Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads for Novices and Addicts - February 2013, 3 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone – I hope you all had an enjoyable and productive weekend like I did. I spent most of Sunday tidying up and potting-on seedlings and as usual found it very satisfying. I enjoy nothing more than being able to look at a group of freshly potted up seedlings and enjoying the satisfaction I get from growing them but more importantly wondering what they will look like when they mature. When you have a few hundred seedlings there's always something to look forward to and always something different each day.

Breeindy – I have to agree with you, Shirley did “make a killing” at the markets and I would have brought those nice plants home as well .

You're lucky to have got a plant of Neo 'Gladiator' it's a beautiful brom and was a cross made by Sharon Petersen using Neo. 'Hal Ellis' as the seed parent and Neo. 'Kahala Dawn' as the pollen parent. For pic's of a mature plant go to: http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/bcr/showImg.php?id=4746 Please put my name on the list for the first spare pup you have. Neo. Duannes Night, I don't know; do you have a pic of a mature plant?

Jean – You say you need to get more variety in your Vrieseas as most of them are plain green. They come in two types and it's just a matter of personal taste as to what type you prefer. The patterned foliage types such as Fosteriana, Hieroglyphica and their hybrids are grown mainly for their many different foliage patterns and colours, but the down side of these is their flowers are often very plain and they can grow quite large and require a lot of space. The plain leaf types are often much smaller and although the leaf has no markings or colour, they do have very attractive long lasting flowers and the plants are small enough to be suitable for taking into the house for a bit of extra colour. Like everything, it's a matter of personal choice and there is some type of bromeliad for almost all conditions.

Ruby Lee is a very attractive Nidularium and there are others with attractive coloured foliage as well, such as Miranda with its variegated foliage of yellow and green or Innocentii Striatum with its green and white striped leaves. One of the smaller types is one called Nid. 'Nana' and is very attractive with its dark burgundy (almost dark chocolate) coloured leaves and contrasting red bracts. Like the Vrieseas, there are plants in this group to suit everyone as well.

As for your plant labelled as Ae. Gracilus, the name does need to be changed as it isn't Ae.Gracilus at all but a small form of Ae. Organsis which has since been registered as Ae. 'Graceful'. You can see more about it at : http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/bcr/index.php?genus=AECHMEA&id=2...

Trish – First of all, thank you for the wonderful pic's of the “Paper Barks” you sent me they're most appreciated as they are my most favourite tree.

Trish, I have used Neo. 'Thunderbird' in a few different crosses but I can't tale the credit for that one. It was from a pod I didn't make and was probably made by Mother Nature and her "little ants". I still like it nevertheless and so do a lot of other people who see it, so I guess it will still get some bench space for now.

As for my trial of the pup in the Skoria, I didn't pick any particular pup. I just had this particular one which I had been told was very slow to put down roots so that's why I tried it. I have just planted six different Neo pups in the same size Skoria as well as a Vr. Fosteriana pup and it will be interesting to see what happens now that we'll soon be going out of summer and into the cooler months. I'll keep you all posted on the results.

Great shots of your group of patterned leaf Vrieseas, so neat and tidy as usual. They certainly do make quite a “statement” when shown in a group like that. I do have to “second” Shirley's request though, “how about a pic of Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble”. 

Ian – Gee you people up north seem to get on to some “cracking plants” at you markets up there; I hope you realise just how envious you are making me feel down here with not a decent brom seller to be seen at any of our local markets.

I agree with you that the plant you show in the picture certainly looks very much like an Ae 'Chantinii' or one of the many colour variations in its hybrids. You say it's supposed to be a cross between a Bilbergia 'Rosa' and a Quesnelia 'Tim Plowman' which is certainly a very interesting sounding cross.

I've searched though the registered xBillmea crosses on the BCR (only ten of them) and Bill. 'Rosa' hasn't been registered as a parent in any of the crosses so we can't even get a hint of what its seedlings might look like, but if we to the BCR at:

http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/bcr/index.php?genus=BILLBERGIA&i...

…..........and go back just one generation to one of Rosa's parents which is Bill.'Collevii', the first picture shows very pronounced barring albeit in reverse colours to what your plant has; so is this where it's markings have come from?.

I agree with you when you say, “There are no certainties with seed raising and nature". I have said many times, man may very well pollinate a particular flower, but who's to say an ant hasn't been there and done the job a few minutes earlier?

Just yesterday I was looking at a small group of Bill. 'Rosea' seedlings that were supposed to have been “selfings” (Self pollinated species [of which Bill. 'Rosea' is one] should produce all plants similar to the parent). Even at this early stage (about one year old) there are obvious differences between the marking and growth rates of these seedlings even though they are growing side by side under exactly the same conditions, so it's very possible that ants were at work in this case as well. There's always surprises for the amateur hybridist!

Shirley – No I don't know of Neo 'First Prize' variegata either.

As for the price of the Skoria, I think I might come up there to buy any in the future. Ian buys his in bulk so maybe it's quarried up in that area somewhere and that could account for the price difference. Extra transport = extra retail costs.

As for your NOID that I said I though could be one of the Lueddemannia c.v's, it will be easy to ID when it flowers as all of the Lueddemannias and their c.v.'s have similar flowers which are nothing like a Neo as they are born on a stem.

I like the plants in your pic's in particular Chlorosticta F2 and Neo Grace X Break of Day, are they both small/medium sized plants?

Gee look at the time, time I wasn't here,. A few pic's to finish with Firstly Pic.1 is Bill. Perriam's Pride (this time photographed outside on the grass) Pic.2 is Nid. 'Nana' (a cv. of innocentii var. innocentii ), Pic.3 is Nid. Innocentii 'Lineatum' and Pic's 4 and 5 are of the Bill. Rosea seedlings I spoke of in my response to Ian's post.

All the best, Nev.


This message was edited Feb 11, 2013 12:21 AM