What Is It?

A two-day extravaganza of plant show and plant sale. Bring a friend and a box!

The show will be People’s Choice, which means that you will help pick the winning plants! Grab some voting dots at the Membership Table and tag your favorite contenders.

For sale, meanwhile, will be a wide variety of cacti and succulents, along with pots and assorted accessories; the vendors who raised the plants from seeds and pups will be there to answer your questions and provide suggestions.

When Is It?

Saturday, June 24th, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and
Sunday, June 25th, from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

To automatically add the event to your calendar, pick the day or days of interest from the set below.

Where Is It?

At the Fammatre Elementary School in San Jose.

What Are The Rules For The “People’s Choice” Show?

• You must be a current member of CSSSJ.
• You must have owned the plants you exhibit for at least six months.
• Because it is a People’s Choice show, rather than a judged show, you may choose to be a bit more relaxed in selecting your entries. However, we encourage you to enter your best as you want to garner the most votes from the public.
• Each member is allowed a maximum of 10 plants to show, as we have a limited amount of space for them. Please provide a list of what you are entering, with your name on it, to assist with our recordkeeping.
• Entries need to arrive by 6:30 PM Friday for the show. You will find entry tags for each classification (see below for details). Write up your tags, putting the information on both halves. Fold in half, leaving your name on both halves for the counting of points.
• Exhibitor Classifications:
• Novice: If you are under 18, have not won a total of 50 first place ribbons in previous CSSA affiliated shows, or have been competing for less than 5 years.
• Advanced: You must exhibit in this class if you no longer qualify for the above class.
• Open: If you possess or have possessed a nurseryman’s license, or earn a substantial income from the sale of plants, you must exhibit in this class.

What Else Do I Need To Know?

A few things to make your visit as much fun as possible:

• Keep up to date with the announcements on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
• We'll be having free potting activity for kids at 11 AM and 3 PM on Saturday the 24, in the Courtyard. You supply the plant; we'll supply the pot, the soil, and the instruction. All kids age 16 and under are welcome to join! Please note that all young children must be supervised.
• No early birds, please. The doors open at 10:00 on Saturday, and not before.
• Saturday morning tends to be extremely busy! If you’d like a quieter time to visit, we’d recommend Saturday after 2 pm, or Sunday.
• Pets, in particular dogs, are not allowed. (Sorry. It’s not that we don’t love them. It’s just that it’s safer for everyone if they stay home, and in any case, school rules forbid it.)
• To make shopping safer and more pleasant, the aisles will be wider than in pre-pandemic days.
• Even though the aisles are wider than in years past, and you’re welcome to bring your cart to help transport all of your purchases, please keep your cart out of the aisles themselves.
• You may want to take advantage of our Plant Hotel to hold your plants while you continue shopping. Be sure to hang on to your claim check, so you can retrieve your plants. For more details on the Plant Hotel, see the Plant Hotel FAQ.
• You can sign up for CSSSJ membership at the Show and Sale. Please note, however, that we will not be taking membership signups at the door during early access.
• Ask questions! Many of our members are highly-regarded experts, and are more than happy to talk about cactus and succulent plants.
• You may pay for your purchase using cash or a credit card. Our systems support Apple Pay and Google Pay. Unfortunately, we will not be able to take checks.

How Can I Help?

Thanks for asking! There are several things you can do before and during the event.

• Volunteer! If you’re a member, please consider volunteering. You get to interact with customers, as well as fellow club members, in a fun environment.
• Tell your friends. Point them at our website and this page, as well as at the club’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
• Bring your own boxes or reusable containers. While we amass a large set of boxes for your use before each sale, their numbers tend to dwindle as the day progresses. Scrap paper — old newspaper, or packing paper — is also immesely useful for padding purchases securely.