Each monthly issue of the Henry Shaw Cactus Digest includes club updates, columns and articles by members on their favorite aspects of cactus and succulent culture. Digest Editor Jolie Krupnik and various club contributors always provide plenty of plant material to ponder.
Follow the links to right to view a sample copy of the Digest or read individual articles. Join HSCSS to receive every newsletter in print and/or electronic form.
By Jolie Krupnik – This summer in my cold-hardy cactus garden, I noticed flat, white spots on some of the Opuntia humifusa pads, but ignored the signs the plants were in distress. A few months later, I lifted the pads and discovered a multitude of what I now know are Chelinidea vittiger or “cactus bugs.” I am not an expert on these destructive insects, but in my Google searching, I discovered that they only feed …
By Mike Hellmann – It is with deep regret that I let you all know that Chuck Hanson passed away on May 14, 2019. Hanson was a dear friend to some of our members and was very supportive of our society. He spoke at several of our regional conferences. He was a speaker and vendor at the CSSA convention we hosted …
By Pat Cosgrove – HSCSS member Tracy Vymola gave up smoking several years ago. Little did she know that she would be trading one addiction for another: She is now a self-described seedaholic. Although she had been collecting cacti and succulents for years, she found that growing succulents from seed was relaxing and …
By Pat Cosgrove – We in the St. Louis region are fortunate to have within driving distance Drummond Nursery, located near DeSoto, Mo. It offers four greenhouses packed with an array of cacti and succulents. Fred and Gladys Drummond began their business in 1968 by producing plants for terrariums, which were …
By Jolie Krupnik – Last spring and summer, I devoted my time to planting cold-hardy cacti, purchased mostly from Leo Chance during his visit to our club in May 2014. St. Louis’ latest winter brought many single-digit nights, sleet and snow, but our total amount of precipitation was less than normal. Wet and cold, …
By Don Lesmeister and Mike Hellmann – As I looked out the SUV’s window, “riding shotgun” took on a whole new meaning. Here I was … riding down the highway in New Mexico, staring out at the rolling hills of the high desert, thinking what a rough terrain it was and how hard it must have been for the early settlers. The landscape …
By Joe Merkelbach – Looking at the entries in this year’s show, I was struck by the idea of how large some of our plants can get in habitat. One of my entries, Aloe dichotoma, a show-worthy specimen which I received last year, was grown to reflect this notion. The plant in its native southwestern Africa habitat is a tree form …
By Joe Merkelbach – The threatened and endangered succulent species and subspecies on the United States listings include some California dudleyas and agaves from Arizona and the Caribbean. There are four agave species listed by the Center for Plant Conservation. None are listed as threatened or endangered on the United …