No mask for the vaxxed PSSC IN PERSON MEETING JUNE 26, 2021

[DoomsDave]

UPDATE: MASKS NO LONGER REQUIRED OUTDOORS FOR FULLY VACCINATED PERSONS. Under the provisions of California's June 15, 2021 Covid Update, new guidelines for mask wearing the "mask mandate" in previous communications is superseded:

1. Fully vaccinated persons not required to wear masks outdoors.

2. Unvaccinated persons still required to wear masks for entire meeting.

3. All attendees to wear masks in hosts' homes to use toilets.

4. VACCINATION STATUS IS ON THE HONOR SYSTEM - PLEASE BE HONORABLE.

5. Lunch will still be off-site.

I am pleased to announce that we will be having our first in-person meeting in more than a year, at the homes and gardens of Carl Hartman, MD and Alex Kutas, MD, in Huntington Beach, Orange County, California on June 26, 2021.

Carl and Alex are both long time palm aficionados and PSSC members. While each has a different approach to their gardens, both have splendid spreads. Carl's garden is a jungle, with canopy soaring overhead, while Alex's garden is a jewel box of specimens with a perfectly manicured lawn. You will love both!

The first garden will be Carl Hartman's garden at 18722 Jockey Circle, Huntington Beach, CA 92648. The PSSC Board meeting will be held here, along with garden tours. The general meeting and auction will be conducted at Alex Kutas' garden, at 6761 Corral Circle. Both gardens are in walking distance of each other, so parking between the two is recommended. There is plenty of on-street parking and Saddleback Lane is perfect as it is between both properties.

 Carl's descent into palm madness started when he was a boy after his father read him "The Jungle Book" which filled his head with visions of tropical plants. In 1994, his newly-acquired home and garden were a blank slate, and, eager to fill it with palms, Carl went to a nursery where a person there advised him to sign up with the PSSC. (One of the reasons was that the person asking would get a free year's membership if he signed up five members. That deal's still on!) Back then the Palm Journal was full of ads for plants for sale, and one was by the late Ralph Velez, who lived nearby in Westminster. Carl raced over to Ralph's place, and purchased what were then a number of strap-leaved seedlings, which didn't stay little for long. A look at the front of Carl's garden (pictured below) shows two towering Livistonas, australis and decipiens, each with 30 feet of trunk, which date from that time. Impressive Pritchardias, Caryota kiriwongensis and Clinostigma harlandii!  Among much else. Among a whole lot else! Sit and gaze a moment, then look closely and you can see the treasures within. And that's just the front! Come visit and see the Jungle Book come to life! 

 Alex fell in love with palms on a trip to Hawaii in the 1970s, and thereafter planted a forest of Howea forsteriana at his home.  Alex's palmy horizons expanded dramatically when he saw a 1992 Palm Journal on a counter in a retail nursery, which had a Hedyscepe canturburyiana on the cover. Soon after joining the PSSC, Alex visited Ralph Velez who sold him a Rhopalistylus baueri, his "first uncommon palm" which is "still growing strong." 

Alex took a highly aggressive approach to soil preparation from the beginning. First, he removed the top two feet of compacted clay soil around his then-abuilding house, and replaced it with seven dump trucks full of top soil. Then, in addition to that, he dug a nice big hole around each newly planted palm, and backfilled with cactus mix for extra drainage. When a common palm gets too large, Alex replaces it with a new, rarer one. While he has had, in his words, a "list of failures almost as long as [his] list of successes, his garden is marvelous to behold today. In recent retirement, he looks forward to lavishing more love upon them. The love shows! 

Thanks again to Carl and Alex for hosting us!

 

OFF PREMISES LUNCH

Also in light of ongoing concerns about Covid 19, our hosts both require that attendees eat lunch off-premises and return to the meeting to the Alex Kutas garden for the second half and auction. Again, understanding and cooperation are greatly appreciated!

 

AUCTION

There will be an auction at this meeting. Donors have a choice of donating 100% of the proceeds to the PSSC (we appreciate that!) or 50% (we appreciate that, too!) The focus is on rare palms, in 1 to 5 gallon containers, though larger ones will be accepted. Also good are nice palm-themed objects d'art, and other exotic plants, including but not limited to, bromeliads, fancy Ficus, etc. We accept credit cards, checks, and good old cash.

LARGE PALMS ALSO SOUGHT. As noted, we generally prefer 1 - 5 gallon palms, but, in light of the monetary emergency we find ourselves in, we also ask for larger palms, up to 15 gallon or 20" box. These will be big and impressive, but relatively easy to transport.

Palms of note to date: The following palms (among many others) are to be auctioned: 5 gallon Copernicia fallensis, and a 10 gallon Chamadorea benziei. If you have a killer palm you want to donate, text Dave Bleistein at 323-481-5071 and let him know what it is, the size and the reserve (minimum bid) if any. This list will be updated as new additions are offered by members and others. 

As everyone is aware, the Covid 19 pandemic, and the forced closures of group events has hurt the PSSC's finances badly as the auction is a vital source of funding for the PSSC. The last auction the PSSC has conducted was back in January of 2020 at the yearly banquet. That's a year and a half. Participation by donating and buying will help immensely. If you have a question about a possible donation, contact Dave Bleistein at 323-481-5071 via text or email at urkurk2000@gmail.com. 

Since we have a limited time in which to conduct the auction, we ask that donors provide plants that will realistically sell for at least $20. Please no Washingtonias, Phoenix canariensis, etc. We also appreciate liners and "freebie" plants as well.

Thanks to all of our donors!

 

ITINERARY

9:30 a.m. PSSC Board meeting at the Hartman garden at 18722 Jockey Circle

10:30 a.m. Tours of the Hartman garden.

11:30 a.m. Adjourn for off-premises lunch

1:00 p.m. general meeting at Kutas Garden at 6761 Corral Circle

1:30 p.m. auction

4:00 p.m. adjourn

[kinzyjr]

Well wishes for a very successful, educational, and entertaining meeting from your friends in Florida!

[DoomsDave]

We took in a gross of just under $2,800 for the auction!