On the second Thursday of each month, we invite speakers to present a talk or program about their area of expertise. We offer in-person meetings as well as live-streaming on Zoom. Everyone is welcome!

In-person events are usually free for SCHS Members and students with ID; a $5 entry fee is requested for non-members. Zoom webinars are FREE for all, but registration is required. 

Meetings may also include Plant Sales, a Raffle and expert discussion of plants brought in to the Plant Forum. Do you have an interesting plant to share? If you can't bring one in person, send in a photo and requested information on our Plant Forum Page.

For more information about the Society, please see our About SCHS page.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH

Join us for a talk and tour of the Huntington’s Desert Garden
Tour open only to SCHS members

“Horticultural Happenings in the Huntington’s Desert Garden” With John Trager
A look at the garden’s history, recent renovations, and fascinating succulent collections.

Hybrid Program: In-Person and Online:
The Huntington / Ahmanson Classroom
1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108

On November 12, the Southern California Horticultural Society will host a presentation by John Trager, the Bernie and Miyako Storch Curator of Desert Collections at the Huntington.

With “Horticultural Happenings in the Huntington's Desert Garden,” Trager will share highlights from the garden and conservatory’s recent and not-so-recent past, including upgrades that offer new opportunities to explore these remarkable collections. Trager will discuss the recent renovation of the Desert Conservatory and how this optimized growing space invites visitors to once again enjoy these special plants.

These renovations were part of a larger project that created a more prominent Desert Garden entrance, added 1,200 linear feet of gently curving, ADA accessible pathways, and included new rockeries for displaying more of the Collection’s fascinating succulents. These improvements mark the latest chapter in a garden that has expanded and evolved since William Hertrich first proposed starting a cactus garden shortly after Henry E. Huntington purchased the property in 1905.

Prior to joining The Huntington in 1983, Trager worked with master propagator Frank Horwood at Abbey Garden Nursery in Carpinteria, California. His writings have appeared in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, the Euphorbia Journal, and other horticultural publications. He is also known for his photography, with more than 3,000 images published in textbooks and journals. The annual International Succulent Introductions selections that are published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal provides another venue for his writing and photography.

Trager has traveled widely in search of plants and insects, visiting China, Costa Rica, Israel, Mexico, Namibia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Venezuela. He holds a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Cal Poly Pomona and previously studied botany at Santa Barbara City College and UC Santa Barbara.

Whether you’re a longtime admirer of the Huntington’s Desert Garden or curious about its extraordinary succulent collections, this program offers an opportunity to learn about the garden’s history and latest developments from its longtime curator. We encourage you to join us for the evening.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH

Hybrid Program: In-Person and Online

The Huntington Botanical Gardens, in the Ahmanson Classroom  

(directions & parking info will be forthcoming)

Announcements: 7:10 pm / Plant Forum: 7:15 pm / Program: 7:30 pm

SCHS members: Make an evening of it!
Join John Trager for an exclusive tour of the newly renovated Desert Conservatory before the lecture.
Details and registration for this exclusive member tour will be available soon. Space is limited!

Headshot photo courtesy of John Trager.
Plant photos courtesy of Carol Aronson and Marie Astrid Gonzalez.

Upcoming Events:

Thursday, December 10 | In person at Canoga Park Women’s Club | 7:00 pm PDT 

Annual Holiday Party with seasonal food, our fabulous “Freebie Table” AND guest speaker Bryan Chan, local bromeliad grower and expert... Join us for the festivities!

Visit our Past Meetings page to re-watch previously recorded in-person meetings and webinars, download each meeting write-up, and reference any materials provided by our speakers.

SCHS Statement of Solidarity

As a horticultural nonprofit, we stand in solidarity with the agricultural and horticultural workers whose skill and daily labor sustain our gardens, green spaces, and food systems. We honor their expertise and recognize that these workers, like all people in the United States, are protected by constitutional rights that uphold equal protection under the law, freedom of speech and association, and the right to fair and lawful treatment in their workplaces and communities.

We are committed to respecting their contributions to the land and supporting safe, fair, and dignified working conditions. Our work is possible because of theirs.

• Our Hort Happenings page lists events at local horticultural institutions. 
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