Jane introduced Attila Kapitany, who visited the club some year’s prior. Attila had brought his lovely wife Michelle, and he explained that even though he works with cacti and succulents all day in his business, he still looks forward to coming home and dealing with his own plants which are everywhere!
The plants are not just his job - they are his life and he is President of the Cactus and Succulent Club.
Attila provided a great range of plants that members had the opportunity to buy, and also books, some of which he had written himself.
Cacti are distinguished by their spikes and come from deserts - they are native to the Americas.
Succulents are generally soft to touch, originate in England, Europe, especially in the Alps, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand - in fact every continent on earth except Antarctica. They don’t originate in the desert, so they need to be kept and grown differently to the cacti.
Attila asked why we like to grow succulents - there are a number of reasons; they survive drought and have great flowers, but most importantly, they are interesting and entertaining!
They can be bred for food, flowers and to tolerate hostile environments. Gardening in Australia is changing – we cover ourselves up to protect ourselves from nature and use weapons to attack it!
However succulents are easy to care for and therefore, fun! They arouse wonder and curiosity, their shapes, colours and textures fascinate us.
Succulents grow well with other plants, including roses and spring bulbs; they actually complement each other. They offer wonderful contrast to the greens of the garden as well as marvellous structural forms. They can be used as indoor floral decoration and recycled afterwards, back into the garden.
Attila showed us many fabulous colourful slides showing all sorts of different applications of succulents, from miniatures in tiny pots to large expansive gardens, fully stocked with succulents.
