Australian and New Zealand Gardening: BROMELIADS FOR NOVICES & ADDICTS - NOVEMBER 2012, 5 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone - Well it looks like its been raining here over hight so possibly no work in the yard today, but back to the garage for some more seedling re-potting. I think that's one of the great things about growing brom's from seed through to adult plants, there's always a wet weather job you can do with the smaller plants.

Ian – I have to agree with you Ian, Neo 'Cat's Pyjamas' is a beaut and I reckon it will be out of the reach of our combined budgets. Lisa sells a lot of her plants through “Michael's Bromeliads” which as well as a high quality bromeliad nursery, also does world wide mail orders.
(See http://www.michaelsbromeliads.com/ ) Lisa told me it hasn't been officially registered yet but since she first showed pic's of this plant on the Bromeliad Forum, both her and Michael have been getting lots of enquiries. She didn't say how much it will sell for but I'm sure you and I can't afford it.

You must be amassing quite a collection of brom's now as every time you post it's something new whereas I only have the same ones I've had for a long time and now only rely on swaps and the odd seedling that turns out good to go into my collection.

I like your little Neo 'Rafael' it's a lovely plant and very scarce down here. I have one which I got from a friend in Far North Queensland and I've been watching it like a hawk for signs of a pup, but as yet it hasn't obliged.

Sue – That pic of Nobel Descent was taken in Cairns where they have no trouble getting that colour at all and the same applies in N.Z. where they seem to be almost yellow. The best I can do in the garden down here is a light lime green, but strangely enough, if I hang a plant right up beneath the beige shade cloth I can get more of the yellowish colour in it. I had though being up further north yours would colour up easily, but apparently your not north enough. I wonder how our other members do with it, (come on people tell us how you do with your Neo. Nobel Descents).

I have some small seedlings somewhere of a cross I did with Nobel Descent x Neo. Kautskyi. My idea was that as they can both tolerate high light and are both in the yellow tones, the seedlings may also be sun tolerant yellows which is a very popular colour among brom. growers.

I tried a Werauhia kupperiana also and didn't do any good once winter hit. I then tried growing it from seed as I read somewhere that seed grown plants often acclimatise better than adult plants and they grew well until the cold weather struck and again they started going backwards. Even putting them in a warmer place was no good so I gave them all away to friends living up north along with my seedlings of Ursulaea Macvaughii which went the same way as soon as the cold weather struck. Just as a foot note, one of the Ursulaea Macvaughii seedlings I gave to Jen is now about three feet across so it likes growing in her area. (Time for another pic Jen).

It's quite strange; today we have two beautiful plants both called 'Rafael', but both from two separate genera; I wonder if they were named by the same grower, I must look that up to satisfy my curiosity.

Well it looks like that's just about it for today and now Pic.1 which is the plant that has been grown for years down here carrying the (incorrect) name of Neo. 'Stormy Weather'. As you can see, this plant is pretty neglected and just left in the garden to do its own thing. Under these conditions the foliage is spotted, but when grown in a more shady area, it has beautiful shiny burgundy coloured leaves; but it's certainly nothing like the 'Stormy Weather' plants recently posted here so it has to be an imposter and another for my NOID collection.
Pic's 2 and 3 are for Jean, and are pic's of a plant which I originally bought as Vr. Hieroglyphica x Red Chestnut and was later identified as Vr. Erotica.. Although it's a pretty rough garden grown specimen which has recently been potted up after de-pupping, you can still see the leaf pattern and what the inflorescence is like

While looking around the garden yesterday trying to find the bogus Neo 'Stormy Weather' plant, I found a plant of Bill. Rosea (at least that's what I think it is) in full flower (Pic.4). It was facing away from me almost like it didn't want to be seen but I got it out and got a pic anyway, and finally Pic. 5 is Guzmania 'Hilda' one of my favourite Guzmanias and one of the few that doesn't seem to be troubled with the cold winters down here. I found this hiding on a bench behind some other Guzmanias and Vrieseas and didn't even know it was there until the tell-tale yellow bracts stuck their heads up.

All the best, Nev.