Australian and New Zealand Gardening: BROMELIADS GOING INTO WINTER 2015, 3 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone – Still pretty chilly here with the south west wind coming from the snowfields, however I was able to get out of it in a shade house yesterday and do some more cleaning up and re-arranging of plants. That’s the good thing about gardening; you can always find something to do.

Jean – There are many plants that I should be able to grow in our area; however I must be just in a microclimate that doesn’t suit them. We are on the top of a rise in Shellharbour Village and although great for an ocean view, we do unfortunately cop all the cold winds coming from the south west and I think it is this increased wind chill factor that makes it just that bit too cold to suit a lot of plants especially some of the Aechmeas, in particular the chantinii group and the lueddemanniana hybrids mentioned previously. The plain green and the pinkish coloured lueddemanniana species will grow OK in the garden; it’s their variegated hybrids that I have difficulty with.

I too like Vr. ‘Angela’ and in my opinion when it’s grown well in good light, it’s a beautiful plant and like you say, also a good producer of pups.

Your suggestion to Brian to buy his wife a nice plant for a present is a good idea, and might I suggest a nice white Phalaenopsis orchid. The new hybrids are easy to grow and are available all over the place now. Gone are the days when you needed a hot house to grow them and they will grow quite easily inside when in flower and in a shade house once the flowers are finished. My daughter gave my wife one for Mother’s Day three years ago and it’s already flowered five times off the same spike. Once the flowers finish (don’t cut off the old spike) just move it outside to the shade house and a few months later a secondary spike will appear from a dormant “eye” on the original spike. Certainly a good investment, but Brian beware; your wife might then get into orchids and take over your new shade house and kick out your brom’s.

Teresa – It seems you’re already one step ahead of me with my suggestion of vitamin B but you did say you take B “Group” vitamins. I was thinking more of a specific vitamin B; as I said previously, there are eight different types of Vitamin “B” and they all work differently, so maybe your doctor could advise which is best for you.

On the other hand, if you were a bromeliad, I would say you are still getting acclimatised to the new job and the travel time. Alternatively, you could make Miss Sugar sleep in her own bed on the floor and put a peg on hubby’s nose. Ha! Ha!

That’s it for today and a few older file pictures to finish with. Pic.1 is Neo.'Pink Fantasy' AKA 'Pink Fantasia', Pic.2 is Neo. 'Aleena' (Mini), Pic.3 shows the attractive and unusual flowers of Quesnelia liboniana (which like Ques. marmorata, also like to grow "out" of the pot) Pic.4 is Neo.'Gee Whiz' making a statement in a group shot and Pic.5 is Neo. NOID. Anyone know its name?

All the best, Nev.