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Date: July 19, 2025
Time: 10AM Pacific Time (California)
About Buck Hemenway
Buck Hemenway has been an active member of the cactus and succulent community for over 25 years. He has served as president of both the Gates and San Gabriel Cactus & Succulent Societies and spent more than a decade on the CSSA Board of Directors, where he also held the role of Show and Sale Chair, including leading the national CSSA Show for several years.
In 2015, Buck and his wife Yvonne moved from Riverside, California to Calitzdorp on the Western Cape of South Africa.
Buck currently serves on the CSSA Conservation Committee, continuing his lifelong commitment to the preservation and celebration of succulent diversity.
Show & Sale in South Africa
Join us for this month’s CSSA webinar featuring long-time member and former board member Buck Hemenway, as he shares the inspiring story behind South Africa’s Vetplantfees (Fat Plant Festival) — a thriving celebration of succulent plants that he helped establish from the ground up.
After serving for over 25 years in CSSA and local society leadership roles — including president of both the Gates and San Gabriel Cactus & Succulent Societies and Show Chair for the local and national CSSA Shows — Buck and his wife Yvonne relocated in 2015 from Riverside, California to Calitzdorp, a small town in the Western Cape of South Africa.
What they found was surprising: in a country where 47% of the world’s succulents grow naturally, there was just one succulent society. Buck and Yvonne quickly helped form a second — the Calitzdorp Succulent Society — and asked members a bold question: “Why not host an annual event to celebrate succulents?”
Eight years later, Vetplantfees has become a nationally known festival, drawing visitors and attention from across South Africa.
📅 Don’t miss this fascinating and inspiring story of community-building, passion for plants, and international succulent culture.
Recording
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Photo Credits: Buck Hemenway
