There is loads of free information available on the internet but you may eventually like to join one of the societies or interest group and have contact with people who share the same interests. Not all require a paid subscription and even some of those that do have Facebook pages which are free of course.
Subscription-based societies
All societies are run by unpaid volunteers and, except for the BCSS, have very little money so you need to manage your expectations with regard to the quality of what they offer. Although some of the websites are very poorly designed (considering how many easy website-building packages are available these days), don’t go by first impression as these societies can be valuable routes to connecting with other growers and obtaining unusual plants and seeds.
A number are on Facebook which offers another way to interact without actually joining. These are indicated on the table below.
The ELK (Europäischen Länder-Konferenz) (elkcactus.eu; there is also a Facebook page) is not a society as such but it holds an annual conference in Belgium each September and is popular for its plant sales as much as for the talks. Although attended by many serious UK collectors, there is concern from 2020 onward with regard to bringing plants back into the UK. Apparently, the event was visited by the CITES authorities in 2019. There is by all accounts quite a bit of ‘under the counter’ selling of rare species.
The BCSS had less than 60 branches as of December 2025, a map of which can be viewed HERE. Many have closed due to low membership and the unwillingness of members to help run the branches. This is a real shame as the branches are a key feature of the society.
If you don’t feel ready to sign up for a subscription, there are other places you can go for information (as well as the above societies’ websites). This includes Facebook, so I will deal with them first.
Facebook pages
Anyone can set up an public group on Facebook, and (unfortunately) many have, and most are personal blogs. The ones worth looking at are the community groups that allow you to ‘join’ and to post comments (you have to ask to join). Some have been set up as ‘closed’ groups which means you can’t see anything without first joining.
Once part of one of these groups their posts may pop up on your timeline but because Facebook decides what to include on your timeline (based on a complicated algorithm linked to advertising revenue) you have to go to the page regularly to find out what a group is doing. The best community groups have great photographs and you can usually ask for help in identification or cultivation issues. You can make direct contact with members and I know that some people swap plants this way.
All of the groups shown below are community groups (societies with Facebook pages are show in the above table) and should be easy to find by typing their names into the search bar. I would particularly recommend joining those pages where there is currently no formal society.
Other useful websites
Take a look at the ID websites page for specific plant groups. I will add further useful websites in the future.
What makes a succulent a cactus?
. . . . Cacti
. . . . Other succulents
Taxonomy: A rose by any other name . . .
ID websites
Starting a collection
Where to buy plants
Societies and interest groups
Publications