This week, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) announced that, effective June 1st, it will limit outside irrigation to once a week in large sections of its service area. The action affects six million people in portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties. Due to historically low reservoir levels and a shrunken snowpack state water officials have dramatically reduced the amount of water the State Water Project will provide to the MWD. The goal is to cut water use by 35%. Failure to reach that goal could result in further water restrictions.
My own area is not part of the MWD. Under the latest guidelines issued by our water company, we're restricted to irrigating outdoor areas two days a week on a prescribed schedule. Hand-watering is permitted outside that schedule subject to additional requirements. I've limited irrigation to twice a week since former Governor Brown first implemented drought-related restrictions in 2015 so the new rules don't represent a material change for me at present; however, I've no illusions about the likelihood that we'll be impacted to a greater extent in the future.
Outside of my small cutting garden, I use mostly drought-tolerant plants but it's questionable whether all of them could get by on once a week irrigation regimen given our increasingly pathetic rainfall (7.9 inches or 200 mm since the start of the current "water year" on October 1, 2021). I've been steadily increasing the proportion of my garden planted in succulents and I'm anticipating that this trend will continue.
Lucky for me then that the South Coast Cactus & Succulent Society (SCC&SS) held its annual show and sale last weekend. Having missed the show during the last two years of the pandemic, I made a point of attending.
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This years show was held at the Palos Verdes Art Center
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The space wasn't as large as that provided by the hall at the South Coast Botanic Garden previously used by the SCC&SS as a venue for these events but it was far sleeker. There were fewer vendors by my assessment but still plenty of choices in terms of plants.
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Some sellers specialized in selected genera while others offered a broad spectrum of plants
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There were at least 3 parties selling pots
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I focused most my attention on the show plants (not for sale). There were fewer show tables on this occasion but whether that was due to the event's smaller space or the pandemic's impact on the show's contributors, I can't say. Here's a summary showing each of the 4 show tables and the specimens that drew my attention:
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First show table (shown in the order I approached them)
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Clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium 'Sunburst' (crest form), Euphorbia bussei var kibwezinsis (crest form), Euphorbia pseudocactus hybrid, and Sedum frutescens
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Second show table
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Clockwise from the upper left: Aloe dorotheae, Euphorbia lactea (crest form), noID (a Euphorbia I think), Fockea edulis, Pachyodium bispinosum x succulentum, and Pachypodium rosulatum
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Third show table
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Clockwise from the top: Cleistocactus auriespinus (crest form), Gasteria hybrid, Gasteria obtusa, Haworthii cooperi var truncata, and Mammillaria spinosissima var rubrispina
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Fourth show table
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Clockwise from the upper left: Agave applanata 'Cream Spike', Gastrolea 'Grey Ice', Mammillaria pringlei, Copiapoa krainziana, and Kroeneinia grusonii
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Of course, I didn't leave empty-handed but, as I parked a distance away because the parking lot was full when I arrived, I restricted my purchases to items I could easily carry.
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| New-to-me Dyckia choristaminea and Dyckia 'Tarzan' |
That's it for me this week. Best wishes for pleasant weather and a fruitful weekend in the garden.
All material © 2012-2022by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
