Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads for novices & addicts, October 2012, 1 by bromishy

bromishy wrote:
Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all well and have been hanging out for the weekend to catch-up with you all to see what you guys have been up to and by the looks of things everyone is keeping very busy as usual.

Yeah, another week of work over and done with and now time to enjoy the weekend. I have another six vrieseas to pot up tomorrow and I want to start my new landscaping project, nothing major just want to take over some lawn area (hubby ok with this less to mow lol) to make new beds for broms so I thought if I do bit on the weekends then sooner or later I will get one area done and have a nice place for some of my broms to live. Landscaping will not be too exciting just some landscaping brick and gravel the area in to bury my brom puts in. I wanted bark but Joe is worried about termites and pests? Gravel gets harsh on my hands so I will have to invest in a sturdy pair of gardening gloves and a better shovel to shovel all of the gavel into the beds.

During the week I think I may have identified one of the NOID broms I posted a thread back on the 13 October (Pic No. 2). I think it is Neo Muscat as I come across a very similar picture on http://www.bromeliad.org.au under Neo Cultivars (listing 157 – last photo) unknown parentage. Anyway I have re-attached my pic to see what everyone else thinks? The other photos listed on this website did not look like this brom only the very last photo.

Hi Sue, your orchids look amazing, so beautiful and healthy. I make sure I open up all your pics for Joe to see as he really enjoys seeing what everyone else is growing and the different types out there. Thanks so very much for sharing such beautiful pics for us all to enjoy.

Sue thanks for trying to identify my Neo NOID that you think maybe Midnight or Voodoo. I did write Voodoo on its label with a question mark as I was not 100% sure, but if I see it pupping heaps thanks yes I will definitely try placing in different light situations to see the difference outcomes with its colour. I was pleased when I purchase it because I thought it might have been Voodoo and only paid $5 for it at a yard sale.

Sue luved the pic of your brom tree, I only have a couple of broms hanging in baskets in some of our fruit trees, I will have to think of handing some in our big shady palm out in the front garden for some of the climbing broms just to colour up and contrast with all that green, but first I will have to remove some of the palm fronds just to let a bit more light into the centre of the palm tree and then I will have an area I can work with and the broms will be able to get better airflow, light etc.

H Nev, thanks for info regarding Running River, I have Red River and Pink River which I like very much because of how much colour is going on all at the same time, it is like a kaleidoscope of colour which really captures my interest because the more colour I see in a brom the more I fall in luv with it.

Nev, absolutely as soon as I have a spare pup of Neo Concentrica x Johannis I will put one aside for you, or if I come across another plant in my travels by all means I will send one to you. I am really looking forward to when all my Neo’s really start pupping then look out It is going to be very interesting me running around the yard like a chook with its head cut off separating and potting up the pups lol. My husband Joe thinks the pups will come mostly all at the same time and I tend to agree with him and I am pretty excited about what’s just around the corner. Joe is going to rig up an irrigation system into our back fence line so that I can hang my pups in their pots in staggered rows, this fence fine is a great area because it is shaded by all the paperbark gum trees and at least will free up other areas of our yard for more established broms.

Nev, when I was talking about de-leafing I was actually talking about removing gum leaves from my broms, sorry for confusing matters lol, but thanks for the helpful advice when actually removing old leaves off broms. Yeah, one of the broms I was removing gum leaves from the centre near the flower and realised that the gum leaf I was tugging on trying to remove from the centre of the brom was actually part of the brom flower that has leaf like petals coming off the flower, it was the first time I had seen this brom flower lol.

Nev great pic of Vr. Hieroglyphica, this vriesea I have at home and it still takes my breath away whenever I walk past it in the garden but it has a lot of growing to do still as I purchased it from Bunning’s about a year ago for $25 and it was very sunburnt and needed rescuing so I got it home and put it in a nice shady spot, trimmed damaged leaves and it has been doing great ever since. I liked it that much I purchased a small pup for $5 six months ago and it has doubled in size and lives in our entertainment area happily amongst the larger vrieseas. Glad also to see what my George’s Prince is going to turn out like seeing your recent picture.

Hi Wendy, amazing those two little seeds that have germinated from those pods, how great you must feel that they self-set seed – amazing what nature can do. Wendy your variegated guzmanias are all very beautiful, so much nicer than the stock standard type.

Hi Shirley, great pic of Neo Groucho what a great plant, I too have one and adore its beautiful markings and how tough it is. Shirley, Neo Goldilocks is cute, I wonder what she is going to colour up like when she is all grown up lol? Shirley also luved your Vr. Forrest and Vr. Dillings Black Beauty, I will have to get me one of the Vr. Dillings Black Beauty – markings are magnificent.

Hi Colleen, glad to hear you are feeling much better. I luv all your brom pics. Sounds like you are keeping yourself very busy with your new broms and all the pups you are going to pot up. How are the seeds you potted going, mine have not germinated yet? I am trying to be patient and am hoping that the seeds I purchase were not too old; patience is a virtue as they say, lucky for me I consider myself a very patient person except for when people jump ahead of you when you are waiting in a line to buy something, that’s one of my pet hates lol.

Hi Ian, great pics of Neo Aussie Dream “rosie” which appear to be going into flower and JC Superstar is beautiful. I too have Neo Duke and it has grown heaps since I got it as a pup around July also, it is a really nice tough Neo and I plan to get more of these to put around the yard because they are so hardy and have such touch leaves. Every time I visit this one in the garden I think of John Wayne and it brings back childhood memories of when I wanted to marry him and watched all his movies over and over again lol.

Hi Bree, Karen, Jen, Tash, Chrissy – how are you guys, hope you are all well we miss hearing from you all 

Anyway time to put the kettle on as I am really hanging out for one.

Take care and speak to you all soon I hope. Have a great weekend and Happy Gardening!

Pic 1 Neo NOID – possibly Neo Muscat per info mentioned above?
Pic 2 Neo Gaspacho (gift from Bree)
Pic 3 Neo Meyendorffii Minor
Pic 4 Neo Kings Ransom
Pic 5 Vr. Angela F2