Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads for novices and Addicts - Dec 2012, 1 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone – We had more nice light rain overnight and everything in the garden's looking great.
I hope everyone's in good health, and those on the sick list are recovering well and also the “sick computers”; I hope they're getting better and their owners will once again soon be posting.

Trish – Nice to see you putting up your weekend post once again, it's great to hear all of your news.

Christmas shopping, what's that? My daughter loves shopping, so she takes my wife with her and I am left behind to just keep company with my brom's; this really upsets me (I don't think) as there's nothing I used to hate more than trying to wade through the Christmas crowds of shoppers and coming home feeling like you had done a hard day's work.

I like your temporary shade area; I must say it looks most professional even though you say it looks “crap”. I have an area I'm replanting down the back but unfortunately I've left it too late for the plants to become gradually acclimatised to the hot weather so it looks like I'll have to erect something similar as sun protection.

You're very lucky to see the young Kookaburras at such close quarters. The ones that come in here all come from “Blackbutt Reserve” which is about one kilometre from here and most of the other wild birds that visit seem to come from there also.

I pleased to see the Spotted Honey Eaters nesting once again in my Vriesea Shade House, this make the third year in a row now they have nested there. They are now getting quite tame and trusting and when I am set up in the garage potting plants, they will now often fly in one door and hop around the shelves and watch what I'm doing for a while before flying out through the back door and into the shade house. Like you say, we are very fortunate to be able to enjoy this wildlife at such close quarters. It's also great to see you including your dogs into your swimming, they're great mates and really do become an integral part of the family. It's very interesting, but I've found over the years that people who grow brom's are usually also interested in anything to do with pets and “Mother Nature”, I guess we must all be nice, kind people!

Trish, my pic 5 is Neo 'Pink Sensation', it's a beautiful brom but unfortunately I'm not sufficiently skilled at capturing the true colour on my camera. It's not as dark as that picture shows, and is more of a “lolly pink” with a sort of iridescence about it. As for pic's of my garden, well I don't really have a garden as such. I just have a few shade structures around the yard made mainly from re-cycled materials with brom's planted in the ground in the areas in between. As I tell people, it isn't something I built, it just “grew”. Anyway, when the rain stops I'll try and get a few pic's to better describe what I have.

As usual you've posted pic's of some very nice plants and the one in the last pic looks more like Neo. 'Nobel Descent' or Neo. 'Nobel Descent Too' to me, are you sure of the label? You know what they say, “you should never trust the name on a label”!

Ian – It's great to hear you are sharing your knowledge with fellow brom growers. You certainly chose a good subject, and I say this because, all the years I have been attending brom meetings, I have never heard a presentation on Quesnelias, especially gathering seed from them. Perhaps you'd like to write a bit about it here for us all to learn from.

It's also good to see you know what to do if the baby comes at home. Tripple “0” is is the way to go, but what if the ambulance is held up in traffic? Then it's Ian to the rescue, Ha! Ha!

I'm amazed at the “teeth” on you Ae Bracteata, really a savage looking beast isn't it? It seems like before you start handling that one, you would need some of those stainless steel mesh gloves like the meat boners wear.

Wendy – I grew those Ae. Bromeliifolia albobracteata plants from seed I bought off Ebay. I had never heard of the plant before, and at that time I was growing all the seed I could get my hands on (you know how it is), so I sent away for it. They grew very easily and quickly and I too was anxiously awaiting the flower as it emerged and boy oh boy what an anti-climax. Although I hate the teeth on the plant, there is something about the sculptural shape of the plant that is attractive and I did give one to a Cactus growing friend who planted it in the middle of a Cactus Garden as a feature and it looks great, so I guess there is a place for everything after all.

I did the same as you when selling freshly cut pups at our last show. I put pic's of the adult flowering plant on each one so people could see what they were getting and I sold the lot. I have always preferred to buy bare root pups myself , because I always pot new acquisitions in my own mix anyway, and besides you can tell a lot more about the condition of the plant if they are bare rooted or freshly cut with no roots when you buy them.

I like your variegated Caudata, and after you posted it previously I went and had a look at mine and my variegated one is putting up a flower spike as well. However still nothing from the albo-marginated one, so it looks like it will be getting moved to a new location.

Your pic's 3 and 5 certainly look like Ae bromeliifolia albobracteata to me and not Ae. Triangularis. I can only assume the flowers were pale green and short lived as well? (see Pic 1).

Shirley – Gee I really slipped up didn't I? Fancy forgetting to put names on the plants in the pic's. Anyway here goes, Pic 1 was Neo. 'Narelle' (One I got from Wendy I think, and I also think it's an Alan Freeman hybrid) , Pic.2 was Neo. 'Lamberts's Pride' x ['Charm' x 'Cracker Jack'], Pic.3 was Neo. 'Lovely Lady', Pic.4 was one of my own hybrids made from Neo 'Painted Lady' (variegated sport) x Neo. 'Ferny Grove'and Pic. 5 was Neo.'Pink Sensation'.

You've posted pic's of five top quality plants yet again Shirley. I really like the plant named as Neo.'Camelot' in your third pic. It's a magnificent looking plant and the white colouring is really a “stand-out” and very “eye catching”. Is this the true colour or is it a trick of the camera? If this is the true colour, I think you really have managed to get a special “sport” of Camelot. If the colour is as the picture depicts, could you please put my name down for a pup when you get one spare?

Breeindy – Gee your boyfriend certainly took the smile of the face of that brom. What happened to him after you “decked him” and he picked himself up of the ground? Did you issue him with a penalty of six months gardening and brom shopping with you?

Time for breakfast now, so some pic's to finish with; firstly Pic.1 which is Ae. Bromeliifolia albobracteata flower (for Wendy), Pic 2 is Neo 'Ashanti' which I got from Sue, however I can't get the colour as good as Sue can. Pic.3 is Neo. 'Ice White River', Pic 4 is Neo. 'Hot Gossip' and Pic 5 is Neo. 'Pink Star'

All the best, Nev.