Australian and New Zealand Gardening: BROMELIADS IN SUMMER ..2014, 5 by bromishy

bromishy wrote:
Hi Everyone!

Happy belated Merry Christmas to all my beautiful brom buddies, I hope everyone had a lovely day doing what they like doing most this time of year and for those travelling on the roads keep safe and well my friends during this busy time.

I had all good intentions to jump on and wish everyone a Merry Christmas before the day but then all the festive celebrations kicked off Christmas Eve (visiting friends), then Christmas and Boxing Day spent at home with our house full of friends who stayed over who left midday today. The rest of the day was spent resting (even snuck in a week nap) as we were both totally buggered including the girls and then we have Joe’s Birthday to celebrate tomorrow and more friends coming over for dinner. I said to Joe it’s getting harder to keep up now days because we live quieter lives than we used to when it comes to socialising a lot so this time of year really tuckers you out and something you don’t train for ha ha.

Nev so pleased to hear you are free at last with the pins removed and that you have been given the all clear to get back into the garden and play with your broms, that in itself would have been the best Christmas present ever for sure and great to read further below that you have started potting-up your brom pups which I know you really enjoy doing most of all as do I and cannot wait to get my hands on some to pot up.

Great to hear you had a fantastic Christmas with you family and sure having the grandkids around you to share the special day with would have been extra special watching them open their pressies and all the funny things they would for sure have gotten up to and made everyone laugh.

Nice to hear you got some nice steady rain over Christmas, we only got a little before Christmas but nothing more since.

Ha ha yes promise next time I wrestle a Python I will get Joe to take some pic’s, mind you he had ample opportunity given I wrestled the same Python three days in front of him and one day on my own as he had already left for work; he seems to help just at the very, very end after I have done all the wrestling and am about to throw it back into the wetlands; then he says something like “Well that’s great that we got it out of the yard and away from the girls”; that’s normally when I say “Yes thanks for all you help you were wonderful, I could not have done it without you (tongue in cheek) and we both throw our heads back and have a good chuckle together. The way I know if I can tackle the snake on my own is if I can grab its tail in my hand without it wrapping its tail around my fingers, if I can control it by its tail and not loose hold then I feel comfortable enough to pick it up and get it out of the yard; if the tails too strong then Joe steps in to help just to be safe.

I finally played catch-up reading all my emails and saw that massive Python pic you sent me and could tell straight away when looking at the pic what it had consumed. If I saw one that big in our yard I would have nightmares for the rest of my life and not something I would even attempt to wrestle or go near.

Thanks very much for the article you wrote on Bromeliad Potting Mixes, I found it thoroughly interesting to read and have printed a copy out in the hope to experiment a little with some of the combinations you wrote about, especially for seedling I liked the sounds of the mix and would not mind trying out to compare with what I use and see what grows better in what mix and will let you know as I have many little seedlings ready to be potted up individually so the perfect opportunity to try some out while I am off, I just need to make the time to do so and see how I go with the big clean-up I will be doing and I I have some spare time I will make up a mix to try.

Nev I will take pics of the Water Tractor this week, I keep forgetting with all the distractions around; it’s the best thing we ever brought for watering the garden as you can just set it on a timer and let it do its thing and we have noticed a big difference in the condition of our lawns as its getting to all those hard to get places that our irrigation usually misses.

I am spending the next 10 days cleaning up all my brom collection so I have a table set-up under our lemon tree in readiness and I am chomping at the bit to get out there and get started after all the celebrations are over.

Really liked the sound of the Sweet & Sour Chicken dish you made for Tea the other night, yes bugger that stuff that comes out of a jar with all those bad preservatives / additives; you cannot beat home made any day.

Lovely Neo. Pics you posted on 22/12, I especially liked Neo. ‘Black Forest’ with its dark colour, subtle spotting and great natural sheen and Neo. ‘Ashanti’ because purples my favourite colour.

I totally agree with what you said about Alan Freeman’s hybrids, that you have always been a fan; I too really like the hybrids he has produced and can’t get enough of those wide leaved hybrids and the amazing colours / markings they have. Great pics you attached taken by possibly Kevin.G as you say. I have a few in my collection but not as many as I would like but the one’s that I do have we could maybe one day look and doing some swaps if you like? Also the pics you shared with us from your Thai friend were very beautiful indeed grown to their full potential by the looks of all those beautiful layers, shape, size and colour.

Shirley hope you are finding time to play in the garden over the festive season, I’m still trying to sneak the opportunity but one more day and I’m there for sure.

Teresa like Sugar our Girls too have been cheeky over Christmas buttering all our friends up for special treats and attention, but they have well and truly kept our friends kids entertained as well as a couple of my friends cattle dogs Miley and Bonnie who had a sleep over last night, swum in the pool and went to the beach together; they were all totally exhausted by the end of it all (check out below Pic 3) and all the girls have done today is sleep in the air-conditioning on surrounded by their blankets and pillow LOL.

Colleen great to hear you had a lovely Christmas, you had my moth watering about the Garlic Prawns – YUM I don’t mind a good feed of them or any prawns in general. I made Peking Duck rolls as an entrée and Joe cooked a Turducken which was yummy and Cherry Pudding with Custard for desert.

Anyway time to put the kettle on and I have the munchies, not too sure how possible with all the food we have consumed these past couple of days LOL.

Hi to Jean, Brian, Diane and anyone else looking in; hope everyone is well and finding some time to spend in the garden.

Busy day tomorrow for Joe's B'Day so you may not hear from me until after 28/12.

Take Care & Happy Gardening!

Pic 1 - View of our walk on the beach each morning
Pic 2 - Joe's Orchid - Phrag. 'Olaf Gras' x 'Sargentian'
Pic 3 - Girls crashed out on their side of the couch
Pic 4 & 5 - Sorry old pics but promise to take new ones these holidays to share with everyone