Australian and New Zealand Gardening: BROMELIADS FOR NOVICES & ADDICTS - NOVEMBER 2012, 3 by perke_patch

perke_patch wrote:
Hi everyone. Nev you were right that seedling coming into flower is from Edmundoi lindenii not canistrum. it's one we've had for ages and Johnny loves the variegation and big white flower it gets so when it had ripe seed he just had to grow it so long ago. that's the first one to get good size so was potted up into a good sized pot and put in top of a totem and just allowed to spread as far as it wanted to go hence the size. The others are still in smaller pots on a bench all together so we may have to pot them up and allow them to grow like a weed. I love those mottled leaves don't you???

pic 1 is a seedling we were given from Jack Konning of neo tangerine x scarlet charlotte. this one is a lot like tangerine but the one beside it which I didn't take pics of is more like medusa with the dimpling on the leaves. will have to look to see what is in the ancestry of those 2 plants. We are very pleased with some of the seedlings from this batch but I know that some of the others who shared those seedlings actually binned theirs and didn't grow them on. I don't think there is going to be anything worth naming and registering as they look too much like others already registered but they are very nice plants.

Pic 2 is another one of our painted delight F2 seedlings that I discovered today. I saw that amazing colour and lifted the plant down from the top of the totem to clean it up and check the label to see what it was. I was amazed when I discovered it to be a PD. It wasn't with the others and didn't even have a number so we've called it PD50 till I work out how high our numbers went. this one is certainly showing promise but is it different enough to warrant a name and registering???

Sue I love tillandsia somnians. I was given a stem with 3 pups still attached last year and when I got home Johnny immediately took it and climbed the ladder to nail it as high as possible in our tree. There were 3 pups when it was nailed up there but now we can only see 2 so who knows when and where the other one disappeared. I now have a couple more that I have bought so have some to harvest pups.
Nev I've not had any problems with growing till cyanea or lindenii. They are just in normal brom mix and some are hanging on eastern edge of shadehouse so do get some strong sunlight but handle it OK. I'm almost sick of potting up lindenii pups now though. When we woke up this morning we knew our grandson Hayden was already up but expected him to be watching TV so we were amazed when it wasn't even turned on. He had tried to log on to my computer though but couldn't remember the password. He was nowhere to be found inside so we looked downstairs and there he was potting up lindenii pups for me. Isn't he special for a 10yo???

Bree I love the orlandianas. we have a dark one called 'rainbow' which goes really dark in pure sunlight. over winter Johnny pushed the totem ring up and out from the shadecloth roof so it was peeping over the top in the pure winter sunlight all day and it became so dark red and eyecatching that it makes people stop to check it out. (see pic 3) Everyone wants one of those dark red broms they could see over the fence. Till then we had built up a collection of them but now we can't get enough pups potted and established before someone wants them. we do have I think 3 or 4 mothers producing pups now though so a ready supply.

Pic 4 is a pair of guzmania NOIDs that I recently bought. The first one I got was at the BSQ spring sale and paid $25 (from Nigel Thompson). then last week we saw the same plants at Big W (from Olive Branch) for $11.98. Put side by side we can't work out which was the big W one. I don't think I'll buy any more plants from these big sales... too dear. I'll just go to Olive's from now on. LOL

I'll finish with an update on Max. He had a huge nose bleed again yesterday morning just as Jen was picking me up to go check out a brom sale locally. Johnny was panicking as he does when it is Max and said to me not to be gone too long in case he couldn't get the bleed to stop and needed me. I think it was my hair spray or deoderant that set off his sneezes too. He only started as soon as I walked out to the verandah after getting ready to go. Anyway we spent all day just wiping up the dribbles from his nose after that initial bleed. He had a bad night with difficulty breathing through his nose. If only dogs could breath through their mouths while asleep he'd have no trouble but alas dogs always breath through their nose while sleeping. This morning he wasn't too bad till after Johnny gave him his medication. Within about 15minutes he wandered out from under the house staggering trying to make it up the back to tell dad he wasn't well. I heard his feet scraping on the pavers and watched him to see him staggering all over so called him to come to me which he did. I had to support him and call Johnny to come help. It was like he was overdosed and really out of it. Anyway we've decided not to give him the prednisone from now on. I think quality of life now is more important than quantity so we'll just let nature take it's course and when we decide he's had enough we'll get him put down. till then he can be just his normal self not doped up to slow the tumours growth. If we get 2 or 4 good weeks instead of 3 months then so be it but at least he'll be happy again.

Night for now. love all the nice pics.
Wendy