BROMELIADS FOR NOVICES & ADDICTS MARCH 2012

Good morning world. Shirley, a sale at Wendy's is always good time spent. Lovely people, so much to see. So pleased you did well and look forward to the pics.

Wendy, I am hoping we can get down Sunday, and that you still have a plant or two left. I'll be looking for shade lovers this time. But depends on Barry's plans (I haven't spoken to him yet).

Colleen, it would be fun to have a sale of your own. I don't know that I'll ever have enough pups to be able to do that but who knows.

Nev, hope you are feeling even better today, and didn't go overdoing it yesterday. You are very lucky if you don't have cobblers pegs. They are a real pest. Though most yards here are cleared, seedlings still pop up from time to time, usually in a hidden place, and before you know it, you have a plague again.

Have a great weekend everyone.
Karen

Hi everyone,

It seems like I may have overdone it a bit with the re-potting yesterday as I was in the lounge chair all night again coughing. I had another check-up with the Dr. yesterday morning and he said my chest still isn’t clear and I have more antibiotics to take, so it seems I’m not as good as I thought I was, BUGGER!

Karen – I understand what you say about the lorikeet food but for some reason I thought you had budgies as well and that’s why I thought you fed seed.

I like the pic’s you posted especially the first one, what is the name of that plant? I’m a bit partial to variegated plants especially ones that have a bit of form about them like that one has.

Wendy – Well it seems like Shirley really had a ball, new plants, new shade cloth in fact everything right up until when the kettle blew up and she lost everything she had typed. Now she probably can’t buy a kettle because she spent all her money on brom’s, so it looks like she’ll have to rub two sticks together and boil the old billy. It’ll be interesting to see what the strange seedling turns out to be won’t it? There’s always something unexpected with growing seeds.

I wouldn’t mind a few Portea petropolitania var noettigii seeds if you have any to spare, it’s one I don’t have and neither does my seed growing friend, Laurie. Perhaps we could swap you a bit of some other seed for some if you have excess. I also wouldn’t mind a bit from your unnamed Aechmea like the one in your pic., I thought at first it may be Ae ‘Shelldancer’ but the inflorescence is straight and unlike mine which is curved, but then it may just be a different clone.

As for the recurvata ‘Peach Parfait’, I didn’t pollinate them and it was growing beside a few other similar sized compact plants such as Recurvata ‘Sunrise’, ‘Little Surprise’, Nina’s Special’ and ‘Rising Sun’, so anything’s possible when you have ants around. Add to this the possibility of a ‘selfing’ and the possibilities are endless.

As for the length of time for them to grow, I’ve found them slower than Billbergias, but faster than Neo’s but then that’s just down here which would be much different to up where you live where I imagine they would grow much faster. I personally haven’t grown any ‘Peach Parfait’ seed but I definitely think they would be worth trying anyway.

Shirley – Seems you had quite a “ball” buying brom’s at Wendy and Johnny’s and I’m sure we all are waiting anxiously to see the pic’s of your haul!

Bad luck about the kettle, and I can understand your frustration at losing all you had typed, anyway you can always type it again if you can still remember it after all the “brom shopping excitement”.

I looked up “Cobbler’s Peg” on Google and it seems it’s what we call “Devils Pitchforks” down here and I agree, they are a real pain in the arse when they attaché to your trouser leg or woollen jumpers are even worse. I was amazed to read all about the uses they have as well as being medicinal, see: http://earthlyenergies.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/cobblers-peg-...

I had already posted this info this morning, but realised I had accidently posted a BCR pic by mistake and had to get D.G. to remove it before the Copyright Police came knocking on my door.

I’ll now try again and finish with a few more random shots from some old files of “MY” plants.

All the best Nev.

Shirley, I meant to mention your kettle blowing up but forgot, sorry. What a pain. When things go wrong they really test us, don't they. I have a problem this morning, I can't get my emails to download. Apparently there is one email that won't download and it is blocking the lot. Bigpond won't help, says I'll have to pay to get a technician in, or they could do it, but I would have to lose everything, email addresses, old emails, new emails I haven't got yet, the lot, and start again. Am waiting for Barry to get here to tell me what to do. He is an ex Telstra technician so might have a bit of an idea. But some things they used to do as part of the service are apparently now to be paid for.

Nev, had a sneaking suspicion you might have overdone it. Now just rest up and recover, and let someone look after you some. That plant is a NOID. It is quite a small, compact neo, and very pretty. The red one is also small and is from Wendy's. It is Neo. Fairy Paint X Chlorostricta.

Karen
2 Noids, mini's.

Hmmmm..........no one else in today. Must have all gone to brom sales. I did too. Two of them actually. Got some beautiful plants too. Thought I'd get them on while I have the computer. Barry got my emails going. It was just one email that was gigantic, and the computer couldn't download it. Once he got into webmail and deleted it the rest came in fine. Imagine what that one email could have cost me if I'd had to pay for a technician to fix it. Thank goodness for Barry.

Karen

Here are the pics of my newest additions to my brom family.....all utter beauties!
1. Nidularium Tapestry (from Wendy)
2. Empress X Zonata (from Wendy)
3. Neo. Sweet Dreams X Painted Desert (from Wendy)
4. Neo. Hearts Music X Grace Darling (from Wendy)
5. Neo Enchantment Var. (from another yard sale we stopped at)



This message was edited Mar 31, 2012 2:47 AM

This message was edited Mar 31, 2012 2:21 PM

Wow Shirley, what a downer to end a great day. We enjoyed the hours you spent with us and any time you are down this side of town you are welcome to pop in for a cuppa. can't always promise to have biscuits though. Lucky I'm on a diet and not eating biscuits at the moment or there wouldn't have been any. LOL. Anyway we really enjoyed your visit and after you left there were 2 other lots in while the gate was open. I'll certainly put your new ones on the wish list I have here. I'll continue looking for them for you.

Karen great to see you make it today. We thought you weren't going to make it so it was a pleasant surprise. Glad you like your new broms.

Nev I'll get that seed off to you on Monday if possible. I've washed and dried them already. I never thought about my camera today. wonder where I put it down. didn't see it. I'll have to look tomorrow. I'll take a pic of the NOID aechmea too Nev so you know what seed you are getting. You may even be able to put a name to it for me.

Well I'm having an early night again. Finished today without feeling tired at all. Must have been the early night last night. Usually we are just hanging for a sit down with feet up so we buy tea but tonight I came upstairs and immediately put veges on, made Johnny a cuppa and them put the chops on. We had a lovely tea and then I got to sit down with my feet up with a cuppa before jumping up to do the dishes. Now another early night is needed again.

Night all. Promise I'll post some pics tomorrow night.

Wendy

Hello everyone

Well, we went out this morning to buy a new electric jug as planned but ended up being out most of the day. We also needed a new cordless phone and a few other things as well …don’t know where the day went … So another day over, another month gone, seems like we’re always chasing our tails and getting nowhere fast.

Colleen, lucky you, with your broms from Nev. You too, Karen, with your lovely purchases from Wendy and glad to hear you got your computer fixed.

Nev, I tried rubbing two sticks together, couldn’t get the things to strike … maybe that’s where I wasted so much time today. Back in business now though with a new Sunbeam … same as the last one, hope it lasts a bit longer. Don’t know what went wrong, maybe it got wet or something. Also got a new Panasonic cordless phone (actually a set of 3). We had a similar one before and when the battery went flat we bought a new one from Battery World which wasn’t very successful. You can’t buy a genuine battery and I have since been told that replacement batteries rarely work well. So, when the battery goes flat, throw away the phone and buy a new one ..it did last a few years, but still. We really have become a throwaway society … not that consumers have much choice in the matter.

And yes Nev, I certainly did have a ball at Wendy and Johnny’s yesterday and I am very happy with my ‘haul’. Also enjoyed a lovely chat over coffee and bikkies and got some lovely bargains and great ideas too. I could very easily do it all again with very little arm twisting involved.

I tried the link you posted for cobblers pegs but couldn’t access it. I had no idea they could actually be useful for something, they’re a curse, I reckon. Anyway, Nev, take it easy and get yourself better before it starts getting too cold, it’s much harder to shake off bugs in the winter.

Wendy, thanks again for your hospitality and hopefully we can do it again one of these days. We rarely get over to your side of town but it was certainly a very enjoyable day. I have been trying to decide which one of my new broms is my favourite but I just can’t decide … I love them all. I think ‘enchantment’ is very close to the top of the list and I’ll post a photo of it and one of ‘jaws’, also vying for top place.

Hope your sale is progressing well and it’s good to hear it’s not tiring you out. I know I feel wiped out after shopping today … maybe it’s just a bit of a let down after such a great day yesterday.

Anyway, we expect a couple of the grandkids up for the day tomorrow and being school holidays, will no doubt see quite a bit of them and have a few overnight stays over the next couple of weeks. And you wonder why we never get anything done !!

Bye for now, Shirley

Hi everyone,

I’ve just realised that I forgot to put names on the pictures I posted yesterday so I’d better fix it up before Colleen gets on to me.

Pic. No.1 is one of my seedlings Neo. Concentric x [Charm x Cracker Jack], No. 2. Is Neoregelia ‘Black Forest’, No.3. is another of my seedlings Neo. Painted Lady (sport) x Grace, No.4 is again another of my seedlings Neo. [Carcharodon x Concentrica] x Self and No.5 is a nice little small/medium one called Neo. ‘Cheery Day’

Karen – Would you write my name on a tag and stick it in that NOID so that you remember when you get a spare pup that I would like to buy/swap one? Your red one is similar to a little red one I have called Neo. Sarmentosa x Chlorosticta and it seems quite a lot of nice small to medium reds have been bred from Chlorosticta in the past.

That’s a nice haul you got from Wendy and Johnny; I especially like the two “radial reds” Sweet Dreams x Painted Desert and Heart’s Music x Grace Darling. Were they seedlings that Wendy and Johnny made or were they from some other hybridizer?

Wendy – I’m glad you had a nice day “brom talking” with Karen. It’s always good to have friends around who you can discus brom’s with, and doesn’t it make the time fly. I know from when Jen dropped in here earlier in the month it seemed like she had only just got here and it was time to leave and we had been talking brom’s for three hours by then.

Shirley –What you say about a “throw away society” is very true, it seems that these days they only make appliances to last a little bit past the warranty date before they go “Kaput” and you’re digging your hand into your pocket to buy another. The up side I suppose is that they are much cheaper than they used to be even though the quality isn’t there. This is especially true of the Chinese power tools; I bought a battery drill with two batteries on special for $49 with a two year replacement warranty. When the batteries wouldn’t hold a charge after six months I took it back to Bunnings and the lady in the tool department replaced it. Six months later, the same thing; so back to Bunnings but this time the bloke behind the counter pointed out to me the guarantee only covered the drill and not the batteries or the charger, but offered to order in a new battery for me which I would have to pay for. Now I mean to say, what good is a guarantee that only covers half of the product? I suppose I should have read the guarantee more closely.

On the other hand I have an Australian made “Black & Decker” electric drill which I got for a 21st birthday present that’s still going and that’s fifty years of service, not bad for locally made stuff; but now they’re all made “off shore” from inferior components and are “throw away” as well.

Gee Shirley you got me wound up didn’t you? At least the brom’s don’t break down and at least you know what you’re getting with them. What a way to finish your post with Enchantment and Jaws, they’re two really classy brom’s and Enchantment is an “all time” favourite of mine, I think it’s a great brom.

That’s it for this morning, and now a few more old Neo pic’s. No.1 is Neo Citation (USA), No.2 is Neo Concentrica x Painted Lady, No.3 is Neo Crimson Glow 'Red Fleck' - this is a little bit of a novelty because when it's suspended up high and the light shows through the leaves, there are small red flecks in the leaves which aren't visible when it's on a bench. No.4 is another of my seedlings from the Neo Concentrica x [Charm x Crackerjack] stable and No.5 is an old favourite, Neo Dr. Oeser 'Special Red'.


All the best Nev.

Shirley, aren't Wendy and John the greatest. Jen is great too but she may not have been there Friday. Nice plants in those pics too.

Nev, a feast for the eyes as always. I do have your name (mentally) tagged on that plant. I got it not long before Christmas last year, so don't know how old it is or when it will start setting pups. I love it, very much a favourite.

I am so happy with my newbies this weekend. I don't know if those two you mentioned are Wendy's seedlings, but she will know. I really fell in love with them, particularly Hearts Music X Grace Darling. The fine coloured stripes are different and lovely.

And to finish it for the week, we went to the Beenleigh Markets this morning. The plants were not great, but a "stray" seller (one I haven't seen before) had this little darlin' which drew me in. I loved it as a pup, but then he showed me the mature plant in flower he had on display, and YES! Sold for $5. A beautiful little vriesea Saundersii. Oh, I've had a great weekend!

Karen

Hi everyone.

Nev those plants of Karen's are probably Alan Freeman hybrids not ours. We've had them for ages and ages and they both grow into beautiful plants when they flush.
Karen well done on vr saundersii. That is a species so well worth growing and collecting seed. I think we have some of those growing already. I think Nev may have even sent the seed. Or someone else perhaps. For those who don't know Jen started helping us out when Johnny was having trouble with swollen joints and now she brings over a couple of boxes of plants to sell on the weekend too. We don't know how we did it by ourselves before Jen started helping as this weekend there were times when all 3 of us were running all over the place looking after visitors. Usually Sunday is much quieter but not today. Thank heavens Jen showed up. Around 12 noon I put the kettle on and we were planning on having a bite to eat but next thing it was nearly 3pm and we hadn't had any lunch yet. That's how it goes around here. We were lucky to get a cuppa tea then. Jen after you left we had another little burst but then it was all quiet by 4:30 when Andrew turned up. So he shared a couple of beers with Johnny while I started packing up. Then they chipped in and we cleared the drive for the cars to come back in.

Shirley we enjoyed your visit and you will be welcome here any time. I've added those plants to your wish list for next visit.

Nev there were more ripe seed pods today on noetigii. Being a species it is worth collecting these seeds. I had a customer today who wanted one of those plants. I know we must have pups from it around the yard but it was just too hard to even look for one. So if we come across one we will put it aside for next time we see them. I'll try to get your seed in the mail tomorrow.

We will have a new member soon. A lady who was here today with her husband wants to join the group. She is very into broms and has quite a few already and added to her collection today. We were talking and the subject came up about giving up work and why. We had both retired from senior positions to stay at home but where I did it to care for Johnny she did it to care for herself. When I asked why she replied recurring cancer. I nearly fell over as she looked so well. Anyway I guess I should think before asking things like that or be prepared for the answer. Anyway I am waiting for her to send me a friend request on fb and I'll join her to the fb groups and send her the link to DG too. So look for Linda to join our discussions soon.

I'm off to bed again. Seems like a do that a lot doesn't it??? we've had a busy day and tomorrow I'm taking Jen to see my brothers yard full of broms. He is tickled pink that someone wants to see his place. He goes back to work in WA on Wednesday and will not be home again for another month. I found the camera today hidden underneath something downstairs but now it is in the lounge. I'll upload the pics tomorrow. for now have attached a pic of noetigii for you to see.

Wendy

Hi all, just a quickie, then I'm off to bed.

So glad your sale went well Wendy. I reckon what you should do now is invest the sale proceeds into new broms which will then mean you have to clear out more of the ones you have now to make room for the new ones. You could have another brom sale to get rid of those that you don't have room for and everybody's happy LOL

Thanks for keeping the wish list for my next visit which I am hoping will not be too far off. Perhaps I can add to it from time to time ... if you haven't already, please add that neophytum to the list too, Johnny will know which one. Thanks again, and we both thoroughly enjoyed our visit to your 'magic' garden.

We managed to get a little bit of work done this arvo in the time after the kids went home and our neighbour came to visit. Then, within minutes of her leaving and getting back to work, the rain started. Fortunately it didn't last long and we managed to do a little bit more before dark. Ah well ... there's always tomorrow.

See you then, Shirley

Pics are Jewellery Shop and Painted Lady ... thanks again to Wendy

Hi everyone,

Well it rained here overnight and although it’s stopped now, they have forecast rain for all of this week so it looks like any outside work will have to be put on hold (yet again).

Karen – You got a bargain with the Vriesea saundersii, it’s really a plant well worth growing. It’s most attractive with the spotting which is even more pronounced when viewed from beneath. I have a couple of plants hanging in my Vriesea house and they are real “standouts”. As well as the attractive spotting they do produce a nice inflorescence with unexpected yellow flowers which is in stark contrast to the colour of the plant.
Because it’s a species, I think it’s important that everyone tries to grow it and prevent it from becoming another extinct or endangered species like so many others who are getting their natural habitats destroyed every day. It isn’t what I would call a “fast” grower (at least not in my climate) but it is very easy to grow from seed, (and yes it was me who sent you the seed Wendy). I’ve grown hundreds of them and still have them “coming out of my ears” so if anyone wants to try a few 2” high seedlings you’re welcome to some for just the cost of the postage, just let me know.

Wendy – Thanks for clearing up who the hybridizer of those plants of Karen’s was. Alan Freeman certainly bred some great plants and not just “one offs” either, he just seemed to have that magic touch and turned them out in their thousands. The other thing he did was use Neo. Concentrica quite a lot in his crosses and this proves just what a superb parent it really is.

I’m pleased to hear your sale was another success, I just wish I lived somewhere near a place like yours that had regular sales where I could go and window shop and perhaps buy a few more plants that I don’t have. Jen must have been a big help as I know what it’s like when everyone all comes at once and you’re running around like “chooks with their heads cut off” and trying to keep an eye out for any “light fingered” patrons as well.

You’re quite right when you say that it’s worth collecting the seeds from species like the Portea you mentioned for all the reasons I mentioned above, and if you ever find yourself with an oversupply of seed, I can always find them a good home for you as I have a few very keen young species growers who would love to try some.

The only thing I was thinking was that if you had another different Portea or even an Aechmea in flower at the same time, the insects may have cross pollinated them, so cast your mind back to when it was in flower and write down any possibilities while you can still remember them, because even if they don’t turn out to be true to form, you could also have some interesting hybrids from them as well, and in any case the seed is still well worth growing.

I’m sure we’ll all look forward to having Linda join our group and as I’ve said before, it’s probably the smallest group that I’ve ever been associated with, but it’s by far the most friendly and there’s never any “bitching” or “one upmanship” like on some of the larger groups. As for you worrying about asking why Linda left work and getting the unexpected answer, I wouldn’t worry too much, as most people who have or have had cancer have usually come to terms with it and just treat it as another inconvenience. I know when I was first diagnosed, people seemed very embarrassed to even mention the dreaded “C” word in front of me in case they upset me, I found it very good therapy to actually talk about it and when you do, it’s surprising just how many people you find are in the same boat and either have cancer themself, or have a close friend or family member who has it. An besides what better therapy could you get than growing, swapping and discussing brom’s among friends

Shirley – Yes no matter what job you’re trying to get done, there always seems to be something or someone that will interrupt your good intentions, but as you say, “there’s always tomorrow” (that’s if it’s not raining). They’re two more nice plants you’ve scored from Wendy, but I think the second one looks more like “Painted Delight” than “Painted Lady” so I’d check with Wendy to make sure, as plants do vary depending on where or how they were grown.

That’s it for this morning, and now a few more Neo pic’s from old files (I really must get myself into gear and take some new ones). Every time I think about it, it’s raining and when it’s fine I always find other things that need doing, but I will get some more up to date ones soon, I promise.

Today's pics are as follows, No. 1. Neo 'Garnish' , No. 2. Neo 'Gee Whiz', and three very different 'Gold Fevers' starting with No. 3. Neo 'Gold Fever', No. 4. Neo. 'Gold Fever Select' and no.5. Neo 'Gold Fever Too'


All the best Nev.

Hi everyone. Well, I do wish I lived closer to someone who had regular sales too. All I can do is enjoy the posts of someone else who's been to a sale, especially Wendy's sales. I'm still trying to talk my sister in Brisbane to go to Wendy's but I haven't succeeded yet. I told her that Wendy was having a sale but she won't drive so she has to get someone else to take her and I think that is the problem. Her husband is waiting for a knee replacement and last time he was ready to have it done he had a scratch on his leg so they sent him home. She's scared that he will scratch it again and he's really having trouble doing anything til it's done. Nev you had better put some of those VR. saundersii seedlings aside for me please. I do have a small plant but who knows how long before I get seeds from it and in the meantime I will have some seedlings already growing. I'll put a pic up of the Neo ThunderbirdX Avalon that I put into the palm stump that I took Predator out of. I can almost see it colouring up a bit more each day and getting bigger. Here tis. Colleen

Hi everyone, sorry I have been so absent, we have had so much going on, I will do my best to keep up in the new month and get back into it all.

I just started a new thread for us,

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1250088/

see you all over there,
Tash