Who Am I to Judge?, by Stephen Lysaght I was recently honored by being asked to serve as a judge by the Cactus & Succulent Society of San Jose, for its annual Show & Sale in Santa Clara on April 4 & 5. I was initially anxious about accepting this responsibility, in that I had never judged a show and feared that I was not ready to do so. I am not a grower, have not studied botany or horticulture, and I often find myself envying other succulent enthusiasts’ knowledge and expertise. On the other hand, I told myself that I think I have a good eye for quality plants. I have volunteered as a docent at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek for several years. I have participated as an entrant in both judged and non-judged shows in the past. I have performed the duties of a Clerk for the annual NorCal Show & Sale a couple of times. And I just plain love succulents! Show Chairperson Bill Kurtz graciously accommodated my request to not be assigned to judge the cactus (for which my taxonomy knowledge is woefully inadequate), although I collect and like them as well. The icing on the cake though was that I was paired with our own Club’s Michael Louie, who I knew would be patient and provide me the guidance I needed. To prepare for my gig as a judge, I read the CSSA (Cactus & Succulent Society of America) "Shows & Judging Booklet." It provided a wonderful reference for the judging experience, and would be beneficial to anyone interested in entering their plants in a show. Of particular relevance was its judging criteria, which provided that plants should be judged against perfection of culture, except for novice classes. The CSSA judging scale specifies that plant condition accounts for 70% of the score, staging for 25%, and nomenclature (proper identification) for 5%. The San Jose Club’s judging scale was more finitely specified for condition, but similar overall to that of the CSSA. For those of our members who have never entered their plants in a show, it is important to know that there are three separate categories for judging. One may enter plants in the "novice" category if you are a "newbie," and have limited experience and participation in judged shows. The next level is "advanced," which really applies to "intermediate" or moderately experienced succulent hobbyists. The "open" category is applicable to the most experienced growers and collectors, and their plants receive the most critical scrutiny and have the highest expectations. Although the San Jose Club's Show is relatively small (compared to the NorCal or Intercity Show in Los Angeles, for instance), there were many excellent plants, beautifully staged. Michael and I examined the plants in each category, within the many families of succulents, and awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbons in most. In some instances, no ribbons were awarded because none of the plants were "worthy." In other cases, we awarded more than one 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place ribbon because more than one plants was meritorious. Finally, we were tasked with selecting the "best" succulent in various families (monocotyledon, euphorbia, crassulaceae, etc.) and overall in the succulent section of the Show. This was a relatively easy decision because a multi-branched, very mature euphorbia bupleurifolia blew us both away. I have a few words of advice to our members who intend to compete in judged shows in the future, based on my experience. Do not over-pot or underpot your plants; doing so will make them appear disproportionately grown. Do not utilize stakes to hold them upright. Do not fail to clean them of debris, dead or rotting sections, or evidence of insect infestation (those slug tracks are a dead giveaway). Do not enter something for which you do not know the proper nomenclature. Conversely, if you really love a particular plant, the odds are that other succulent afficionados will too. I hope that more of the members of the San Francisco Succulent & Cactus Society will particpate in our nonjudged Show on June 13 & 14, 2009. It is an excellent way to get ones feet "wet", without worrying about how many ribbons you do or do not win. We all start out as novices and can learn from each other at every stage of our immersion into the fascinating world of succulent plants. Bring one plant or enough to cover a table, and have fun!