THE
TEESSIDE BRANCH PHOTO GALLERY
Trips
A few Branch members travel extensively to see cacti
and succulents, to shows, sales, nurseries, talks, conventions or even
their natural habitats. Most, however, rely on organised visits to see
such places.
Based in the northeast of England there are relatively
few local specialist nurseries. For this reason we arrange trips (sometimes
in conjunction with Northumbria Branch), often by coach or minibus, so
that members can travel further afield. The trips may visit several nurseries
in a single day giving members the chance to purchase from a wide selection
of plants. In order to maximise the number of members able to benefit,
the Branch often subsidises the cost of the transport.
Even members not wanting to buy large numbers of
plants can have a great day out. The trip is a social occasion, and just
walking round the larger nurseries looking at the plants is well worthwhile
- especially in spring when the benches can be a sea of colourful flowers.
There never seems to be enough time to everything,
whether at one of the larger nurseries where the sheer size of the place
and the thousands of plants mean plenty of legwork, or one of the smaller
establishments where it still takes time to find that choice gem hidden
in the last corner!
As well as the plants, the social aspects of the
trips are very important. Both the journey and the time spent at the nurseries
give time for members to talk and to get to know each other better and
to pick each others brains about plant cultivation, etc. What better time
to do this than when relaxing over lunch, or over the refreshments which
some nurseries kindly provide to the visitors.
The Branch has visited at least eight different nurseries
in recent years, some large, some small, but each providing something a
little different.
As well as the nurseries, Branch trips have also
gone to National Shows, sales conventions and display greenhouses such
as those at Tropical World in Leeds, pictured below.
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Photographs at Croston Cactus and David Rushforth's
by John Gamesby, all other photographs by : John Ellis |
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The copyright for all pictures on
this site remains the property of the BCSS Teesside Branch and the original
photographer. Anyone wishing to reproduce any of them for whatever reason,
either as hard copies or for website use, should e-mail their request giving
full details of the intended use. Such requests will generally be looked
upon favourably provided they are for none commercial purposes.
