Programs and Presentations

    Several of our members have led discussions, travel logs, given slide presentations and PowerPoint presentations for the Central Ohio Cactus and Succulent Society and other area societies. Their programs are mostly on growing cacti and other succulents, or of their travels into regions with a rich succulent flora, but some of our members have an appreciation of the many different plants throughout the world, and some can speak on broader topics - including gardening, growing orchids, and carnivorous plants to name a few.

    I am putting together a listing of some of the programs which our members have given in the past few years in the hopes that it will assist  other societies with ideas and resources in planning their own programs for the year. I would especially be interested in fostering a sort of "program exchange"  between local plant societies, using local experts with experience in growing various types of plants, or who have traveled in regions noted for their unique fauna and flora.

    In time, I also hope to include program notes from speakers from other local plant societies. If you are interested in having your own program added to this listing, contact Bruce Brethauer with information on your program (including title, and format) as well as contact information.

    This project is in its infancy, it is my hope that in the near future, I will have an extensive listing of many speakers and topics, so please visit frequently for the latest additions.

Bruce Brethauer bbrethau@columbus.rr.com, 614-267-4109

Most of the following programs are approximately 45 minutes in length, but can be made longer or shorter as needed for specific venues.

Fantastic Succulents for the Home, a PowerPoint presentation which highlights plants which are particularly suited as houseplants - plants which will tolerate the lower light levels of interior spaces, are free of spines, are easy to grow, are long lived, and may be reliable bloomers. Featured plants include Christmas Cacti and the Orchid Cacti, Sansieverias ("Mother-in-law's Tongue", "Snake Plants"), Aloes, "Bow Ties" (Gasterias), “Pinwheels" (Haworthias), "Ponytail Palms" and others. This program will also feature extensive information on how to properly care for these plants.

 

Suitable Succulents for the Home and Garden a PowerPoint program which highlights cactus and other succulent plants which are especially easy to grow and well suited for growing indoors (tolerating lower light levels, lack spines, and are generally easy to flower). It also includes discussion of succulent plants which are remarkably cold tolerant and are hardy, and recommended as perennials for Ohio gardens. This discussion will include species and guidelines for growing winter hardy cacti.

 

 Awesome Succulents for Young and Novice Growers,  a PowerPoint Program which highlights succulents which are easy to grow, easy to find in the trade, and which display especially interesting or bizarre traits which would make the plants especially interesting to younger growers. The program illustrates such oddities as the "Carrion Flower", the "Inchworm Plant", "Mother of Thousands", and the succulent mints which includes remarkably scented plants including the "Turpentine Plant", the “Vicks Plant”, “Cuban Oregano”, and the "Piss-Off Plant". The program also features extensive information on the "care and feeding" of cacti and other succulents, and provides information on where these plants may be purchased.

 

Awesome Plants for Young and Novice Growers, a PowerPoint presentation which highlights a wide variety of plants which are easy to grow, and having interesting and strange traits, which would make them especially interesting to younger growers. In addition to some of the curious succulents listed in the previous program, other plants discussed may include Carnivorous plants, Tillandsias (one of the so-called "Air Plans"), strongly scented plants including the succulent mints, "Mexican Frankincense", "Pineapple Mint", "Cantaloupe Mint", and others. Discussion may also include floating plants (plants which grow on the surface of lakes and ponds, with their roots submerged and their leaves growing above the water line) and orchids. This program will include general information on how to grow each category of plants, and information on where these plants may be purchased.

 

 Ants in your Plants, a PowerPoint program which explores the many types of plants which have a mutualistic relationship with ants - plants which are naturally adapted to provide nesting sites for ant colonies, which in turn, protect the plants from insect pests, and fertilize the host plant. The program illustrates the remarkable adaptations which plants have made in their leaves, stems, and roots to provide living space for ants. Host plant species include ferns, Orchids, Tillandsias (air plants), Hoyas, Dischidias, and several members of the coffee family (Rubiaceae).

 

Cactus in the Snow, A PowerPoint program to provide basic guidelines on preparing and planting a garden of hardy cacti by selecting cactus species which can tolerate extreme cold and high rainfall. A number of hardy cactus species are discussed and illustrated. Bruce is author of the book Cactus in the Snow; a Guide to Growing Hardy Cacti in the Wet and Frozen North, and originally installed the hardy cactus bed at the Franklin Park Conservatory, the Ohio State University, and at the Lilyfest in Rockbridge, Ohio. Bruce has grown and tested approximately 100 cactus species for their hardiness in Central Ohio.

 

Good Neighbor Gardening, highlighting ideas for choosing plants and growing techniques which may be better suited to gardens planted on smaller city lots. Topics covered will include suitable trees and shrubs for smaller lots, alternatives for the all turf lawn, square foot gardening techniques for the in-town vegetable garden, lower allergy trees and flowers, and discussion on composting, including vermiculture (composters using earthworms), and rain barrels.