Santa Barbara Cactus & Succulent Society

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Santa Barbara Cactus & Succulent Society

Learning to understand and care for succulent plants at home and in the wild through education, conservation, and research. Our meetings are open to the public.

SBCSS meets on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church located at 909 N La Cumbre Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. Doors open at 7 and the meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. Each month we host a featured speaker, raffle a wide variety of plants and members often share free cuttings of interesting cultivars from their own gardens.

06/15/2026

Our speaker for the June 17th meeting will be Peter Walkowiak on the topic of “Soils and Fertilizing for Succulents.”

📍The meeting will be held at the Fellowship Hall at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church (909 N La Cumbre Rd). Set up at 6:45pm, doors open at 7pm, program begins at 7:30pm.

Read our full June newsletter here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v_Ms9svzaIpBs4SlksQTMRdo_fDWj2je/view

A good soil mix is the foundation of success in growing succulents well. Peter will talk about the many do’s and dont’s when growing your succulents. This will be a hands-on, Q&A demonstration starting with soil mix, transplanting, and care of your succulent plants. Bring all your questions you have about growing your succulents! Peter’s personal collection numbers well over two thousand plants. About half are cacti with the remaining consisting of Euphorbia and caudiciforms. Some of the plants he has owned for over 40 years.

05/19/2026

Join us on Wednesday, May 20th for a talk with Satie Airamé for her presentation: At Play in the Wildflower Fields of Southern Africa

The meeting will be held at the Fellowship Hall at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church (909 N. La Cumbre Rd.). Set up at 6:45pm, doors open at 7pm, program begins at 7:30pm.

This month marks our club’s 50th anniversary with the first meeting taking place on May 7th, 1976. Please join us for a celebratory cupcake at the meeting and peruse the archival scrapbooks!

Satie Airamé is an explorer, naturalist, and photographer with boundless enthusiasm for biodiversity. She has traveled to 36 countries to study and photograph plants and animals in nature. Satie served as Assistant Dean for the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UCSB from 2011 to 2025 and was part of the planning team for California's network of marine protected areas from 1999 to 2011. She studied ecology at the University of Chicago and CalPoly Humboldt, grew up on a ranch in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Mariposa near Yosemite National Park, and has lived in Santa Barbara for 26 years with her spouse Jeff Chemnick, proprietor of Aloes in Wonderland.

Her presentation is a photographic journey through one of the world's most magnificent wildflower displays, featuring succulents in bloom from Namaqualand, bulbs of Nieuwoudtville, succulents of the Richtersveld, and dune specialties from Namibia's Sperrgebiet.

For more information, check out our May newsletter: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yc9qSx2JvAzUh2QOE6qzudj0I52WnN8X/view

04/14/2026

Join us on April 15th for a talk with Tom McCoy who will present on Saudi Arabian Aloes!

📍The meeting will be held at the Fellowship Hall at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church (909 N. La Cumbre Rd.). Set up at 6:45pm, doors open at 7pm, program begins at 7:30pm.

Born in Long Beach, California, Tom McCoy developed a passion for natural history at a young age, collecting fossils, seashells, reptiles, birds, and plants. His interest in botany eventually led him to travel widely across Asia, Africa, the Americas, Arabia, and Madagascar.

For more than 30 years, Tom has lived in Saudi Arabia while building an extraordinary body of work focused on the genus Aloe. He has published extensively, named more than 50 species, and maintains one of the world’s largest documented live collections of aloes. He is also a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London and a member of several major scientific organizations.

This promises to be a fascinating presentation for anyone interested in aloes, field botany, plant exploration, and the remarkable diversity of succulents from Arabia.

For more information check out our April newsletter:
https://drive.google.com/file/u/1/d/1E8a5lxs56dFuzighewAhZoToHBFj-prp/view?usp=sharing

03/12/2026

🌵 March SBCSS Meeting: Woody Minnich 🌵

Join the Santa Barbara Cactus & Succulent Society on Wednesday, March 18 for a special presentation by renowned cactus and succulent expert Woody Minnich.

Woody will present “Flowering Cacti and Succulents and Their Pollinators.”

Many succulents rely on fascinating partnerships with animals to reproduce — including bats, moths, birds, bees, and other insects. Through decades of travel and field exploration, Woody has documented these incredible relationships in habitats around the world.

His talk will feature beautiful photography and stories from the field highlighting the flowers of cacti and succulents and the pollinators that help sustain them.

📍 Location
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
909 N La Cumbre Rd, Santa Barbara

🕖 Schedule
Doors open: 7:00 PM
Program begins: 7:30 PM

Visitors are welcome!

Learn more about the club:
🌐 www.sbcactus.org

02/15/2026

Our February 18th meeting will feature Tony Krock: The Baja Dream Continues!

In the last eight years, Tony has taken a dozen-plus plant expeditions to Baja California, with a special focus on the islands off of Magdalena Bay and Loreto. In his presentation, Tony will
be showing photographs of Agave margaritae from the west coast of Baja and Ferocactus diguetii from the Sea of Cortez, as well as other discoveries from Tony’s adventures in the field. Tony will be bringing plants for sale, including Baja natives and free giveaways for the young succulent enthusiasts in attendance.

Tony Krock is a local expert and grower of rare succulents. He has a 30-year background in horticulture as a nurseryman, sustainable gardener and collector of rare succulents — with an emphasis in variegated agave. Tony worked as succulent curator at Terra Sol Garden Center for nearly 15 years. In 2015, he and his wife Holly launched Krock Nursery. Krock Nursery focuses on collecting and growing cacti and succulents, from seed to specimen-sized plants.

The meeting will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church located at 909 N La Cumbre Road. Doors open at 7pm and the talk starts at 7:30pm.

Read more in our February Newsletter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tgmTNyj_EsUoz8KPWwv5Od5XTPyGtsUE/view

01/15/2026

Our January meeting will feature Brian Kemble from the Ruth Bancroft Garden. His talk is titled: From Mega to Ankober: Looking for Succulents in Ethiopia.

The meeting will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church located at 909 N La Cumbre Road. Doors open at 7pm and the talk starts at 7:30pm.

In July 2018, Brian Kemble traveled to Ethiopia for two weeks, along with Walker Young (Garden Manager at the Ruth Bancroft Garden), John Miller (president of the Institute for Aloe Studies) and Tom Cole (author of Aloes of Uganda). Although the trip was planned around visiting various Aloe localities, there were of course many other interesting plants encountered along the way, including tree-sized euphorbias, a variety of stapeliads, and alpine kniphofias. The habitat types seen were incredibly diverse, from desert to savannah to thorn-forest to jungle to alpine tundra (punctuated by stands of giant lobelias). It was certainly a change of pace to be in a country where a traffic jam usually meant having to weave your way through camels, donkeys and goats!

Read more in our January Newsletter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rpzib1uNwegqF6GgzrBMAfTQ_0mvPIK6/view

12/10/2025

Our December 17th Holiday Potluck meeting will feature Kalie Grubb speaking on Succulent Garden Design

The meeting will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church located at 909 N La Cumbre Road. Set up will begin at 5:30 and the Potluck will begin at 6:30.

Please RSVP for the Potluck no later than December 12th: https://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=w.manageSignUp #/60788365/slots/

Kalie will speak about her experience in collaborating with our local cactus, succulent and cycad growers to create textural, complex plant compositions in her work as a landscape architect in Santa Barbara County. She and her business partner, Derrik Eichelberger have collaborated on new and historic estates throughout the county, using a wide range of specimens and collections of unique succulents. Recently they completed the Glen Oaks estate, which contains the restored 1890's era residence. The owner requested that the historic house be grounded in expansive 'California' gardens. Kalie will discuss how she approaches the use of bold forms, while knitting the composition together with a simple, reliable ground plane and repetition.

Josephine ‘Kalie’ Grubb is a managing Principal with Arcadia Studio and has been with the firm since 2013. She has managed a diverse portfolio of work throughout her time at Arcadia, including seeing the Japanese Garden Renovation at Lotusland from concept through completion. Kalie's passion for landscape architecture is driven by the belief that the community and individuals can all benefit from time spent in well-designed outdoor spaces, whether it's a busy plaza that is accessible for all users or a winding path to a space of reflection and peace. Throughout her career, Kalie has managed notable projects including botanical gardens, wineries, urban plazas, residential estates, parks and recreation areas, commercial and corporate campuses and master planning for agricultural properties. Her emphasis on the collaboration between clients and other professionals to develop a program and design direction that responds to the site and minimizes external resources, leads to the overall success of the project and lowers the impact on the environment.

Read our December newsletter here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fzsdelFmQKTa0RGWD2GMSKaudH6Z3sZG/view?usp=drive_link

12/07/2025

SBCSS invites you our December Holiday Potluck!

Wednesday, December 17th
Set up will begin at 5:30pm, Potluck begins at 6:30pm

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church (909 N. La Cumbre Rd)

We will be hearing from Kalie Grubb of Arcadia Studio on succulent plant garden designs. Please bring an item to share for 8-10 people. The club will be providing turkey and tri-tip. RSVP and sign up for a food or beverage item using the link below. Or, email [email protected] to secure your spot. Please RSVP no later than Friday, December 12th.

Sign Up Using this Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B49AFA72EA7FDC07-60788365-sbcss #/

11/12/2025

Our November 19th meeting will feature Adam Graham speaking about: Growing Cycads in Containers

The meeting will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church located at 909 N La Cumbre Road. Doors open at 7pm and the talk starts at 7:30pm.

Adam Graham, proprietor of the Grahamazon and the Palm Shop located in Santa Barbara and More Mesa, will discuss cycad container growing for landscapes and production. He’ll provide an overview of the different soil mixes for propagation through permanent pot culture of this incredible plant group. Adam will be bringing a variety of plants to sell at the meeting.

Adam is President of Arroyo Seco Construction based out of Santa Barbara. He grew up in Pasadena, near the Colorado Street bridge over the Arroyo Seco canyon, which served as the inspiration for his company name and logo. After completing his degree in horticulture at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and Burnley College of Horticulture, Melbourne, Adam's passion for landscape architecture propelled his career forward as he led a variety of landscape and construction companies throughout California in addition to starting his own. Over the past 30 years, he has secured his reputation as a knowledgeable and experienced professional in the industry.

Read our November newsletter here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NU2eu1tRbI-u8Tn81qIYD4Lun8aPu7Ad/view?usp=sharing

10/08/2025

Our October 15th meeting will feature Hunter Martinez speaking about: Quest Mode Mexico.

The meeting will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church located at 909 N La Cumbre Road. Doors open at 7pm and the talk starts at 7:30pm.

Hunter will be speaking and sharing how he discovered the world of plants and botanical travel, then take us on a visual tour of favorite sites just south of the border—spotlighting signature species and the stories behind them.

Hunter is a plant lover who travels throughout the deserts & backyard collections of the world showcasing the plants he finds most interesting. Driven by a passion for seeing plants in their natural environment Hunter has taken part in many in-situ trips both domestically and abroad. He hosts his YouTube show CACTUS QUEST as well as being a talented ceramicist.

Read our October SBCSS Newsletter Here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aKXB5oHYKrYCM_5IcdlChX044z5E44UA/view?usp=drive_link

Address

Santa Barbara, CA

Website

http://www.sbcactus.org/

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