Australian and New Zealand Gardening: BROMELIADS FOR NOVICES & ADDICTS - NOVEMBER 2012, 4 by weed_woman

weed_woman wrote:
hi ho, here I am tonight, as i won't get a chance to drop in tomorrow morning.
I am pooped! Hubby and I bought the final load of plants home tonight, after I spent the day finishing the shade house and unloading yesterdays loads.
Nev, the grower had visions of being commercial, but never quite got there, and had concentrated on getting stock up. unfortunately, he hadn't collected many new varieties for some time, but there are a few little treasures in there. The shade house of his is terrible. It is made of tall star pickets with a stretchy, plastic coated line that supports the cloth. Of course its all drooped and it rubs on your head as you walk around, and at the end of the day, the static build up leaves me looking like a witchy pooh! The weed matting wasn't overlapped sufficiently and the weeds were growing in the gaps, and overall, a very unpleasant place to work.
I have permission to take all the star pickets and shade cloth I want, but most of the cloth has holes where the star pickets have rubbed through (despite having caps) and I don't have the energy to pull out 2 metre star pickets!I have bought home the benches, and have pots and 2 cubic metres of potting mix to bring home. I thought I'd kill to birds with one stone and bring home pots full of soil, then all I have to do is push pups into them!
I enjoy potting up, but I haven't enjoyed all the lifting. I am so sore, from head to toe really.
I wish you all lived closer too, we could have alot of fun playing with our broms together.
Nev, I am sure I have a smaller pup of Creation here, but how to find it? I think your plant is a bigeneric too, and something about the flower scream Billbergia. Is there such a thing as a cross between a Neo and a Bill? I am not familiar with your Nidulariums, but they could be cross' of Longiflorum and procerum? Just a guess.
Shirley, I am glad you got your internet back up and running. I would have been furious if i had found out the first call was not recorded. I always have a note pad and pen, take the name of the technician, and their extension number and add the date.
Anyway, I got a lovely parcel from you today, and I have to say the Haworthia is just gorgeous! I absolutely love it, and made hubby look, and touch it, while he stared at me like I was nuts! Its quite different to the couple i have here. I am thinking of getting a nice pot, and making a 'Shirley' garden in it. I will post pics when I do.
I think the only thing missing from your photo of the bulldozer, is bromeliad gardens. What a view!
Bree, your Tiger looks stunning. Isn't it nice to see so much flowering going on in the bromeliads at the moment.
Well, I had better get some sleep as I have another early start in the morning. Hello to Wendy, Trish, Tash, Colleen, Ian, Jen and anyone else who happens to look in tonight.
photos are
1 finished shade house with floor down, and all gal washed with vinegar
2 half an hour later
3 an hour later ( I finished up with shelving in, but it got too dark for photos)
4 I know not broms, but I just had to share my flowering Dietes with you!
Sue