
in Las Vegas before dark. We will car pool, depending on who shows up and how many vehicles we
have. Again, contact Victor (306-5571). Also, March 1 is the kick off of A Plant Affair at UNLV. This is the
first of three weekend events in March. The first one focuses on fruits and vegetables. March 15-16
deals with Landscaping and March 29-30 is on cactus and succulents. Come to the next CSSSN
meeting on March 6 and find out all about it. In the meantime you can get additional information by
contacting Paula Garrett at jacobyg@unlv.nevada.edu.

And speaking of the meeting, our speaker for March is Mark Muradian. Check out the topic under
Programs on page 2. Don’t miss this one!

Also in March, is the CSN Show and Sale on the W. Charleston campus, March 29. The club will be
manning a table and Susan Kent (who is our point of contact for this) is looking for a couple of
volunteers. This, along with A Plant Affair, will be a great lead-in to our Celebrate Cactus event in April.

Finally, I want to call attention to the three of our members who are recovering from hospital stays
and/or home recovery after illness: Iris Bernikow, Paul Deadrich, and Bob (Doc) Lynch. All of them are
home now, but I’m sure they would appreciate a card or note wishing them a speedy recovery. Contact
me by phone or e-mail if you need phone numbers or addresses.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the meeting. And board members, we will meet in the conference
room at 6 p.m. per usual!

Phil Lawton
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 Next Meeting Monthly Meeting Programs:
March 6, 2008 Video: Gateway to Andean Cactii: BOLIVIA
General Meeting Starts at 7:00 PM. Please Mark Muradian is a third generation fruit and nut farmer
come early to help set up! Board Meeting in Fresno, California. He has long been interested in cacti
starts at 6:00 PM Members with last and succulents, and is a member of the Fresno Cactus &
names ending in A-M please bring Succulent Society. We always enjoy presentations from
refreshments. his travels and plant adventures.
Planned Events
March 1, 2008 Meadview Trip
See our Yahoo Group for Details
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/CSSS
N/; organized by Victor Lindsey
March 1, 15, 16, 29, & 30 “A Plant Affair”
UNLV Lecture Series: Many of our
members are speakers. Free admission;
Organized by Paula Garrett
March 29, 2008 Spring in the Desert
At CSN Garden Center
April 12 and 13 – DOUBLE HEADER! Mark has made his own pottery for at least 13 years. Both
Celebrate Cactus Show & Sale - at hobbyists and collectors treasure the beautiful pots.
Turner’s PLUS Nevada Garden Clubs We will be able to buy large and small pots at the
Spring Flower Show - at Lorenzi Park meeting. Mark is not able to attend Celebrate Cactus in
Garden Center April. This may be your only opportunity to purchase his
pottery for quite a while!
May 10 & 11 Mother’s Day Sale
Watch Springs Preserve website for
details coming soon: MEMBERSHIP DUES:Individual - $15.00; Household - $25
Name(s): ____________________________________
Preservehttp://www.springspreserve.org/c
_____________________________________________
fml/calendar/ddg_cal_main.cfml?m=5&yr=
2008 Street: ______________________________________

City, State, Zip ________________________________

Victor Lindsey’s http://calplants.biz/
We are always looking for rare, special, and large
specimen Cactus & Succulents to buy.
Call 1-800-384-4559
E-mail calplants@yahoo.com
If you have veggie or tropical plant gardening
questions, contact club member, Leslie Doyle, aka the
“Tomato Lady”
http://www.sweettomatotestgarden.com
Phone: ______________________________________
e-mail address: ________________________________
email & website are default methods of communication. If you
have an e-mail address, we e-mail the newsletter. If you wish a
paper copy, please notify Liz at dicnliz7067@netzero.net.
Dues can be paid at any monthly meeting, or you may mail
them. Thanks for your continued interest!
CSSSN – Membership
P O Box 571101
Las Vegas, NV 89157
http://www.csssn.org Lists the club Officers

Turner-Greenhouse- http://www.turner-greenhouse.com
Dave & Kris Turner
645-2032 4455 Quadrel Street, Las Vegas, NV 89129
We specialize in Cactus & Succulents for the Landscaper & Collector
Native Nevada Cactus, Hedgehogs, Beavertails Red & Golden Barrels, Rainbow Cactus
Yuccas, Joshuas, Ocotillos, Aloes, Agaves
We also have a large selection of additional Succulents from all over the world for the house & patio.
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 CELEBRATE CACTUS !
OUR SPRING SHOW AND SALE
APRIL 12 AND 13, 2008 AT TURNER-
GREENHOUSE
LET’S ALL MARK OUR CALENDARS AND THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN
VOLUNTEER TO MAKE THIS A GREAT EVENT. MORE PUBLICITY
FOLLOWS.

In this Newsletter, primary focus is on the Show because YOU need to

prepare to be inspired, have fun, and maybe even DOMINATE!

HERE’S A Note from our Show Chair, Joseph A. Betzler!

Show time is nearing so please get your plants ready for our show on April 12 and 13. The club
needs everyone to bring 5 to 10 plants. If you know someone that is not a member, and they
have nice plants invite them to show their succulents. The show is your time to bring out your
plants and share the hobby. Part of the mission of the club is to educate the public and to
cultivate these great plants – please help by showing the public what a great hobby we have!
Part of the new tradition we started last year will continue this spring, to have two entry
categories. Green entry tags will be for the open category of competitors, those individuals that
have experience growing plants. Yellow tags are for new competitors that have been awarded
10 or fewer ribbons. The object is to encourage participation without feeling overwhelmed by
competitors that have been showing plants for years. We want to be inclusive not exclusive.
Bigger is not necessarily better! I would like to encourage people to bring in specimens that
show off their horticulture prowess. Have you kept a mesemb (the nick name for plants in the Ice
Plant family) alive for a few years, grown succulents or cacti from seed, have an unusual
succulent? Bring them in even if they are in a small pot.
A succulent plant by any name is a succulent whether it be a cacti or other succulent plant – but
we would like to have a name with the plant for the show. Just because you don't know the
name of a plant, do not be discouraged from bringing it in - we'll get a name for you. You will
learn and enrich the show at the same time.
Just a reminder about staging … the show is a plant show; you do not need to repot your plants
into beautiful ceramic pots to show them. I would suggest that you clean up the pots by wiping
them down. If you want to make them look a bit nicer a thin coat of vegetable oil goes a long way
on plastic, terra cotta or ceramic. Top dressing is not necessary but does help present your
specimen. Water your plants the day before the show - no draining soil please.
One of the biggest complaints over the last several shows was the debris that was in the plant
spines, branches, or in the pot. If an exhibitor would have taken a few minutes to pick the stray
leaves out of the pot it would have been a better display. Staging is a bit subjective and is not
meant to discourage you in sharing plants; we will not pull a plant out of the show for staging.
This last point can be a reason to pull a plant out of the show: pests. Please check your plants
for insect pests: scale, mealy bugs, and aphids. I know that ants are not plant pests but they
actively carry around plant pests – no ants. If the show chair finds plant pests on an entry – the
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plants will be removed for the safety of other exhibitors. If you are unsure weather there are
pests do not hesitate to ask.
Lastly keep in mind what brought you to this hobby – a passion for cacti and other succulents.
This is fascinating group of plants please help spread the fascination with your entries!
++++++++++
Now that you have the information you
need to show off your stuff, get those plants
ready and then participate in the other
great events going on in March!

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March 1: Meadview Trip Contact Victor Lindsey. Go have some fun!

March 29: CSN’s Spring in the Desert: This sale is produced by CSN over at the Torrey Pines
and Charleston Garden Center. The club needs to pass out flyers for our show and sale as well
as, hopefully do a few cactus and succulent potting demonstrations. We could even answer a
few questions from attendees. Who knows, we might even gain a few members. Contact Susan
Kent to volunteer. The event does not last all day. Even if all you can give is a few hours, it
would be most helpful.

March 1, 15, 16, 29, and 30 at UNLV:

Check out the program that Paula Garrett
has assembled. Many of our CSSSN
members will be speaking, along with
members of the UNCE staff, some of the
tried and true Master Gardeners, even
people like Frank Rauscher (Star Nursery),
and Norm Schilling. This event certainly
speaks well of our working to educate the
public about the wonderful plant material we
all love, cactus and succulents.
++++++++++

. . . .”happiness is right where you plant it!”

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 The Hoya: Long-Lived and Trouble-Free
GardenLine | House Plants | The Hoya: Long-Lived and Trouble-Free
Few house plants are easier to grow than the hoya. This tough tropical plant adapts readily to conditions in
almost any home, forming a massive vine covered in dark green, leathery leaves. It thrives with little
care, will expand to fill an entire window and will bloom each summer for many years.
About one hundred species of hoya are native to Eastern Asia and Australia. The common house plant,
Hoya carnosa, was named for Thomas Hoym, gardener to the Duke of Northumberland at the end of the
18th century. 'Carnosa' refers to the plants fleshy leaves. As is typical for member of the milkweed
family, the hoya exudes a sticky sap if cut or damaged.
The plant is easily started from stem cuttings. A portion of stem including one or more pairs of leaves will
quickly produce roots in water or damp sand. Those who desire a larger plant may take cuttings of 1 m
(3.2 ft) or more. These provide an almost instant vine once planted.
New growth appears first as leafless extensions up to 2 m (6.4 ft) long. Once fully elongated, new portions
of the vine produces pairs of leaves along the stem. Such a growth habit permits hoyas growing in the
wild to extend new growth long distances through the branches of trees before becoming weighed down
by leaves.
Flowers can only be expected on plants four years and older. Clusters of attractive, star-shaped, pink-
white blossoms are produced in summer. The delicate flowers appear to be made of porcelain, and are
truly unique. In fact, those seeing hoya blossoms for the first time may need to touch them to determine
that they are real.
Since flowers clusters are produced on the same short stems yearly, it is critical that the flowering spurs
be left in place after flowering is complete. A common criticism of the flowers is the heady scent they
release each evening. Fragrance from a blooming hoya can easily fill a large house. Some people
choose to place the plant outdoors at night, or remove the flowers entirely.
Infrequent repotting does not seem to impair the plant's growth, and even very large plants seldom require
a pot larger than 12.7 or 15.24 cm (5 or 6 in.) in diameter. Hoyas should be kept evenly moist during the
active growth period in spring and summer. Water can be decreased in autumn and winter to permit
drying of the soil between waterings. Fleshy leaves provide the plant with the ability to withstand a
considerable degree of drying. Should the plant become excessively dry, the leaves will pucker inward
as they lose water. Though drying to this extent is not desirable, full recovery is likely once the plant is
watered.
An east and west window is ideal for the hoya. Direct southern exposure may produce a greater quantity
of flowers, but may also result in rigid, yellow leaves. Insufficient light causes dark green leaves to be
produced, but will prevent any flowering.
The hoya is a notoriously long-lived and trouble-free plant. Given minimal care and time to establish, it will
develop into a large, attractive plant that anyone can grow.
© 1995 Brian Baldwin
----------------------------------------------------------CREDITS----------------------------------------------------------------------
Baldwin is a graduate student in the Department of Horticulture Science. This column is provided as an extension
service by the Extension Division and the Department of Horticulture Science, University of Saskatchewan.

Sustainable horticultural information, offered free of charge to the public with the support of the
University of Saskatchewan Extension Division, the Department of Plant Sciences and the
Provincial Government.

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