WHERE & WHEN | VISITOR TIPS | HOW TO HELP | SHOW-ENTRY RULES

What?

A three-day extravaganza of plant show and plant sale. Free and open to the public — bring a friend and a box! Spectacular plants on display will compete for your votes, while a wide variety of cacti and succulents, along with handcrafted pottery and assorted accessories, will be up for sale.

Featuring

• Exceptional plants on display for our plant show. See a stunning variety of plants carefully combined with pottery that makes them look their best!
• Rarities. Plant vendors selling unusual and rare species of succulents & cacti you can’t buy in stores.
• Hand-made pottery selection. Local vandors will be selling their beautiful and ever-evolving handcrafted work.
• Expert growing advice. The vendors who raised the plants from seeds and pups will be there to answer your questions and provide suggestions.
• Plant Hotel. Save your arms, and drop your full boxes off with us until you're ready to check out.
• A worthy cause. Proceeds support the Cactus and Succulent Society of San Jose’s monthly programs and further our mission of community, education, conservation and propagation.

Where and When?

The Place

The Show and Sale will take place at the Peterson Middle School in Sunnyvale.

The Times

Friday, June 27th through Sunday, June 29th.

Members-Only Early Access

Friday will be members-only, but you can become a member at the door! (Individuals pay $15 per year; couples $20.) Volunteers will be allowed to start shopping at 3PM; members will be able to start at 5PM. The doors will close at 7PM.

General Access

Doors will be open to the general public from 10AM to 5PM on Saturday, and 10AM to 3:30PM on Sunday.

Visitor Tips

• Saturday mornings tend to be extremely busy! If If you don’t like crowds, you might want to wait until after 2 PM, or Sunday.
• The doors will not open early.
• Bring your own boxes — while we will have some on-site, bringing your own will spare you from having to hunt for the one that's “just right”.
• You may want to take advantage of our Plant Hotel (see its information page) to hold your plants while you continue shopping. Be sure to hang on to the numbered tags you're given, so you can retrieve your plants.
• 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 themt.)
• To make shopping safer and more pleasant, the aisles will be wider than in pre-pandemic days.
• The wider aisles notwithstanding, while you’re welcome to bring your cart to help transport all of your purchases, please keep said cart out of the aisles themselves.
• For faster checkout, please plan to pay by debit or credit card. Our systems support contactless payment, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. Unfortunately, we are unable to take checks. Cash is acceptable.
• You can sign up for CSSSJ membership at the Show and Sale, as well as online.

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. You also earn $10 in Show Bucks, discounts usable with any purchase, for each Volunteer slot you fill, as well as first dibs on shopping early Friday afternoon. (You could earn up to $90 in Show Bucks if you filled time slots spanning the whole event!)
• Spread the Word! Point your friends at our on-line resources: our website, as well as at the club’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Last but not least, you can circulate our flyer, available both as a PDF and a PNG!

What Are The Rules For Entering The Show?

• You must be a current member of CSSSJ.
• You must have owned the plants you exhibit for at least six months.
• Each member is allowed a maximum of 3 entries to the show — one each in the Cactus, Succulent, and Allied Arts categories — 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 7:00 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: 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: If you no longer qualify as a novice, you must exhibit in this 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.