At about this time last year, I was reluctantly admitting that I was starting to like cacti.  I've come to like them even more over the past 361 days, and currently, several of mine are even in flower.  There's nothing quite like a cactus blossom.  E.g., on Friday, I woke up to this:

...Which, okay, even if you're not a cacti person, you have to admit is pretty gorgeous.

A year ago, I blanched every time someone lumped these spiny critters in with my plump, beloved echeverias or haworthias.  Now I'm practically a cactus proselyte.  If you're feeling cacti-curious, but aren't quite ready to convert, here are some varieties that might push you over the edge.  (I've erred on the less spiny side, since many succ-ers have expressed the crazy desire not to be impaled on their own plants.)

What kinds of cacti should be added to this must-love list?  Are any of you readers still cacti-reluctant?  (I'm talking to you, Mom!)  ;)

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the Cactus & Succulent Society of San Jose's annual show and sale.  I went last year and enjoyed it, and the difference between how much I saw/knew/understood this year vs. last year was huge, which was kind of gratifying.  I may or may not have stood around allowing people to solicit me for advice.  It may or may not have made me want to write a book about succulents and/or transform into Debra Lee Baldwin.  Just sayin'. 

If memory serves, last year's sale favored cacti over succs, but this year's wares were fairly evenly divided between cacti and other succulents.  Plus, I like cacti more than I used to, particularly rebutias, of which there were plenty.  One vendor had air plants, and there were some "meh" plastic pots.  That was my only real disappointment--I wanted to pick up some cool pots, and this wasn't the place to do it.

Anyhow, without further ado, here are some photos of my favorite eye candy from Saturday's show!  Some of these won prizes, and others did not, but they all caught my eye.  Enjoy!

Yesterday, my girlfriend, a couple of friends, and I went to the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show in San Mateo.  And I have to be totally honest, succ-ers: I was a little underwhelmed.  Not because there weren't a lot of plants there (there were), and not because the display gardens weren't great (they were), but mainly because there was so dang much for sale that had only peripherally to do with gardening.  At times, it felt like more one of those outdoor "festivals" where people sell various wares at small booths.  Items for sale included BBQs, freestanding hot tubs, bar soap, and paintings (not of plants, nor gardens) on silk.

All of which is *not*, by any means, to disparage the show or the folks who were selling things there.  I was just expecting more plants--well, let's be honest--more succulents.  And to be fair, my visit did not coincide with the succulent-relevant seminars held by succulent luminaries such as Debra Lee Baldwin and Robin Stockwell, and I'm sure those were terrific.

A few highlights.  Agave attenuata "Kara's Stripe" was featured in the "hot plants" room.  Judging from the array there, I understood "hot" to mean "newly popular" rather than "best for hot climates."  And there were a lot of gorgeous bonsais there, too, several of which were many decades old, and truly amazing.

Succulent Gardens was one of only two succulent-specific vendors present, and they had a predictably terrific array of plants and books.  In addition to picking up a few plants such as the unnamed euphorbia pictured, right (which I would have sworn was a hoodia, but there were a bunch of them, all labeled "Euphorbia sp.," which just goes to show that I still have a lot left to learn).  I also had a chance to say hello to the lovely Tiffany Polli, the SG Retail Manager, knows a great deal about succulents and has a wonderful sense of humor to boot.  At last year's show, Succulent Gardens displayed the famous globe.

The other mostly-or-solely-cactus-and-succulent purveyor, Sticky Situation, was new to me, and had come all the way from Tucson, Arizona to show their wares.  I picked up two very cool gymnocalyciums from them a g. mesopotamicum (cresting!) and a g. friedriechii.  Check out that amazing purple color!

Sticky Situation also had the most drool-worthy plant I saw at the whole event: a huge crested myrtillocactus geometrizans (pictured below).  Hmm...  My birthday's coming up in a couple of months...  anyone wondering what to get me?  Look no further!

There was a smattering of other cool succulent-related stuff (check out the succulent display wall below, for example) but for the most part, I think I'm going to need to keep an eye out for cactus and succulent shows, since they're probably more likely to have the kinds of plants and pots in which I'm most interested.

My girlfriend and I took a trip to Sonora over Valentine's Day weekend.  In addition to binge-watching "House of Cards," hiking at Glory Hole, and drinking marvelous tea, we ventured to a place called K&L Cactus.  I had no idea what to expect, but my girlfriend gamely agreed to drive an hour out of our way to middle-of-nowhere Ione, CA.

Oh my gosh.  It was SO worth the trip.  K&L Cactus consists of two enormous greenhouses positively bursting with incredible plants.  K&L's proprietor, Lorraine (pictured below in one of her greenhouses; I'm the one on the right), is not only a very kind, interesting, and cool person, but is stunningly knowledgeable about succulents and cacti.  She talked patiently with me as I peppered her with questions and wandered slowly through her beautiful greenhouses.

I've been to a lot of succulent and cactus places, and K&L is easily in my top two or three.  If you prefer the meticulous labeling, easy-to-read pricing, and impeccable organization of a place like Flora Grubb, K&L might not be for you.  But if you're like me and love a sprawling jungle of a nursery every bit as much, you've got to make the pilgrimage to K&L.  It's easily worth the trip just to meet Lorraine! 

I spent so long in the greenhouses that my girlfriend eventually retreated to the car with the dog and played games on her iPhone (talk about a good sport...).  But before she did, she unleashed her formidable photography skills on K&L.  The pictures in this post were all taken by her.  Enjoy the eye candy!

My only regret is that, starving grad student that I am, I couldn't afford to spend more money there!  Still, I took home several goodies, and I'm hoping this post will throw some more business Lorraine's way.  I know I have a lot of readers in the Davis/Sacramento area, and Ione is only an hour away from you.  Call K&L and set up an appointment to visit--it's well worth it!

This past weekend, I was lucky to attend the Succulent Celebration at Waterwise Botanicals, a huge, gorgeous outdoor nursery in Escondido, CA that specializes in succulents.  It was a blast--I'm so glad I made it. 

One of the first succ-ers I saw there was Cindy Davidson of The Succulent Perch fame, who recognized me right away and greeted me with a big hug.  I felt so welcomed!  Cindy's table boasted a marvelous array of arrangements--birdhouses and beyond.  Below left is a partial shot of a miniature garden Cindy constructed, complete with a perfect mini replica of Debra Lee Baldwin's new book.  Below left is a close-up of an echeveria purpusorum that Cindy used in one of her arrangements.  I love it when people use the slightly lesser-known succulents.

I spent an hour or two just roaming Waterwise Botanicals's vast grounds, which offered up dozens of picturesque views, including this:

And this:

I took over 100 photos with my trusty iPhone (admittedly, I regretted leaving my Nikon at home).  Here are a few of my favorites.  And by "a few," I mean "eighteen.  Click on any of them to see a larger version.

In all, an lovely weekend of sunshine, succ-ers, and succulents.  I also attended the Succulent VIP celebration, where I met many more succ-buddies in person at a drop-dead-gorgeous home garden.  Though I snapped plentiful pics there, too, I'm strictly forbidden from posting them until after the garden is featured in some print magazine that I can't remember the name of.  (Hmm, though I bet I can post pics of me and the other succ-ers there--I'll look into this.)

I'll post more soon about my other San Diego succulent adventures, which included the San Diego Botanical Gardens and more succulent nurseries than you can shake a stick (of fire) at!