About the CSSSJ

The Cactus & Succulent Society of San Jose, an affiliate of the Cactus & Succulent Society of America, was founded in 1960 for the purposes of fostering education, propagation, and conservation of succulent plants. Our membership has grown over the years, but we remain a dynamic group of hobbyists with an interest in sharing knowledge and tips with fellow hobbyists; whether novice, advanced, or even brand new!

Among our current priorities are raising public awareness of, and discouraging, the poaching of naturally-occurring succulents, and bringing

• Poaching
• Kids

Officers

Monthly Meetings

Check out the Events section for the latest meeting information. In general, our meetings feature the following:

• Program: We feature a different guest speaker or hands-on workshop every month, highlighting different aspects of the hobby. Speaker-oriented presentations include travel-logs and slide shows highlighting specific plant types. Workshops might center around potting, maintenance, and other general care issues.

• Door Prizes: Guests as well as members participate in at least one door prize drawing per meeting. Door prizes are typically nice potted cacti or other interesting succulent plants.

• Socializing: Visit with folks who share your interest in the great hobby of cacti & succulents. Make new friends. Our membership contains people of all levels from rank beginners to nursery professionals.

• Refreshments: Goodies are provided by a different group of members each month. The club provides soft drinks, cups, plates, and utensils. A few times a year, we start the meeting early and host a pot-luck dinner.

• Vendor of the Month: With prior consent of the vendor-of-the-month chairperson, presenters and club members can sell plants at the meeting. The selection is often fantastic and certainly not what you can find at your typical nursery.

• Show & Tell: Have a cactus that is just bursting out in bloom? Have a plant that was given to you by your great Aunt, and you’d love to know what the heck it is? Have a plant that just isn’t doing so great, no matter how hard you try? Show & Tell provides a forum for showing off your prized posession, or for getting answers to those tough questions.

• Mini-Show: Each month, one cactus and one other succulent is featured in this mini-competition, which is judged by those present at the meeting. Members may enter a total of five plants altogether, but are welcome to bring in additional plants to discuss or share. Votes are worth points, and they can add up for year-end prizes. This is a great educational activity and a lot of fun.

Meeting Location / Directions

Monthly meetings of the CSSSJ usually take place on the first Sunday of each month, but are occasionally postponed by a week to avoid conflicting with holidays. See the Events page to verify meeting times and dates. Meetings start at 12:30 PM, with the exception of potluck meetings, which start at noon. They take place in the Brown Meeting Hall of the Emma Prusch Farm Park in San Jose, 647 S. King Road, near Story Road (in the shadow of the 101/280/680 interchange; south of 680 and east of 101).

If you enter the park from its principal parking lot, passing through the Native Garden Wheel, the Brown Meeting Hall will to your front-left, up a handful of steps.

How to Get There:

• From 680, take the King Road exit and make a left turn onto King Road. Proceed 1/2 block and turn right into the driveway, which is opposite Lido Way. Proceed down the driveway and park in the lot.

• From 280 (going south), take the King Road exit and make a right turn onto King Road. Proceed 1/4 block and turn right into the driveway, which is opposite Lido Way. Proceed down the driveway and park in the lot.

• From 101 (going in either direction), take the Story Road East exit. Turn left at King Road, then left into the driveway, which is opposite Lido Way. Proceed down the driveway and park in the lot.