Australian and New Zealand Gardening: LOOKING FOR SPRING..... BROMELIADS 2015, 5 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone – At last they are forecasting few nice warm days, which however will be followed again next week with another cold snap. We didn’t get the rain we were promised so it looks like today will be spent watering which I’m really not looking forward to as I’m sure it will reveal quite a few plants with cold damage; however, that’s life.

Teresa – Congratulations on getting a job; it seems that in NZ like Australia, jobs are becoming as “scarce as hen’s teeth”. It’s really quite depressing when each night the news seems to be telling us of another business closing down or drastically cutting staff while the politicians continue to give themselves pay rises instead of doing anything to help fix the country.

Regarding the name ‘Aussie Ruby’, I had thought exactly as you do and commented to a friend at the last brom meeting. I think you’re probably right as the leaves do seem to have a red tone towards the tips. I have only had my plant a short time, but perhaps when it’s grown in very strong light the leaves will take on a “ruby” colour, I must try it and see.

Trish – I’ll certainly put you down for a pup of ‘Aussie Ruby’; however I’ve not long had the plant and don’t know how long it will take to pup.

Regarding “work lunches”, my son works for a Sydney construction company and if the job is on or ahead of schedule, once a month on the Friday, the boss puts on a prawn lunch, or as the workers call them, “Prawn Parties” where huge quantities of prawns are consumed by the workers. It all sounds very good but I don’t know what happens when you are allergic to prawns like I am, maybe they get you a couple of “Spring Rolls” Ha! Ha!

They’re a couple of nice plants in your pic’s Trish; I’ve grown Neo. ‘Grace’ for many years and it never ceases to please me with its brilliant colour.

Brian – I haven’t been to the Sydney Botanic Gardens for probably fifty years and my recollections are of mainly trees and shrubs, I don’t remember any brom’s; but then I wasn’t interested in brom’s then so probably didn’t even know what they were.

As you say “The Rocks” is an interesting place especially on Market Days, however like most of Sydney these days, there’s people, people, and more people, and being a country boy, I’m afraid city life isn’t for me and I can’t get home again quickly enough.

Jean – It’s good to have another hobby as well as gardening and you are luckier than most, with the skill to do various crafts as well as your painting which always provides you with something inside to keep you occupied during the cold Victorian winters.

I’m hopeful of getting some relief cortisone injection; I had one in the same knee a few years back and it was great, but then I’ve had five in the spine and only one worked for a few days. I’m told it’s still very much a “hit and miss” technique and they just have to get the exact spot.

Time to go again and a few old file pic’s to finish with.

All the best, Nev.