Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads for novices and Addicts - Dec 2012, 2 by weed_woman

weed_woman wrote:
Good Morning everyone, I am hoping I can get around to replying to all the things I've read lately.
Ok, Trish, I have quite a few Aechmea blanchettiana pups, both the green form and the orange form. Most are quite large, but I think I can manage to package one for you ok. A swap with N. 'Kismet' would be great.
Wow, I agree living on hamilton Island must have been beautiful. I didn't realise people actually lived there, as I thought it was a resort island.
I love your pink Gingers. I bought a few of those little off shoots home in May, after a trip to Townsville, but it must have been the wrong time of year to strike them,as they didn't survive very long at all. I saw them growing in Fiji, just out in the middle of the bush!
I can relate to how you feel when you get home on the weekend, and get to spend time in the garden. I am fortunate enough to be semi retired now, and can tell you its a dream to be able to paly with my plants and garden every day.
Shirley, I have Aechmea 'Rodco' inverta, but I sold the first few pups, then left the last two on, which are now a bit big to be called pups, but a little ways off being mature. If you stil haven't sourced one by the time mine are pupping, I am only too happy to send one up to you. I find them quite tricky to get started rom a pup, so usually leave them on the parent and let them take over the pot. Has anyone else found them tricky?
Wendy, have a good sale day tomorrow, and I hope you get enough time to chat to friends and customers without feeling rushed. I am going to do another sale next week, but am going to advertise in the paper this week, with my phone number and see if I cant get some pre-sale appointments, as its much nicer having people around individually, then they can have a really good look at the plants, and around the garden, if they wish.
Nev, how are your burns? Are you having them dressed or just drying them out?
I too, think your garden pictures are a credit to you. Haing seen your place in person, I can attest to how tidy it is, and just a pleasure to walk through and have a look around. My favourite part was the back right corner, in the shed with the box in the centre, where you dropped down the sides. Do you have names for each part? I have 'the brom House', 'the bunker' and now, 'The new one' It will get a better name eventually, especially if I build another (when I build another)
Ian, I have never really looked at the Quesnelias for seed either, and liked the way you posted the photos for us to take a look. I have scored a huge pot of some sort of Quesnelia, with old dried flowers, but will need welders gloves to get in and break it up. Your place must be filling up very quickly, and I wonder how your housemates/family are coping? I guess, like the family and housemtes of the rest of us, they just have to!
Bree, my variegated A. blanchettiana is coming into flower. It has had one pup, which went to Tash, and now it has another, which I intend to pot up, but when it gets another, I will keep you in mind if you are interested. I must take the pup off soon, as one it is flowering, it will get top heavy and the combined weight of the flower and pup will see it tipping over, and me, forever standing it back up.
Hello to anyone looking in, and anyone not feling well. My cold is a good one! Got everything going for it, runny nose, tickling cough and everything! I always get one when I travel by plane. Breathing recirculated air for 4 hours, at very low temperatures, shared with a couple of hundred passenegers, some with hacking coughs and the sneezes is a sure way to get sick!
Anyway, at least I don't have to go to work!
Photo one is an unknown Tillandsia coming into flower
Photo two is Tillandsia duratii var saxatilis, which I've managed to keep alive for quite some time now.
Photo three is Aechmea 'Freckles' in the morning sun
Photo four is Aechmea 'JC Superstar', which has coloured up nicely
Photo five is an unknown Guzmania in the garden.
Sue