Hi Leisa, I think Iwould have spent a couple of hunge too! The plants left on my wishlist are beginning to get expensive! I like your Guzmania. Is it a G. lingulata hybrid? Its quite a dark orange isn't it, like burnt orange? It is looking very healthy! I had to do some repotting too, as I forgot to water some port wine magnolias in small pots and I'm hoping with the repot and fertilise, and heavy watering, that they might recover. Those couple of hot days really threw the watering routine out!
Hi Colleen, and thanks again! Mikes friends shade house is even better! I bet you are getting lots of ideas now!
Mike, what did you do that for? That brom Tajmahal is gorgeous! Now I've got even more ideas! I bought a small Vireya rhododendron today, to pot up and put in a corner, and I'm thinking of putting my King Fern in there too, although it is also small for now. I need to get some green height in there I think. Your idea with the barbed wire is good, that way the hangers can't slide. I've been asking hubby where we can get a small ammount from, as I don't want a whole roll, well, not yet anyway. I guess I could put it aside for the future.
Jean, that flower looks like it is going to be a beauty. My thought go to an Aechmea, but it doesn't look like anything I've come accross. Maybe Mike knows?
Anyway, its a little on the chilly side tonight! So I'm off to close all the blinds and take a hot shower.
Sue
Bromeliads: for novices and serious addicts #3
Hi Sue Leisa Mike. All your plants look great. Mike you have given me heaps of ideas now and dont appear to be very hard to do.Yes Sue plenty of ideas. I can just about see my shadehouse now. I want it to go down the Eastern side of my house. It has to have a fence to keep the dog in and a gate so that i can get out to the front of the house from that side. If you dont mind me asking Sue. How much did you pay for each round steel pole and how much for each fitting? Thanks for all your in put. Colleen.
hi Colleen, the clamps are $6 each for the top of each leg, and about $5 for the ones that attach to that. The galvanised tube (for the legs 32mm diam) is $30 for a 6.5 metre length, which the steel supplier should cut to size for you at no extra cost. The gal tube for the top rails (25mm diam) is $25 for a 6.5 metre length. I'll see if I can attach a pic showing a simple layout with measurements.
Ok, I'll see if this works. It seems to, so I'll go ahead and post it.
Sue
I think the clamp with the tongue is called a post clamp, and the other a rail clamp, but I'm not 100% sure. I will see if I can find a pic for you. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=5712626
this is a link to a pic of the clamps. The tongue is on the top rail that seperates the two colours of shade cloth.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=5712629
You can see the tongue pointing down.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/908947/ heres the whole link if you want to see it.
Sue
Wow Sue, I should say to you any donations gratefully received. Lol. You certainly have a beautiful collection.Thank you so much for the diagram and all the hints. I will go and price the requirements and see what we come up with. Colleen
Hi brom nuts, Colleen I hope you received my Email re brom house, Jean I think your plant might be Aechmea Mary Brett I have a heap of them and they nest up quite quickly (a couple of years ago I brought a heap of plants from a chap in Brisbane and almost every one was missed named your plant was named Ae smithii which it's not sorry I couldn't help more) Leisa the plant you posted for an ID on 27 August might be Ae cylindrata,
Sue the photos of that brom Tajmahal dose not do it justices could not get the light right good use of a couple of old doors and and a bit of old tin still knocks my socks off, feel a bit reluctant to post one of my poly one But I'll do it anyway.this was a cheap and quick construction mostly from second stuff Cheers mike
Mike thank you so much for the detailed instructions. You make it sound so simple that even I could build one. I was thinking of actually coming off the side of the house but this might work just as well. Thank you again . Colleen
Hi all. Thought that i would put a brom flower up. Colleen.
Hi Mike. Your shade house looks great, but I must say the ammount of plants in it kind of draws your eyes away from the construction! How many plants have you got!!!!! It must nearly be a full time job for you.
I have A. 'Mary Brett' but its foliage is not frosted like that, and has sharp leaf tips that darken up in the sun. The inflo is more pink and yellow, than orange. I was thinking Jeans flower looked more like a A. caudata or A. kerteziae flower? But still, the foliage is not right.
Colleen, your flower is gorgeous. Its a Billbergia isn't it? What are the little pinkish fluffy things in the picture?
I had a big day working today, and got home to an enthusiastic hubby who had purchased besser blocks for the benches, so now there are empty benches in the shade house, only because we ran out of light! he he. I was a bit cranky, because I really just wanted to sit down after a long day, but its done now, and I'll be in there in the morning no doubt, decorating again! I really have other things I should be doing! *sigh* I sound ungrateful don't I?
Anyway, I'll take some more pics soon.
Sue
Sue what little pink fluffy things? Do you mean coming out of the end of the flower? they are part of the flower. Just think you can spend all day tomorrow just decorating. Lucky. Colleen
Hi everyone long time no talk ... missed you all so. Have just spent the best part of the night catching up on all the wonderful brom goss. Computer died sob. and had all sorts of trouble, but all is good now. What wonderful brom chats you have been having. Leisa overseas trip, Sue tripping of to Darwin. Colleen and Mike keeping each other company. Though Mike I did see that you also went quiet for a while too. LOL Such gorgeous broms you guys have been sharing photos of with each other, plus the broms palaces wowowowowowow I now have such ideas running around in my head of what I would like to do in my small backyard, sob wish I had the room that you and Mike have Sue. anyway time for shut eye will catch up with you all tomorrow nite now that I am on line again Glenda
Hi Glenda, nice to see you back. All the crew is here! I think
Colleen, the pink fluffy things are down in the foliage, maybe leaves of something else?
I did a bit of shuffling around in the shade house today, and think I have it mostly sorted. I'll take some pics, hopefully tomorrow afternoon. I have visitors from NZ arriving tomorrow arvie, only for two days, and am really looking forward to it. I'm even going to stay away from the broms and the computer while they are here! So if you don't hear from me untill monday you'll know why.
Sue
Hi Brom nuts! welcome back Glenda,that would have been a fair sort of read going over the entire thread, hows is the Hannibal Lecter going ? we are hosting our Brom friendship group meeting at our place this Sunday, the theme is bring a sick plant along and see if the brains trust can solve the problem so if your keen !!!!!!!! Sue you are probably right about Jean's plant not being Ac Mary Brett I'll leave it open for now, and as for the amount of work that goes into the Broms !!! it's a bit!! but it's fun he he! Hope you enjoy the kay one w one's . Thanks Colleen, it is very simple and I'm glad if it was a help any hassles give me a shout cheers Mike
Hi forgot to name the last picky it's Neo Orange Precip Lesia just had a look at your photos Re BSQ bust trip great shots ,
Hannibal Lector doing well Mike thanks.... as is all my other little brom babies. Sorry Mike Sunday is fathers day - so hands are tied, would have loved to come down for the forum. Must get down to Gladstone soon and visit need to feed my brom addiction and I am sure a visit to your place would help me out there just fine. LOL Can not wait to see the pics of how you have set up your new brom house Sue. Feeling all inspired so have my gentleman friend all lined up to build me another brom house. Planning on going to the Orchid and Foliage show down the road in the morning, hope to get some good buys - fingers crossed. Manage to buy a aechmea pectinata and bill.groovy this week - two off my wish list and so many more to go. have a lovely weekend guys talk soon Glenda
Whewww there's so much to catch up on above!
Mike your friend's brom "house" looks fantabulous - I love the corrugated iron & wooden door - does it go somewhere?
Your setup looks very professional & organized. You & Sue are birds of a feather! I've been out this afternoon doing some separating & repotting etc. Your hanging baskets with all the lovely colour have inspired me to keep a few clumps together. I've only got a limited area for hanging baskets, but I'm going to use to full capacity. My hanging geraniums may have to goes elsewhere... Thanks also for the hint re Ae cylindrata - yes it's very close.
Pretty flower Colleen. Sorry I don't know the name of the red/orange Guzmania, but It's really glowing at the moment. I took some pics, but the colour doesn't really come up correctly. I like it as the flower spike rise well up above the rest of the plant - a real show off. The weak applications of Thrive flower & fruit every few weeks earlier in the year, plus plenty of tank water certainly seem to have done the trick with this Guzmania!
Sue the plans for you shade house make it look so easy. I'm so tempted, but hubby would crack a fit!! I'm contemplating extending one of my garden beds & putting in a "rockery" that would suit my broms. I would try to sell it to hubby as him having less area to mow :-p Wish me luck!
Does anyone know how to care for orthophytums? I was given one (probably Iron Ore), but It looks a bit limp & sad. Does it need to be kept a bit moist (rather than dry)?
Here's a pic of my best sunny spot for broms at the moment, so I've got lots of things all bunched up here. It'll get too hot later in the year, so I'll have to reorganized it again then, but hey that's 1/2 the fun ;-)
Gee Leisa you have some pretty Broms there. Mine are looking great too and the shadehouse is getting closer to being built everyday. Stay tuned for the yippee. Colleen
And here's my new patio "arrangement": (left to right) Neo. Bill Morris, Bill. Hallelujah, Ae. nudicaulis (front), Neo. Purple Star.
Hello...hello...hello... anyone there?
Well the rush with seperating pups has started. I bought 30 little plastic pots on the weekend, thinking that's would be plenty for a while & they're all full of pups now!
All my prolific neos are doing their thing: Neo. Debbie, Lila, Predator, Beefsteak (I thought this was Treasure Chest, but am now convinced it's Beefsteak).
Here's Lila starting to colour up. It doesn't get that much sun just now, but gets blasted later in summer, when the sun swings round & handles it pretty well - my kind of tough plant!
This message was edited Sep 8, 2009 10:27 PM
All these broms are so beautiful. I am still waiting on my mystery one to open up properly. There are signs of blue now around the outside of the flower. I saw a B. Mary Brett on eBay and it looks similar to mine but mine doesn't have the dark tips on the leaves . I will just have to wait on the flower to open fully. My other broms are doing really well despite all the cold weather we have had. I am adding a photo from a week ago to show how good they look. Maybe next year I will have more flowers to show. I like them anyway with or without flowers.
Sue, that vriesia carolinata still has its gorgeous flower even after all this time since you sent it.
Jean.
Evening all, no one about, but thought I post a pic of Neo. Chilli Verde I took on the weekend. It never seems to take a bad pic! And it's colour is good given that it doesn't actaully get any direct sunlight in my garden!
Jean your broms look nice & healthy & certainly seem to be handling the cold ok. It's amazing how long some flower spikes last! I've got one Vr. I bought in flower in April still with colour in the spike - whereas others only last a few days really. I spied something that looks like a flower down the tank of my Vr. fosteriana today - I first for me. And my Vr. 'Velva Wurthmann' is slowly sending up a spike too - also a first.
Hi Bromnuts,It's been a rather full week with potting up seedlings and removing pups and having the Brom friendship club over on Sunday, of cause I did not need to clean up the yard or plants [not much] For those of us that like to save a bob and who doesn't !"spend it on the next Brom"
Plant tags I make mine out of old Venetian blinds the plastic type not aluminum ones. They are UV stable and hold the writing from a pencil or marker pen for years. I pick them up from the dump shop or opp shops for around $1.then cut them to size with an off cut saw (you could use angle grinder or hack saw ) it makes it quicker and easier when taped to the required length,cut through the tape, keeps them in neat little bundles, I like to think that by use them they don't end up in land fill, they will fit to the edge of most pots being curved in shape and can be slipped into the lower leaves of pups with out damage to young leaves.Because they are so cheap (around $2 per thousand insead of $50 per thousand) I use them for alsorts of things if someone wants a pup from a plant that has none yet ! I put thier name and phone number on a tag and pop it in the pot for when it has pups (some plants have quite a few in them)
cheers
Hi Leisa I like your Neo lila it's a great show when in full colour neo Bill Morris is one of my favorites, the doors on my friends brom house are only for show !Jean your plants look good its a credit to you ,the conditions out your way can be quite a challenge are their many growers out your way.Colleen how is the shade house going ? plant is Aech Bert Var cheers
Hi Mike. The brom house isn't going yet. Have to wait for my son to come up from Adelaide. Broms are pupping everywhere here too but will have to wait a bit for me to repot. I'll get there eventually. I have been busy with the rest of the garden. Plants just take off with a bit of warm weather dont they? Just quietly the weeds do too. My venetian blinds were cheaper than yours. I paid nothing. I went to the blind place in town and asked if he had any old ones and he gave them to me. They make great labels. Found it hard to find something with a fine tip to write with though. What do you use? Colleen
Hello brom people. I did it again. I bought two broms on eBay. I couldn't help it they were cheap and noone else bid. They arrived yesterday and are a bit shabby but will pick up. One is an A. recurvata pup and the other (actually an old tatty mum with a small pup just growing and an older pup not attached ) is B. Perriums pride. I bought this one because I liked the look of the variegations . The pinky stripes down the leaf edges are pretty.
I have a question because I also saw seed for sale so had to grab it to try. It is seed from a V. ''red chestnut''. I have no idea what the other parent is as it wasn't mentioned.
How do I grow the seed when it arrives ?
I know I should not be let loose near plants but who can help themselves. ?
Any hints on growing the seed will help. thank you.
Jean.
Nice Ae Mike! And you look very hand with that saw - a great way to recycle. So much stuff just gos to waste!
Jean, there's certainly something tempting about eBay items where no one else is bidding! It make you feel like you're getting a bargain! B. Perriums Pride does look interesting with that pink stripe! I like the tall Billbergias - they make a great contrast to the flatter Neos. I'm looking for a Bill. called Pink Piglet, which I imagine is quite small, but haven't seen it anywhere. There are lots of different things on eBay - I might have to watch a few over the weekend!
I'm sorry I can't help you re brom seed. But I'm sure the others can!
I did more potting up today. I'm starting to get on top off all the old Mum's with pups shooting out. I'm really appreciating my (old BBQ) potting bench with a park bench along side to raise my potting mix etc to easy height - much easier on the back! Also means you can do a bit quickly & everything is at hand!
Here's a quick pic of a part of my garden with some -pink- things - Neo compacta (back right hand side) looking good & Neo. Nuance (front left) - thank you Sue- looking soft & delicate at the moment.
Hmmm I'm off to check out eBay....
This message was edited Sep 11, 2009 5:32 PM
Hi all. So much going on and to catch up with!
Leisa, your plants are looking great, and I love the new patio arrangement! I have been busy with potting one or two a day, washing pots, mixing soil and general spring tasks.
Mike, the blinds for labels is a great idea, and I noticed it when you sent me Rodco. I had heard of the idea, but never seen it. I have taken to writing the plant name on the pot with a white paint pen, but only those I intend to part with. My keepers have proper labels, but I will see if i can find some venetian blinds at the recycle shop.
Chrissy, thanks in advance. I have sent you D mail, and will check the P.O tomorrow.
Jean, see if you can get yourself a chinese food container to sow the seeds. Use something that stays damp, (such as peat, sphagnum moss, vermiculite ) and place a couple of cm in the base of the container. Cover with water and microwave it with the lid off for 2 minutes to sterilise it, or at least pour boiling water over it. I poke holes in the base with a hot skewer to make drainage holes, but this is optional. You need to drain the container of excess water and let the media cool. Just spread the silky threads over the top, put the lid on and keep them warm and in medium light, as they need light to germinate. Vrieseas are VERY slow! Don't expect germination before 3 weeks! Let me know how you go, and when they germinate, and I'll give you the next step.
The Werauhia sanguinolenta seeds you sent didn't do well for me. I had one seed germinate, but it didn't last long. I guess it may have been too old, or the conditions just not right! I will try again one day, or hopefully purchase a plant of it somewhere.
Yes, Ebay, its like window shopping and eye candy! I still pick up a bargain on occasion.
Mike, my aechmea 'Mary Brett' is just beginning to flower, so I'll post a pic in the next couple of days. I did enjoy the visit with my kiwi friends. They had really nice children, and they were polite and indulged me by listening to everything about broms! (poor darlings) I love your variegated 'Bert' and Neo 'Orange Princep' looks like a good one too!
I scored Vriesea 'Kiwi Cream' and V. 'Kiwi Dawn' (or was it dusk?) anyway, both great plants at a great price. The spring plant fair is tomorrow in Bellingen, so am hopeful of some bargains there.
Even though I've had the shade house extended, still short of room! he he
Thought I might start a new tea room?
Plant is Neoregelia 'Barbara' or N. 'Barbie Doll' as i think its now called.
Sue
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1037235/
new thread for us. As Jean would say, the walk was getting a bit long! he he