Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads For Novices and Addicts - October 2014, 5 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
HI EVERYONE - THANKS FOR ALL THE GET WELL WISHES, THEY'RE MUCH APPRECIATED.

I ONCE HAD A DOG WHO LOVED THOSE LITTLE TOMATOES THAT APPEAR IN THE GARDEN SELF-SOWN. I COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY THEY NEVER HAD ANY FRUIT ON TH LOWER PART OF THE PLANT UNTIL ONE DAY I CAUGHT OLD 'SCAMP' STANDING ON HIS HIND LEGS AND USING THE STAKE AS SUPPORT PULLING OFF FRUIT AND EATING THEM.

SHIRLEY - THANKS FOR THE PIC'S; IT'S ALWAYS INTERESTING TO SEE PIC'S OF PLANTS I HAVE BRED, EITHER IN MY OWN COLLECTION OR IN THE COLLECTIONS OF OTHERS WHO MAY HAVE BOUGHT/SWAPPED OR BEEN GIFTED SOME SEEDLINGS. THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE LEARNED FROM EACH CROSS.

NO SURPRISES WITH THE FIRST ONE AS IT'S MUCH LIKE SOME I HAVE ALREADY GROWN TO MATURITY.

PLANT 2 HAS ME A BIT STUMPED THOUGH AS I DON’T KNOW WHERE THE SPOTTING CAME FROM AS NEITHER PARENT IS SPOTTED, PROBABLY A THROWBACK TO ONE OF THE ANCESTORS.

PLANT 3 IS ANOTHER SURPRISE AS MOST ARE TURNING OUT IN BURGUNDY COLOURS.

PLANT 4 HAS UNFORTUNATELY INHERITED THE NARROW LEAVES OF PRINCEPS RATHER THAN THE NICE WIDE LEAVES FROM PURPLE STAR. I ALSO THOUGHT THE PURPLE COLOUR WOULD DOMINATE AS BOTH PARENTS CARRY THAT GENE FOR COLOUR, BUT AGAIN THE ANCESTORS DIDN’T AGREE.

PLANT 5 IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE LOT AS IT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THE PARENT COLOUR-WISE (SEE PIC 1).
I HOPE IT HAS THE SAME GLOSSY FINISH AS IT MATURES WHICH WILL MAKE IT A QUITE ATTRACTIVE PLANT .

USUALLY WITH AN F2 CROSS I’VE FOUND THE SEEDLINGS ARE SIMILAR COLOUR BUT WORSE OR BETTER SHAPE THAN THE PARENT. THIS PLANT HAS NEITHER, WHICH MAKES ME SUSPECT THAT AN ANT OR OTHER INSECT MAY HAVE POLLINATED THE PLANT BEFORE ME AS IT LOOKS SIMILAR TO NEO. ‘GEORGE’S PRINCE’ WHICH WAS GROWING NEARBY.

THIS IS THE INTERESTING THING WHEN BREEDING HYBRIDS, YOU CAN EXPECT AND HOPE FOR SOMETHING BUT OFTEN THE RESULT IS VERY DIFFERENT TO WHAT YOU EXPECTED, SOMETIMES BETTER, SOMETIMES WORSE, BUT ALWAYS INTERESTING.

COLLEEN – ALTHOUGH YOUR FLOWER LOOKS LIKE A BILLBERGIA, I’M ALMOST CERTAIN IT’S A QUESNELIA SPECIES CALLED LIBONIANA.

JUST A FEW PIC’S TO FINISH WITH, STARTING WITH NEO. ‘DUNMORE RUBY (TO COMPARE WITH SHIRLEY'S PIC. 5).

THE OTHER PIC'S ARE SOME MORE OF PETER COYLE'S NEW BILLBERGIA HYBRIDS.

ALL THE BEST, NEV.