Each month we welcome members to submit a specific cactus or succulent for judging. We find it excellent prep for the Philadelphia Flower Show and a great way to showcase our best specimens.
Below is the schedule for Cactus and Succulent plant categories. Note that the Succulent schedule is different for odd and even numbered years (there are just so many awesome succulents).
There are also “Special Categories” listed below. These are monthly themes that make for interesting entries.
The rules: Pots may contain only one clone of plant (exception: the Special Category of Troughs and Winter Hardy). Single specimens, multiple headed specimens, as well as offsets of the same plant in the same pot, are acceptable. Each member growing plants may make up to a maximum of four entries during any given month.
Not sure what plant you have? We have a monthly show-and-tell session as well, so bring a plant and let’s check it out!
Here are the current POTM Standings:
| Name | Sept | Oct | Nov | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | TTL pts |
| Barry Bush | – | – | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | 5 |
| Bill Baur | – | 11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11 |
| Brie Baur | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| Chester Raveis | – | – | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | 7 |
| Chris Ripnak | – | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | 10 |
| Danielle Moler | – | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7 |
| Deb Donaldson | 16 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16 |
| Dian Irvin | – | 3 | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | 6 |
| Diane Olesik | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Frank Straup | 15 | – | 8 | 15 | – | – | – | – | 38 |
| Fred Irvin | – | 5 | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | 9 |
| Gene Tubis | – | 23 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 23 |
| James Winter | – | – | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | 5 |
| Jeff Sedwin | 22 | 14 | – | 15 | – | – | – | – | 51 |
| Kat Benson | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| Ken Kohler | – | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 |
| Ken P | – | – | 10 | 19 | – | – | – | – | 29 |
| Lee Garner | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 |
| Marc Ross | – | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 |
| Mary Pastore | 5 | 3 | 9 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 19 |
| Mike Slater | 15 | 16 | 16 | 18 | – | – | – | – | 65 |
| Nick Au | 5 | 19 | 4 | 4 | – | – | – | – | 32 |
| Robin Althous | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Will Hall | 17 | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | 20 |
| Zippy Goldberg | – | – | – | 7 | – | – | – | – | 7 |
Cactus
| MONTH | CACTACEA GROUP | EXAMPLES |
| September | Echinocactus I, Astrophytum (subfamily Cactoideae, tribe Echinocacteae) | Astrophytum ONLY |
| October | Echinocactus II Group (subfamily Cactoideae, tribe Echinocacteae) | Echinocactus, Ferocactus, Kroenlenia, Leuchtenbergia, Stenocactus (Echinofossulocactus), Ariocarpus, Obregonia, Aztekium |
| November | Epiphytic Group (subfamily Cactoideae, tribes Hylocereae, Rhipsalideae) | Rhipsalis, Schlumbergia |
| January | Pereskia-Opuntia-Cereus Group (subfamilies Pereskieskiodeae, Opuntiodeae, Cactoideae, tribes Cereeae, Pachycereae, Browningieae, Leptocereae) | Pereskia, Maihuenia, Pereskiopsis, Opuntia, Cereus, Carnegiea, Cephalocereus, Esposta |
| February | Parodia Group (subfamily Cactoideae, tribe Notocacteae) | Eriosyce, Copiapoa, Parodia, Frailea, Uebelmannia |
| March | Echinocereus-Melocactus Group (subfamily Cactoideae, tribes Echinocereae, Melocacteae) | Echinocereus, Melocactus, Discocactus |
| April | Echinopsis-Gymnocalycium-Rebutia Group (subfamily Cactoideae, tribe Echiopsideae) | Echinopsis, Lobivia, Cleistocactus, Matucana, Oroya, Rebutia, Sulcorebutia, Gymnocalycium, Aylosteria |
| May | Mammillaria-Coryphantha Group (subfamily Cactoideae, tribe Mammillariaeae) | Mammillaria, Coryphantha, Epithelantha, Pelecyphora, Cochemiea, Cumarinia |
Succulents – Cycle A
| MONTH | SUCCULENTS | EXAMPLES |
| September 2025 | Aizoaceae 2 Only Lithops and Conophytum | Lithops and Conophytum |
| October 2025 | Crassulaceae 1 subfamilies Cotyledonoideae and Kalanchoideae | Tylecodon, Cotyledon, Kalanchoe |
| November 2025 | Crassulaceae 2 Only the following: Crassula, Adromischus, and Aeonium | Crassula, Adromischus, Aeonium |
| January 2026 | Euphorbiaceae 2 Thickened root or caudex type | Decaryi, Francoisii, Squarrosa. etc. |
| February 2026 | Euphorbiaceae 3 Thickened stem type, medusae type | Obesa, Suzannae, Bulpeurifolia, etc. |
| March 2026 | Aizoaceae 1 All except Lithops and Conophytum | Faucaria, Titanopsis, etc. |
| April 2026 | Crassulaceae 3 All other Crassulaceae except those included in October and November | Echeveria, Sedum, Dudleya, etc. |
| May 2026 | Apocynaceae (Asclepiadaceae) 1 | Adenium, Pachypodium |
Succulents – Cycle B
| MONTH | SUCCULENTS | EXAMPLES |
| September 2024 | Aloaceae 1 Aloe, sensu-lato | Aloe, Aloidendron, Aristaloe, Kumara, Gonialoe, and Aloiampelos only |
| October 2024 | Aloaceae 2 Haworthia sensu-lato | Haworthia, Haworthiopsis and Tulista only |
| November 2024 | Aloaceae 3 Gasteria only & also plants of bigeneric origin from any plant family | Gasteria, xGasteraloe, xGasterhaworthia, xAlworthia, xMangave, xAporophyllum, xGraptoveria, xSedeveria, xGraptophytum, xGraptosedum, xTacisedum, xTaciveria, xTacipetalum, xCremnosedum, xCremneria, xCremnopetalum, etc. |
| January 2025 | Agavaceae and Dracaenaceae | Agave, Yucca, Beaucarnea, Nolina, Calibanus, Sanseveria |
| February 2025 | Apocynaceae (Asclepiadaceae) 2 | Caralluma, Stapelia, Hoodia, Pseudolithos, Trichocaulon Ceropegia, Brachystelma, Hoya, Huernia, Fockea, Ceropegia |
| March 2025 | Euphorbiaceae 1 Milii type plus any other genera, excluding those covered in odd years in January and February with thickened stem/root | Milii, Jatropha, Pedilanthus |
| April 2025 | Other Succulents 1 Only the following families: Bromeliaceae, Asteraceae (Compositae,) Cucurbitaceae, Didiereaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Geraniaceae | Dyckia, Senecios, Othonnas, Ibervillea, Alluaudia, Didierea, Dioscorea, Sarcocaulon, Pelargonium, Monsonia |
| May 2025 | Other Succulents 2 Succulent shrubs, trees, herbaceous plants, and other families not included in other months like Portulacaceae, Vitaceae, Passifloraceae, etc | Anacampseros, Portulacaria, Cissus, Cyphostemma, Adenia, Bulbine, Bowiea |
Special Categories – Every Year
| MONTH | THEME | EXAMPLES/ IDEAS |
| September | Oldies But Goodies | Subdivided into two groups. Plants in your possession for 10 years or more. Plants in your possession for 20 years or more. |
| October | Caudiciforms and Bonsai | We will separate the entries into the major two groups and subdivide from there |
| November | Hanging Plants | Exhibitor must provide a pot or other workable form of staging to display plant |
| January | Crested, Monstrose, and Variegated Plants | Subdivided into the three groups |
| February | Double your Pleasure | Representatives of two different genera belonging to the same family, in separate pots, (counted as one entry) |
| March | Small Joys | Mature specimen of one kind of plant of small stature in a pot 3 inches or less, measured along the longest dimension |
| April | Parent and Offspring | Two specimen plants, one propagated from the other, in two separate pots, (counted as one entry) |
| May | Troughs, Winter Hardy | Please be prepared to help with the moving and staging of large and/or heavy containers. Containers may hold more than one kind of plant. |
| Container garden, non-winter hardy | Containers may hold more than one kind of plant. We will separate entries into two groups, those containing a single species or variety and those with more than one type of plant. | |
| June | Challenge Plants (both new and old) | 2023 – Adenium Somalense (from Will Hall) 2024 – Faucaria Brittenae (from Mike Slater) 2025 – A cactus (hopefully) |