Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads for Novices and Addicts - May 2013, 5 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone – Well here we are again and the weekend's half over already; where has it gone?
I got all of my dark leaved Aechmeas cleaned up yesterday so that's one job I can cross off the list and today I'll start back on the garden if the weather is fine, so fingers crossed.

Jean – The info shown on the BCR that you speak of means that Elmore, J was the hybridiser, I suspect #1004 is the registration number and 1976 is the year it was either hybridised or registered I'm not sure which. When there's a name given and there is and asterisk (*) beside the name, that means that the name is the person registering the plant and not the hybridiser.

If you go to the search engine, type in Elmore, select “breeder” and then search, it will bring up all of his hybrids that have been registered and they have pic's of, (500 in all). I think this is the “Elmore List” which you enquired about.

Ian – You seem to be making much more headway cataloguing your brom's than I am at present. That's a good idea having a separate list of the NOIDS, why didn't I think of that?

Your Neo.'Tough Stuff' certainly looks just that with its wide thick looking leaves and plenty of spikes, who'd pick a fight with that?

That's a nice looking plant in Pic.2 also and just going on past experience, I would say that “H.C” are the initials of the previous owner and it was NOID number 7. I've seen that system used by quite a few growers in the past, so all you have to work out now, is who is H.C. (Maybe Hector Crawford)?

Your next plant, Neo 'Bossa Nova' is a plant which is often confused with Neo Sheba (Sheeba) and rather than trying to tell the story here, to read all about it and draw your own conclusions go to:
http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/bcr/index.php?genus=NEOREGELIA&i...

The FCBS tells us that Neo 'Sheba' is a hybrid of the species Neo. Mac williamsii and made by Chester Skotak. Neo.'Bossa Nova' is listed as a species with Neo Compacta given as the seed parent and the hybridiser shown as (Bello, R.+*?) and because it's a species it's not shown on the BCR.

Your xBillnelia is certainly something a bit different; is it easy to grow or is it cold tender like some of the Quesnelias sometimes are?

The Billbergia in Pic.5 certainly “gets the cigar” today, as it has everything going for it; nice flower, nice shape and great markings and even though it is a NOID anyone would be proud to own it. Please put me on your spare pup list, it's a beauty!

Trish – Gee Trish, can't you send an Esky full of Whiting down this way? I love 'em, and that 36cm one I think may have been a King George Whiting who migrated north because it was too cold in S.A.

More great group shots once again; my favourite is the pinkish coloured variegated Neo. in Pic.3 second from right on the bottom row. Does it have a name and can you put my name on your spare pup list please.

Shirley – That's a good bit of research you've done on James Elmore. What I find interesting is that it says the cultivar registry has 709 hybrids listed. I assume by this they mean that the listings are on the printed register and not the photo register as I have only been able to find 500 there as I said earlier in my response to Jean.

It seems like we both have the same tastes ( Trish's Neo. in Pic.3 second from right) it's very nice isn't it?

Anyway I hope you find your camera so we can see some more of your beautiful pic's instead of looking at the old file pic's that I'm still posting, which unfortunately I have to finish up with once again.

Pic.1 is is an old pic of my first front garden “reno”. I had become tired of looking at the old dead bases of my neighbours hedge so I decided to erect a screen to hide it and this was the framework. Pic.2 shows the screening fixed to the frame and the garden with the initial planting, in this case I planted the large gingers at the rear and some Neo seedling “culls” in the front. As they grew I was quite pleased with the effect Pic.3 until I found all of the Ginger plants were infested with a type of borer so they all had to come out. These were replaced with large plants of Portea Petropolitanea Extensa which I relocated from a back garden Pic.4. Eventually everything really got going with the border plants really going well until it just grew too much and became overcrowded (Pic.5) which is where it is now and has to all be thinned out and done again.

All the best, Nev.