Ninety Mile Beach - The Mentors

Dr. Phil Maxwell - The Rhipsalis Riddle - or the day the cacti came down from the trees (1998)

(Romanian translation by Eduart Zimer)

ROM (The Romanian version of this outstanding article was published in Cactus Romania http://www.cactusi.com in September 2007)

ROM       download

This article appeared for the first time in 1998 in "New Zealand Cactus and Succulent Journal" in three consecutive issues and gained an almost instant international success, being translated and published in several magazines; it also has appeared in English in at least two major C & S websites - one of them dedicated to the genus Rhipsalis and related epiphytic cacti. I have to recognize here the importance of this article in starting my interest of what's happening beyound the pot margins - this was 2000 or 2001 - and, even for this fact alone, I am deeply grateful. The Romanian translation of this outstanding and (at least for me) groundbreaking paper is the tribute I have to pay to the late Dr. Phil Maxwell. May God rest his soul.

Here's a link to the English version:

ENG  http://www.rhipsalis.com/maxwell.htm

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Dag Panco de Grid - Hexalogul pamantului / The Soil Hexalogue (2006 / revised 2011)

I don’t know if there are other people who had a greater influence on me as a C&S enthusiast and the way I connect to the plants than Dag Panco de Grid, also known to many cactophiles as Lupul or Le Loup. He also set the initial spark for my passion for plant naturalization few years back when asking me to write a short article on New Zealand naturalized succulents and I have to acknowledge this here. At his very peak as a Cactus Collector and Connoisseur, after 33 years since he started to study the magnificent world of Cactaceae and at a time he owned the most fabulous Romanian cacti collection, Dag simply sold or gave away all his plants to pursue other interests in life, dazzling the small Romanian cactophile community. Unfortunately despite his broad and complex knowledge gained over the years he didn’t write too much (except of course his very prolific topics scattered in Cactus Romania and Cactuspro forums) but gave us in the end the true measure of his wisdom by writing “The soil hexalogue” - a very condensed but ultimately true handbook on soil preparation. He always used to say that cactus cultivation is easy to learn – it takes only 40 lessons to become a master; the only problem is that it takes one year to master a lesson. Although he missed by his own standards few lessons he ultimately became Romania ’s most knowledgably and complex cactus enthusiast. In this moment (starting with July 2010) he somewhat "came back" by becoming the curator of one of the most stunning romanian private collections (Basarab Popa in Constanta):

ROM     download

ENG (still the 2006 version)   download

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Iustin Ovidiu Creţ - La umbra colectiilor in floare (2010)

Iustin Ovidiu Creţ is not the typical cactus and succulent enthusiast; he doesn’t have a large collection of rare and difficult plants and it appears that he even doesn’t want to have one… but Ovidiu (or Covi as he is known from the Cactus Romania forum) is a true lover of nature and wildlife and has a native curiosity to search and learn every relevant aspects. Although Romanian born (and a proud Transylvanian he is) he currently lives in Corpus Christi, Texas. During the last few years he posted on Cactus Romania several topics on wildlife and succulent plants seen during his American trips – from articles to pictorials accompanied by comments or external links or references detailing some aspects (this habit illustrates his always curious nature, his will to drill down to the last detail), sometimes very elaborated, sometimes in a hurry… but in the end always extremely interesting to read. And most important – he doesn’t forget to stay human – a moral, sensitive, intelligent and good hearted fellow – this makes some of his texts a pure delight (he attempted fiction as well). And his good sense of humor is always a bonus! His texts are a unique mixture of true humanity, there is certain deepness even beyond shallow remarks. He has touched me with his writings more then he will ever know or I will understand. The following text – La umbra colectiilor in floare (In the shadow of the collections in bloom) – is just a sample:

ROM download

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Trevor Cheeseman - Tips for Better Life for 2011

It is a bit too late for Tips for Better Life for 2011, but better late than never… This PowerPoint presentation was made by Trevor Cheeseman and presented in one of the mid-winter meetings of the Auckland branch. Trevor Cheeseman isa central figure of the CSSNZ Auckland Branch and well known for his talks at branch meetings and national conventions. The final slide is actually a joke (Trevor has a great sense of humour), because it actually pictures Max Croft, the current President of the Auckland Branch with Graeme Fieldes in the background – a long serving (17 years!) Secretary and Committee member of the National body.

Please feel free to distribute this PowerPoint presentation and don’t forget to mention the author: Trevor Cheeseman.

ENG download

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