Australian and New Zealand Gardening: BROMELIADS GOING INTO WINTER 2015, 3 by 77sunset

77sunset wrote:
Good morning.
Its a very still morning here with a red sky announcing that more winter rain & cold are near.
I notice that my broms are now starting to look a lot paler due to the cold we have had so far. It takes them a while to show it but I see no frost damage at all and I would have seen some by now .
I am so glad they are doing well . I must have known the right ones to bring here as I am sure there were quite a few that would have just given up and said they didnt like being so cold...lol

At this time of year, I get the sun shining right in the window onto where I sit with the computer so its very nice to enjoy it without going outside.
I watered all my pots yesterday and gave them some Seasol. I have been giving them Seasol for years, so this may be why they are so hardy.
I used it at first on my brugmansias then ended up just giving the whole garden a dose every time.
I see my jonquils are all flowering now and lots of other bulbs coming up.
I am hoping for a nice show of tulips as I was given a lot of the bulbs from the lady who used to live in the unit next door to mine. She had moved into the nursing home and her daughter gave all the bulbs to those here who wanted them.
I saw them in flower last year and hope they are as lovely again.

I am still pulling out plenty of nasturtium seedlings along the retaining wall.
They covered the whole area when I moved here and the first thing I did in the garden was to pull them all out.
I knew I would be getting self seeded ones for quite a while.
I had them at the old house where they were free to roam and cover areas where nothing much would grow. They are not pretty when they die off and I did not want to be having to have to get rid of the huge plants every year here.
I have planted lots of succulent pieces from the house , which will do a better job in covering the wall and never have to be touched.

Brian, I had to laugh at your comments regarding the directing of things in the garden.
My dear hubby thought he knew best about where and how to build the shadehouses, but was really not up on how plants can multiply when a garden fanatic like me is around.
He used to laugh at me many times, as the first place I went when out shopping any time was into the garden center.
He always said if he lost me during shopping, he would find me where the plants were.
I hope you are getting some work done on your shadehouse despite having family stay.

Teresa, I bet Sugar is enjoying being inside with Baz and of course , being spoilt by him.
You have done really well with your classes and will be able to use all that knowledge as you find work to suit you.
I hope that Sugar takes to her future lessons in obedience as well...lol

Nev, great pics of the roots on that little brom.
I was always amazed at how they can hang on to something without seeming to have many roots. It seems that even being "domesticated" hasnt dulled their instincts about growing high in trees and needing to have a good grip.
I am looking forward to Spring and watching my pups grow like their parents, but the way they have grown so far, I think they will be bigger than the mum when I remove them...
I have only ever seen an albino brom in pictures. They do look great at first but then with no color, they start to look a bit drab to my eyes.
I love the color in all the broms. The spots, stripes and various other markings seem to gain a vibrant life as they color up.

Well no more news from here so I'll go make another cuppa and sit here and enjoy the sun.
Take care and stay safe.

more old pics today.
aechmeas.. Mirlo, Lucky Stripes & Mend.

Jean.