Well, here we are at the start of a new year.
If you have any nice photos to share or questions to ask, in regards to bromeliads, this is the place to do it.
Don't be shy, we love new comments and members in this thread!
We came from here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1289502/#post_9371062
Happy New Year!
Sue
photo is Neoregela 'Gold Medal' aka 'First Prize' variegata
Happy New Year to everyone. Hope there aren't too many sore heads. Sue, you're very witty this morning or was it just an accident? "Pop" on over to the new thread after mentioning Ian's new grandson! Love your Gold Medal photo. Very neat shape. Think my Guzmania conifer flower might be a bit more like your first one. Wendy has 2 flowering so maybe she could post some photos.
Shirley, what a beautiful display of broms. They all look so healthy and colourful and everything looks so neat. Not a dead leaf in sight. Great job. Hopefully Wendy and I might get over to visit you sometime. Nev’s right about Neo Bold Streak x macwilliamsii. It’s very variable and I’ve had pups with all sorts of variegations. Yours is particularly attractive with the thicker variegations. I’ve got a pup of Canefire (purple) that’s a bit small yet but won’t be too long before it’s ready if you still want one. I bought it as Canefire Purple but the seller is a bit unreliable about names. I think Canefire is also very variable so I’ve kept that name on it because it’s definitely albo while I’ve got another clone that’s always variegated. And I’ve got another one called Candy Stripe that looks almost the same as the var. Canefire. Very confusing.
Ian, that was a good buy with your Tiger Tim. I’m with Sue about your first photo. My Ae gigantea hasn’t flowered yet but it’s very big, like a blanchetiana with pointier leaves. Wendy had a few problems with growing seedlings in deeper containers. They didn’t seem to get enough air but she could tell you more about it.
Trish, wish you could send some of your rain down this way. It’s very dry, hot and windy here. Tough conditions for broms. Your Vr heiroglyphica hybrid is huge and very healthy like all your broms. Thank you for the fertilizer info. It certainly seems to work well. What sort of mix do you use? Vr. Zapita is another brom that seems to have some different clones floating around. Mine is curled under like a fenestralis with redder leaves and doesn’t look as big as yours.
Wendy, hope you’re feeling a bit better this morning. Summer colds always seem more miserable than winter ones because they’re unexpected. Loved the flowers on your Aechmeas beeriana (Name change to vallerandii) and tessmannii. Maybe you could post photos. They’re stunning.
Nev, love your variegated caudatas. Very attractive flowers. They are very sun-tolerant too. Mine’s taking midday sun at the moment but hasn’t flowered yet. Wish you and Sue would stop posting photos of lovely orchids. The last thing I need is another plant addiction!
Time to go and put up a bit more shadecloth. Hello also to Jean, Bree and Colleen.
Photos are 1. Guzmania conifer for Sue. 2. Vr. Zapita for Trish 3. Canistrum triangulare 4. Aechmea Clara 5. Aechmea Dark Goddess
Happy New Year Everyone!
No sore head today which is great, hope everyone feels great today and gets to spend time in the garden with their broms.
Rain has left us now but we did get a fair bit last night which made our sleep very blissful and we were more than happy to have a sleep in this morning knowing it would be our last for a while, then when we woke I felt a tad bit hungry and craving coffee big time so I made us a huge omelette each to get us through the day and a pouched egg each for the girls, which is great for keeping their coat shiny.
No major gardening going on today other than watering indoor plants and picking up a few fallen pots and washing dirt out of some of the brom wells. I am feeling kind of lazy today apart from doing necessary house chores, picking up the odd fallen palm frond in the garden and going for the odd swim every now and then when I start to feel a bit hot. This rain has definitely steamed things up a tad with the sun out and not much cloud cover and even just hanging out washing and you break out into a sweat.
Hi Sue thanks heaps for creating new thread for Jan’ 2013. That Neo pic you chose to welcome in the NY is gorgeous.
Hi Jen yes wish we could send some of the rain your way (crossing my fingers and toes for you), the rain has left us now and has been replaced be muggy, sticky heat. The gardens looking refreshed though, the lawn is really coming back and all of my plants look like they have had a bit of a makeover, they appear happier and healthier after the good drink of rain they all got.
Jen / Sue yeah my Vr. Heiroglyphica Hybrid is of a good size and it has decided to pup for me which is great as I want to have a few more of these displayed throughout the garden as the leaf pattern is really appealing (green and lime) and I really like its long slender leaves that do well as they take a bit of a hammering outside, but I do have it growing under shade cloth so it has protection from falling debris etc.
Jen the brom mix I always use for all my bromeliads is Searles Cymbidium & Bromeliad Mix, but I also add extra Charcoal and Perlite to the mix. Normally I pour the mix into a 9 litre bucket so that it is ¾ full and then top the rest of the bucket up with equal parts of Charcoal and Perlite and then I pour the whole bucket into a huge stainless steel bowl for mixing well. I usually give all my broms a new pot and fresh new mix when I am separating pups or mature broms from one another. I have tried making my own mixes but as far as I am concerned they do not work as well as the Searles Cymbidium & Bromeliad Mix and it’s affordable at only $6.20 for 12 litres from Bunnings. I try to buy my Perlite and Charcoal in bigger bags as small bags are just as expensive I find and for a couple of dollars more you are better off buying the larger bags of each. I just can’t find the Searles Cymbidium & Bromeliad Mix for sale in larger bags which annoys me as I have looked everywhere in Townsville but had no luck, I might have to look at asking a small nursery I frequent to possibly order some in for me? Oh Jen the other thing I do when potting my broms is pour a thin layer of washed red gravel (small size) in the bottom of my pot just so the gravel covers the drainage holes, then I add my brom mix and plant my brom and then finish off with a top layer of the same gravel to cover the brom mix, I also find this secures the brom well in place and hardly every have to use any wooden supports to stabilise my broms. I use the same method with all my broms. The other good thing with the gravel top and bottom is that you lose less of the potting mix when watering and everything stays nice and clean, less splash back when watering especially when we get heavy rain. I also use larger gavel in my garden beds and the pots sit on top of this or I bury them in the ground by burying an empty pot in the ground that is slightly larger than the pot I have my brom in, then I just sit the brom pot in the empty pot which makes moving them around far more easier than digging up a pot and the ground caving in around it along with the top layer of gravel.
Yeah Jen my Vr. Zapita looks very different to yours, I luv how the leaves curl under like that. Also really like your Pic 3 of Canistrum triangulare, I have this one but it is yet to flower. I find it to be a really slow grower and mine has not pupped yet, I heard it is a very slower grower and same goes for pupping. Has your one produced any pups yet?
Back to work tomorrow sad face :( I will do my best to keep in touch with everyone during the week.
Hope you enjoy the random brom pics I took around the garden today:
Hi to anyone else looking in and anyone on the Sick List, we miss hearing from you all.
Take care and Happy Gardening Everyone!
Trish
Hi all, a bit of rain this morning and then some clear sky. I wonder what the night might bring. I potted up some more seedlings about 6 months old and have to start watching some of the Bills. They are going beserk 2months old and 2"high, unbelievable.
About that Ae gigantea, I think the angle of the pic could have disguised some details.1 it has spines resembling blanchies. It has red spots on the lower outer basal leaves. It has seed pods on instead of a flower. It is basically tubular in shape more so than a blanchie but they are similar This is how I bought it on Sunday from Rockhampton on my way home. I had a look at fcbs site and the pics there are at a different stage of development so I am still resistant to change it's name as yet. I have some more pics of it tonight.
Just gotta love N gold medal.
Have a good one.
Ian
Pic 1 Ae gigantea base
Pic 2 Ae gigantea seed pods
Pic 3 Deuterochnea
N charm hyb
N fosperior 70cm wide
Unknown Ae
Hi everyone
Sorry I didn't check in last night. As Jen said these summer colds and flus do seem worse and I know I feel like shit right now so this will be brief. I slept most of the afternoon but still feel the need for an early night tonight. I've just downloaded all my pics so:
pic 1 is ae beeriana renamed vallerandii with the infloresence growing daily (DG has spun it back round again. sorry for kinked necks)
pic 2 & 3 are an aechmea I got from a friend as a pup cause we liked the mottled look on the leaves and hadn't seen one like it before. well now it is flowering. is this fendleri? the flower looks right but the fcbs pics show a green plant which doesn't look anything like this mottled one.
pic 5 is ae tessmanii as Jen requested.
pic 4 is guzmania conifera (we think it is however we bought 1 unamed from last BSQ sale for $25 then found the other in Big W from Olive Branch the following week for $11.98)
Oops here is tessmanii as promised in last post and also ae red bands showing very red stripes on pup as compared to mum's colour. I remember there was something about this last month. And I've also included a pic of Max standing in front of the big croc statue in the park at Normanton when we travelled through there in 2010.
Wendy
one last thing before bed. in the absence of Max to share the fireworks with Johnny last night he told Emily if she could stay awake long enough he would take her down the point to watch them being set off on a barge out in the bay. yep she stayed awake right up to midnight and was almost asleep on the way home in the car. Pa had to carry her upstairs and she slept on her camp stretcher in the loungeroom as a reward. I was worried about how he would cope with his first NYE fireworks without Max to share it with.
night again
Wendy
Hello everyone, another scorcher here today. I haven’t managed to get much time with my broms over the last few days, there always seems to be something else that HAS to be done. Tomorrow is shopping day and we have two granddaughters staying over tomorrow night so not much brom time likely in the next couple of days either.
I hope everyone has had a great start to their new year and hope it continues to be a good year for all.
Trish, good to hear you are getting lots of rain. Everything is starting to dry out here as it’s been hot and rather windy. I did a quick water this afternoon and one thing I noticed was that a lot of plants have been chewed and there are lots of small green grasshoppers about munching everything in their paths. I have sprayed a few things with Confidor but it doesn’t stop them until they have done quite a bit of damage, rotten little buggers.
No pups on the Vr Sunset as yet, Trish. Unfortunately I don’t have any of the broms you mention you are chasing. I would love to get hold of neos Catlans Leopard, Gespacho Jazzy, Wild Surf and Downs Autumn, just to name a few. I have seen them on eBay from time to time but haven’t managed to snag any of them. There are just so many I would love and of course, there are more and more all the time.
Gee Trish, what a great idea, putting a larger pot into the ground and then dropping broms in smaller pots into it, that’s something I have got to try. As you say, so much easier when it comes to moving them around. Love your random shots around the garden … NICE.
Ian, you have also been getting a nice bit of rain. It must be our turn soon, sounds like it’s moving south. Lucky you to have a quiet baby in the house, hope it lasts.
Sue, thanks for starting of the new thread for the new year. Love your neo Gold Medal, mine doesn’t look anywhere near that good.
Jen, thanks for the compliment on my brom house (I only post the photos that make it appear neat and tidy) and I would love to have you and Wendy come to visit some time. Yes please to the neo purple Canefire when it’s ready. Love your Vr Zapita, Canistrum Triangulare and Ae Dark Goddess, you certainly have some lovely broms in your collection.
Wendy, sorry to hear you are crook, hope you get better soon. Love the photo of Max with the croc.
Nev, hope to see you back posting tomorrow.
Well, it’s after midnight now so I don’t think I’ll go hunting for pics. I don’t have anything new anyway.
Bye for now,
Shirley
Happy New Year everyone.
I hope you all enjoy good health and lots of fun with your broms.
I have finally cleaned out all of the greenhouse now . I have mainly the smaller broms and growing pups in there now and can walk around without getting bitten by those on the floor.
All the old shabby ones and Mums with pups to be taken off are in the old epi house where I can work on them as i feel like it. .
I am pleased with the color I see on most of mine but I seem to have bought quite a few that stay green , only coloring when ready to flower.
I will have to look at more colored ones. I do like striped and spotty ones.
My vriesia flowers are getting taller by the day.
I have 2 ae. fasciatas but they have never done much.
Some of the bills are not doing anything either.
I had flowers on all the neos that were ready and plenty of color on them.
There are about 20 pups to be repotted from the mums now.
Looking at how lovely the vriesias are, I am going to devote a whole bench to them.
I have a pic for Nev when he is back on. This is the vriesia ensiformis he sent me and it has doubled in size with pups as big now.
The large vriesia I pictured on the old thread ( heiroglyphica x Red Chestnut ) is now showing a lovely reddish color on some of the outer leaves. This must be from the Red Chestnut parent. Its going to be interesting to see how it develops. I added the pic again and you can see the color on the leaf right at the back left.
Is there a name for this plant or do I just keep using the parentage ?
Enjoy your day
Jean.
Hi Everyone, Happy New Year to you all. Gee there are some stunning photos being shared, love seeing everyone's pics. I hope you all had a great Christmas with family and friends and your New Year has started well. Not quite sure where 2012 went, it seemed to absolutely whiz by, a lot happened in 2012 mind you.
It's been very hot and muggy here, and we have brought a timer for our irrigation now so that if we are out, we know they are still getting a cool down in the middle of the day which seems to be working well.
I have so many pups that need potting but like a lot of you I now really know what it's like to not want to pot them as I have next to no space to put them. I think I will have to do a bit of a sale as well to clear some out and make some space. It amazing just how many pups you get once they hit maturity, mind you some are more common and just need to find a new home and some are ones that i don't want to get rid of, so finding space for them is hardest as I know they will stay here and grow up. All my Vrieseas that got hit badly with cup rot this time last year (from a fungicide) have pupped and most of the original mums are nearly dead now, some went in the bin yesterday, and some got all the dead ugly bits trimmed off and shoved to the side as they still have another pup to go on them. But now where we had one of something we now have quite a few of it. My Vr Forrest which is still our most expensive purchase in broms, it is looking rather had-it now but has given us 3 or 4 pups so now it's time to watch them grow to maturity. But now I need to fit them all in somewhere, lol.
Well we haven't brought anything new for a while, got a few from Big W a while ago that were from Olive.
I will have a look for some photos to upload soon :)
Cheers Tash
Here is a photo of our Aechmea Tritone starting to look nice, it was such a tiny wee thing when we got it.
Then this is our newest one, Neo Jaline. It's a really nice one, very well grown by the lovely people it came from and one we are happy to add to our collection.
Last one is a nicely charred Neo Norman Bates looking more like a Tiger at the moment. Hope they all work.....
good morning everyone.
I am in the car on the way home from celebrating new years at the gold Coast. I had a great time and didn't even drink to much, so was nice and clear headed for the first day of the new year.
Hubby and I hd an early morning swim, then cleaned the mess from the party at our friends so they could get up to a tidy kitchen and outdoor area. They had been up till 5am whereas we piked out early. Of course, they slept in, so we went to Sanctuary Cove and had lunch at Georges Seafood Paragon restaurant! Yummm!
I also caught up with Jen and Wendy, on a flying visit and had the grand tour of their collections.I wish I had had more time to spend, but I promise I will make the effort to get back this year for a more relaxed stroll and chat. Both collections were just amazing, Wendys for the size of her collection, and sheer numbers of pants, and Jens for the variety of well coloured and unusual Vrieseas, large cacharodon type Neos, and great colourful gardens. Stupidly, I did not get my camera out! Nevermind. I suggest if you eve get to the Brisbane area, to give them some warning and go for a visit. They both make good cuppas too!
Tash, glad you have got some pups to replace the damaed vrieseas. I remember how devastated you were at th time. Your irrigation sounds like a good idea. i have some misting on an automatic timer for when I am away, just in case the house sitter isn't good at watering. There is an art to it.
Where is Nev? Are you ok?
Hello to everyone, but must go as reception is patchy and road is bumpy!
Talk more tomorrow
Sue
hello all,
a few weeks ago I was doing some Xmas shopping & spotted broms at the Warehouse, one I liked the look of was labelled 'Tillandsia' ...
that was all it said
and even worse I had no money on me so couldn't even give it a go.
So my collection still consists of two pots of very hardy Bil. nutans.
They stayed out all winter this year as I had to move out of my house while earthquake repairs were being done.
House had to be empty so no chance for them to have their usual indoor spot.
And despite frosts, rain, wind & even snow they are still ticking along quite nicely.
One is even missing most of the potting mix as it was monstered by my new puppy, she enjoys gardening & has tipped a few things out of pots.
I have learned not to leave potted plants on the back deck where she can get them.
Hi Everyone!
Quick post tonight...
Hi Wendy luved the pic of Max near that big croc, what a beautiful boy, such a beautiful face and very photo genic.
Hi Ian the leaves on your Neo Fosperior are so long.
Hi Shirley sorry to hear everything is drying up you way and that nasty grasshopper are chewing on your broms, the best time I find to get rid of them is first think in the morning as they appear less active, I just rip their heads off their shoulders, I know it's not nice but it's quick rather than throwing them on the ground and squashing them which is a bit hard to do on grass because they are hard to see and normally get away especially if you are like me and need to wear glasses every now and again in the garden.
Shirley I will right you down for a pup of my Catlan's Leopard, well I think that it what it is except when I brought them they were called Neo Leopard, are the they same thing??? Anyway my mature Neo Leopard broms are yet to pup but I will keep a pup aside for you if you like. I think I have about 3 mature broms of these because I liked them that much as I really wanted to spread them around the garden, one was just not enough, you know what its like lol. Unfortunatley I do not have any of the other really want broms you mentioned but if I come across them I will let you know.
Yeah Shirley give the larger pot in smaller pot dug into the garden a go, initially its a bit of work digging but you only have to dig the one hole and then just relocate the soil elsewhere in your garden, just be careful not to undermine any raised retaining wall garden beds you may have as you would naturally displace the soil if it was in a raised retaining wall garden bed and this could cause issues down the track is it would weaken the wall. I mainly dig my pots into my low to the ground garden beds as I know it is safe to do so.
Hi Jean you won't be disappointed devoting a whole bench for vrieseas, I have devoted our whole entertainment area for them and have run out of room so some are getting shipped out into the garden.
Hi Tash nice to hear from you, sounds like you are very busy with your broms, the pics you posted are gorgeous, such intense colors and so healthy.
Hi Sue hope your were not multi-tasking driving and typing a thread at the same time LOL. I saw a lady reading a book while she was driving the other day in an 80k zone and heard similar on the news that a lady got caught reading a book doing 100+K - crazy.
Hi Dalfyre is this the first time you have visited this forum, welcome if this be the case and all the way from Christchurch, my good friends family lives in Christchurch and they are going throught the same thing with earthquake repairs. There are so many 'Tillandsia' out their for sale, I only have one that grows in my Mango Tree, I don't know it's proper name but I have heard the pet name Tillandsia's get called is 'Carnations of The Sky' and that is what I have written on my label (it gets little yellow flowers), aside that my favorite smelling flower are Carnations and if I am going to buy cut flowers they are always Carnations. Do you like any other types of Bromeliads aside from Tillandsia's?
Where are you Nev are you OK? We miss you.
Anyway time for me to head off, so much for a quick thread, I just loose track of time when I get chatting with you all or chatting with myself 'miss have a chat' I am.
More random pics attached, let me know if you want names of single shots:
Trish
Hi all, just a quick one from me tonight as we have two granddaughters (7 and 10) staying over and they have kept me on the hop all afternoon. I got them off to bed around 9:00 pm then went and fell in a heap in front of the TV. Now it’s a quick post and a cuppa then off to bed myself.
Jean, I love the vrieseas too. Mine are in a little too much shade at the moment but I will move them as soon as we extend the shadehouse. It’s way too hot here at the moment to work outside so it will probably be autumn before it’s completed.
Tash, great to hear from you. You know, I am only too happy to accommodate any broms that you don’t have room for at your place, LOL. Your neo Norman Bates looks amazing, I love the toothy ones.
Sue, sounds like you did it really tough over the new year period :o) glad you had a great time. We had a very quiet one here.
Dalfyre, good to hear from you. I am pretty sure you have posted here before. Either way, welcome to the forum or welcome back. Hope you continue to visit.
Trish, thank you so much for the offer of a pup from your neo Leopard, that would be fantastic. I’m pretty sure it’s the same as Catlans Leopard and really appreciate your offer. As for digging the larger pots into the garden beds, the majority of our garden beds that are close to the house are behind retaining walls but on one side only, more like a terrace, so I will dig the holes for the larger pots on the flat side of the garden away from the wall. We have lots of rocks here and the walls have been in place for years and are very stable.
What really annoys me is seeing young people texting while driving and it’s something we see all the time … makes me wish I was a cop sometimes. Lovely garden shots again Trish.
Hope we see Nev back posting again tomorrow.
Anyway, I will have a quick look for some pics. Pic 1 is Ae Rakete, pic 2 is neo Green Apple Golden Delicious
Bye for now, catch up again tomorrow,
Shirley
Hi everyone. Happy New Year!!! Lovely pics.
Nev posted last in Dec thread saying his computer died and he wont be on until he buys another.
thanks for the welcome - I'm a regular in the tea room & posted here a few times a couple of years ago...
been a little distracted by earthquakes since then.
I like the look of so many different broms but have resisted the temptation so far as I'd hate to buy plants & have them up & die.
Knowing that at some stage we'd have to clear the house out & go live in a motel for a few weeks while they did repairs put me off adding indoor plants.
But the 'repairs' are done so now i am starting to look at what's available here.
Hi all, another hot day and I didn't feel like doing much, but when it cooled down a bit I thought that it was time to experiment a bit more. This time I tried sucessfully to collect seeds from a pineapple that was growing here. It is Ananas tricolour and had multiple heads coming off it also. The seeds are similar to apple seeds but smaller as in Pic 1.
Pic 2 will show some Neo minis growing in my mango tree. They have been there for a fair while, Aug 2011 some of my earliest plants. They seem to be doing ok considering they get the least attention of all my plants. I also have broms growing on Palms and in citrus trees.
Trish that is the first N fosperior that I have seen and I bought because I liked it. I don't know how it ought to look but I could look it up.
Dalfyre, welcome to this brom group and the wonderful world og brom growing. I don't know much but I am learning. At the moment it is a big game and I am enjoying it. I will have 2 years collecting in March, Wow time goes so quickly when it is enjoyable.
Have a good one
Ian
Pic 1 Ananas tricolour seeds, they have been planted today.
Hello All,
No, I was not typing while driving! Hubby was driving in horrendous holiday traffic, and I used the computer to take my mind off it. Shirley, we saw a young girl texting while sitting in the lane next to us, at the lights. Hubby rolled the car forward a bit, as he had a little bit more room ahead of us, and she must have thought the light had turned green and accelerated almost out into the intersection without looking! Shows how easy an accident can happen. Its something I wouldn't do, and I constantly tell myself, when I want to dig through my bag for chap stick or something, 'Just wait till you get there' or if its important I will pull up. Have you seen Aechmea 'Rakete' flower? I have a couple of pots full, and no flowers yet.
Hi Theresa. Wow! I can't believe you are still going through the earthquake repairs. Are you still getting after shocks? The Tillandsia you saw might have been Tillandsia cyanea, as it is quite a common one in department stores. It is quite a hardy one, so i am sure you would have no trouble keeping it alive. I was surprised to read that you kept Billbergia nutans alive through the cold of Christchurch in winter. Well done to you! I hope you settle back in ok, and can scrape together enough money to get yourself that Tillandsia!
Trish, can I have a go at identifying your pics? Are they, from 1-4, Neo. 'Fairy Tale', Neo, 'Macho', Aechmea chantinii, Neo. 'Red Gold'. Theresa, in Trishes photo number five, Tillandsia cyanea can be seen to the right.
Happy New Year, Bree. Did you celebrate well? I bet your town has been invaded by holiday makers!
Ian, what happened to pic 2? I have never seen Ananas seed and will have to look to mine when the time comes. My A. 'Tricolour' has a multiple head too, but nowhere near a size for seed (I think?) I am interested to see if you get any variegated seedlings.
I did a little bit of tidying up in my brom nursery and potted up a few guz and vriesea pups, as much as room would allow, and then gave all the old mums the once over, including a fertilise and spray for scale. I also zippered up the hot house seedling areas, after seeing jens success with her vriesea seedlings, which are twice the size of mine, in half the time! Tomorrow I am doing a tidy and revamp on a small garden, and I have a tray of small red Neoregelias to put in for colour. I am hoping to addict the garden owner to bromeliads! heh heh
Sorry, no pics today, but maybe i will take some at the garden tomorrow, or around here.I noticed the A. fasciatas are flowering, both plain and variegated.
Sue
Hi Everyone!
I made the mistake of typing a thread in here instead of Word and lost the whold thread, really mad at myself and too tired to start all over again so I send my apologies tonight and will catch-up with you all hopefully tomorrow?
Nice pics everyone!
No pics tonight as I have spat the dummy with myself and am going to make myself a cup of tea and go drown myself in it, hope I have a cup big enough.
On the brighter side of life it's Friday tomorrow and I did get some broms in the mail today that will need potting on the weekend so something to look forward to.
Speak soon when I am back to my old happy self LOL
Happy Gardening Everyone!
Trish
Pic 2 Neo mini in mango tree.
Sorry bout that.
Ian
Yes Sue plenty of tourist here, cant live in a tourist town and complain about it but i supose. I live out of town though at Palmers Island and i just go to Yamba to work and back home. Cant get a car park anywhere in Yamba.
Trish i love that brom in your 3rd pic on the 1st. Is it Lime & Lava?
I like the 2 broms you posted Shirley, you have alot of nice ones.
dalfyre- once you start collecting Broms you cant stop. hehe!
I need to repot alot of my broms but dont know if i should cut off the old mothers and chuck them away or can they still produce pups when there neally dead?
This message was edited Jan 3, 2013 8:24 AM
Hi everyone, yet another really hot day here today, still no rain and everything is getting very dry.
Bree, I saw Nev’s post in the Dec thread, hope it’s not too long before he is able to get another computer. The forum is just not the same without his posts. I think you’re right Bree with Trish’s neo Lime and Lava in her post of 1 Dec. I have a couple of old brom mums that are so near dead but they are still producing pups so your old mums might be worth holding on to a while longer, you may just get more pups … unbelievable really.
Dalfyre, I am sure you will get plenty of encouragement and good advice from all the forum members here. I believe there are some absolutely gorgeous broms, especially vrieseas, available in New Zealand. Good luck with your search, I am sure you will be just as brom addicted as the rest of us in no time at all.
Ian, hope you have success with your Ananas tricolour seeds. Your minis look pretty happy in the mango tree. We cut off some of the lower branches of the mango tree nearest the house this arvo and I am going to put broms in pots underneath to see how they like it. It could still be a bit too shady and possums and bats are attracted to it when it’s bearing fruit so, on second thought, it might not be the best time to do it now.
Sue, seems to be pretty common, texting while driving and they claim the oldies cause the majority of accidents … don’t think so. I haven’t seen Ae Rakete in flower, it’s a fairly recent purchase (Wendy’s last sale) and it’s a lovely plant. I’m with you Sue on the first 3 of Trish’s broms but I’m not familiar with the fourth. I would love to see some photos of your variegated Fasciatas, it’s such an awesome plant.
Trish, I had to laugh at you making a big cup of tea and drowning yourself in it … I would probably opt for warm chocolate fudge or caramel to drown myself in, or better still a huge vat of Bailey’s Irish Cream (with crushed ice, of course) … yeah, way to go ... drown or freeze, who cares, LOL. Hope you are back to your normal happy self now.
Tonight’s pic 1 is neo Birdrock, pic 2 is neo Devil’s Ruby, pic 3 is a very pretty medium sized neo NOID, any ideas, please.
Bye for now, Shirley
Hello all.
I did my gardening job this morning and it almost killed me. It was so hot, and there were twice as many weeds to pull as what was there two weeks ago, when I quoted! I had to do a bit of weedspraying, as I wasn't confident the weeds wouldn't pop back through, although Hubby helped with the mulch and we put it on really thick! Anyway, I took some photos, although not really good, as the sun was directly overhead when I finished, and the shadows were really dark. Never mind.
Shirley, I've been racking my brains over your NOID. It is SO familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. I will go for a walk around my broms in a minute and see if anything jogs my memory.
I like your Neo. 'Bird Rock' and have my one and only in flower at the moment. I didn't realise it was quite such a large brom! N. 'Devils Ruby' looks lovely too, so dark and with that really light centre.
I had to laugh, first at Trishs drowning herself in a cup of tea, but I laughed louder at your comment about drowning in Baileys, or freezing. Too funny. I could probably drown myself in a glass of wine quite easily right now.
My A. fasciata variegata is just beginning to flower, so I will give it a couple of days to get to the top of the foliage and then take a photo.
Bree, I know what you mean about living in a tourist town. It seems some stores didn't stock ahead for the extra shoppers, and the shelves are empty. Bit of a pain!
As for your old Mums. They tend to become susceptible to scale as they age, so I usually put them out of their misery when they get to that stage. Also, they get a bit rotty in the centre, and if they still hold water, this seems to attract Mopsquitos to lay their eggs/larvae in it. When they get to this stage, if they still have a small pup or two, I just cut away the old mother ffrom the base and leave the pups on the root ball in the pot, as this is usually enough to support them while they grow. Just add a bit of fertiliser to kick them along.
Thanks for the photo ian. They look great. thats a pretty mature Mago, by the looks of the thickness of the branches. Mine is still relatively small, but I might put some broms on at some stage. I have a few minis in the Tibouchina, so will take a pic for you.
Trish, i have lost many a post that way, and I totally understand the frustration. It takes a long time to reply to everyones post, so when it happens to me, I usually stomp of with the pips. I am using the PC today, and it usually signs me out as I post, so i will use your disaster as a reminder to me to copy before I post.
Photos are, pic one...before
pic two, after (sorry about the shadows)
pic three is after weeding, but before mulching
pic four is after mulching and adding some small Neos. There were some Billbergia pyramidalis there already, so I removed them while weeding and then replanted them after.
The garden gets sun in the morning until about 11am, so perfect for the red neos.
Sue
wow Sue what a difference!
Last time I stayed with my in-laws in Robina I couldn't help thinking that a garden make over with broms would look amazing :)
There are a few sad looking broms under the trees & the gardenia bushes but with a little work it could be very nice.
Good evening all. Still hot, dry and windy here. Sue, I love the transformation in your 4th photo. Wow, what a difference. It was great to see you even if it was only a flying visit. Sue rang and said that she was at the coast and coming over. As in straight away, 40 mins if I was lucky. Panic! What a dash around. It was like cramming for a garden exam! No time for mowing or weeding. She appears to look around casually but doesn’t miss a thing! Luckily it was off to Wendy’s then. Her place always looks fantastic. My next visit to Sue is going to be a surprise one.
Good to see you posting Tash. Your collection is going ahead in leaps and bounds. Good to hear you’re on top of your fungal problems. I use Mancozeeb. Hope that wasn’t the one that gave you problems.
Shirley, sounds like you’ve been busy with your grandchildren. Your noid looks like my Neo Charm. I like your Neo Devil’s Ruby. Nice photo of your Ae Rakete. Mine’s got a flower on it but it’s past its best. I’ll take a photo tomorrow.
Ian, you’re certainly right into your seed growing. Look forward to seeing progress photos.
Trish, your first Neo is very pretty. Was Sue right? Is it Fairy Tale? It looks like one called Berry something. Heaven? Love the combination of broms in your last photo. I’m being very careful and typing in Word because I’d be more likely to drown my sorrows in chocolate than tea and my clothes are already too tight after Christmas.
Therese, glad to hear you’re getting on top of your earthquake repairs. I’d love to live in NZ to grow the Vrieseas. They seem to grow so well over there and Sue says they’re much cheaper than over here.
Jean, your Vrieseas are looking lush and healthy. Good job. Beware, they’re very addictive especially if you start growing them from seed because you never know what you’re going to get.
Bree, I’m with Sue on old mothers. They can really attract scale when they’re on their last legs and that can spread to your other broms.
Thanks for posting those photos Wendy. Beautiful flowers. Hope you’re over the dreaded lurgy. Also hope that Johnny and Emily enjoyed their fireworks.
Night all, Jen
Just for a change, some Guzmanias tonight. The first one is Microguzmania Teresa. About the size a hand palm when fully mature. Fun trying to take a pup off!. 2. Bernie's Gold 3. Symphany Encore 4. El Cope 5. Myth (mutant, probably grown from tissue culture). The pups aren't far off flowering so fingers crossed for a repeat but not very likely.
Hi Everyone!
Now let’s try this again the proper way and type my thread in my usual Word doc and copy and paste my thread after I attach my photos – right! Thanks everyone for understanding my frustration with myself, my evil twin has gone today and I am back to my normal self and I have got my sh*# together so to speak LOL. Shirley drowning myself in a huge vat of Bailey’s Irish Cream with crushed ice sounded way much nicer then in my cup of tea, I luv Bailey’s Irish Cream especially on the rocks YUM!
Shirley glad to hear you are interested in a pup of Neo Catlans Leopard, once mother brom has pupped I will let you know, I think I have 3 x mums as I liked this brom so much but am still waiting for pups. They look great around the garden because they are so much lighter in colour compared to some of my other broms. Also glad to hear you are going to try the pot in another pot dug into your garden beds for some of your broms, you will not be disappointed it works well in some of our garden beds and is more ecstatically pleasing to the eye with pots hidden in the ground.
Shirley that Pic of Ae. Rakete you posted the other day is really nice; I have not seen this one before, does its marking get more intense? I also like the under leaf colour that also reflects the markings.
Oh Shirley your Neo ‘Devil’s Ruby’ in your pic 2 is stunning, so very different for it to have a green centre instead of the other way around, will the dominant colour fill the centre eventually or does the centre stay green? Not sure what your NOID pic 3 is but it kind of reminds me a bit of Neo ‘Moana’s Beauty’ as it has the specks through it but the colour is way pinker?
Hi Bree, thanks for the heads up that Nev’s off line because his computer has died, I must have missed his last Dec’ thread saying this.
Bree Pic 3 posted on 31/12/12 was Neo ‘Lime & Lava’.
Bree don’t chuck your old mums away, even when they are half dead with only half a body they more than likely will still produce pups, I have a retirement village for my old mums and they are all producing pups, the only mums I chuck out are the ones where there centres are rotting out so as not to spread disease, like Sue if the mum is in bad condition but has pups I cut the mum away but leave the pups on the root ball in the pot. Some of my mums only have half bodies but their centres still have flowers so I kept them intact with the pups on. I will have to take some pictures of some of my old mums over the weekend so you can see how bad some of mine look but they are definitely worth keeping for a bit longer and a little bit of fertiliser help’s them along nicely either to pup or for the new pups to grow nice and strong. Just keep them away from all other broms, that’s why I have them opposite end of the garden in my brom retirement village lol.
Hi Dalfyre glad to hear that your repairs are done now, sounds like you could be going brom shopping real soon and it would be great to see pics of what sort of plants you choose for your garden, hopefully there will be quite a few broms in there, they won’t disappoint you as they are a very hardy plant and easy to grow and maintain and if you need any advice we are all here to help.
Hi Ian further to the pic you posted of your Neo Fosperior I have one call Neo ‘Fosperior Perfection’ but it looks very different to your Neo Fosperior as it has variegated leaves, I have attached as Pic 1.
Ian thanks for posting pic of your mini’s growing in mango tree, they appear to be doing really well, I will definitely give it a go hear, how do you tie them to tree? I wonder if I could just use some of my cooking string and tie them just enough to not fall until they have time to take hold of the bark?
Hi Sue great try guessing names of my pics posted on 2/1/13, Pic one is actually labelled as Neo Marmorata by the Seller but I will have to check paperwork again as does not sound right because it’s colour is a real grape colour with spots rather than greenish with spots? Pic 2 Correct is Neo ‘Macho’, Pic 3 Correct is Ae. ‘Chantinii’, Pic 4 Neo ‘Red Gold’ was a NOID that I purchased for $5 from a back yard brom sale, it was not labelled but I really liked it because it has a real nice apricot pink look about it with pink dots and it luvs full sun, I can’t wait to get pups of it because I want to plant some more around the garden and do not have many full sun hardy bromeliads. Pic 5 Correct Tillandsia cyanea (I forgot I have this one which makes it 2 x Till’s that I own LOL), she is a really pretty brom and I have her growing under 70% shade cloth.
Sue I luved the before and after pics of your garden, you have been very busy indeed weeding and planted broms, looks great. I managed to weed out front garden bed over the holidays and will have to take a pic of that, I still have a lot of pruning to do to the side front garden bed but ran out of time so plan to do some more over the weekend hopefully.
Hi Jen no unfortunately my first pic 1 posted on 2/1/13 is not Neo ‘Fairy Tale’ or Berry something. Heaven? I will dig up the paperwork over the weekend and get back to everyone as well as I have to get back to everyone who enquired regarding who the seller was for Vr. Black on Yellow. The label on my first pic 1 posted on 2/1/13 was labelled Neo ‘Marmorata’ but that does not sound right at all?
Jen all you Guzmanias pics are gorgeous, I think I only have about two or three in my collection, I don’t know why that is because I really like their flower?
Hi Wendy hope you are feeling much better, we miss hearing from you and seeing your beautiful pics.
Hi to anyone else looking in and anyone on the Sick List, we miss hearing from you all.
Anyway I was going to put the kettle on and make a cup of tea but for some funny reason now I have a craving for Bailey’s Irish Cream on the Rocks so I am going to pay our home bar a visit and poor myself a good splash, anyone care to join me, I know Shirley would but with crushed ice. I have never tried it with crushed ice, I will have to give that a go and report back to Shirley on which way I like drinking it better LOL.
Take care and Happy Gardening Everyone!
Trish
Pic 1 – Neo Fosperior Perfection for Ian
Pic 2 – Various broms
Pic 3 – Not broms sorry, but could not resist to post pic of my Coral plants in flower, I have forgotten what their proper name is but reminds me of Coral so I call them my Coral Plants.
Pic 4 – Various broms
Pic 5 – Various broms
Back Again!
My Vr. 'Yellow on Black' was purchased from EBay Seller 07.liz07, I have not brought from them in a while.
I brought my Neo 'Marmorata' from a Seller in Far North Qld, that's how the plant was labelled at the time?
Catch you all over the weekend.
Trish
Hi all, it’s Friday night again, already. As Jen said, another very hot, dry, windy day in Brissie. The grass is starting to brown off again and the gardens are looking thirsty.
We will probably go to the market tomorrow morning (not too early though) to check out what’s there. There are usually less stalls during school hols, guess everyone is away or maybe it’s just too hot at the moment.
Sue, love your garden makeover, your client must have been very happy with the result.
Jen, thanks for the ID on my NOID neo. I have seen neo Charm on eBay and have been tempted to bid so I’m pleased I didn’t. That’s the main reason I like to know the names of my broms, so that I don’t buy the same one over and over, though I have bought very similar looking plants with very different names.
Trish, my Ae Rakete is a recent purchase so I am unable to answer your question. I am sure Jen, Sue or Wendy would be able to tell you more. As for neo Devils Ruby, I only have the one, so not sure whether it will change but I hope it keeps its’ green centre. I will post another pic in a couple of months. Love your pics especially neo Fosperior Perfection. Mine appears to be losing its variegation, I’ll post a pic. Enjoy your Baileys on the Rocks, Trish, I’d love to join you.
Wendy, I hope you are on the mend and back posting again soon. And Nev, please come back soon.
Pic 1 Neo Fosperior perfection, Pic 2 neo Cruenta broadleaf, Pic 3 neo Apricot Nectar pup
Till tomorrow,
Shirley
... Where has everyone gone ???
........... Is anybody out there in brom land ???
Pics are 1 neo Tossed Salad, 2 neo Decora, 3 neo Barbarian
Till tomorrow,
Shirley
Hi Shirley
I'm here!
Trish
I will start typing my thread to let you know what I have been up to today and I have some pics to attach.
Trish
Like Shirley said "where is Everyone!!!"
Shirley your dog is beautiful, what's his name?
Had a great day today busy in the garden and had fun potting up recent pup purchases, did a bit of gardening in the front yard also and took some pics of both.
Tomorrow will be spent working on the front garden some more as it is almost like a blank canvas at present.
Shirley I agree both of our Neo 'Fosperior Perfection' differ in colouring but I do like yours lots, mine is under 70% shade cloth. Liked all your other brom pics too, especially Neo 'Barbarian', I have not seen this one before but have heard it's name mentioned before and it sounded interesting and different so caught my interest.
Shirley yeah I did very much enjoy my Bailey's Irish Cream on the Rocks but am yet to try it with crushed ice.
Pics are of front garden bed - work in progress:
Trish
Pic 1, 2 & 3 are still of front garden project.
Pic 4 - check out this beautiful log found on the beach, it's as solid as a rock.
Pic 5 - Neo 'Lavender Blue x Lilac Dream" (pup).
Trish
Pic 1 - Neo 'Raphael' (pup).
Pic 2 - Neo 'Isabel No. 2' (pup).
Pic 3 - Neo 'Magenta' (pup).
Pic 4 - Neo 'Stars & Bars USA' (pup).
Pic 5 - Neo 'Dark Veil' (pup).
Good night to Shirley if you are still looking in.
Catch everyone hopefully tomorrow.
Trish
Good morning everyone. Sorry I didn't get here yesterday. I had a big day mowing, pruning and a bit of housework. On days like that I haven't any energy left for even simple things, like turning on the computer!
Thanks for the compliments on the garden makeover. It was simple really, other than the weeding. It would have been nice to use a variety of Bromeliads, but the client is a non-gardener, and I like to see how they go, surviving on their own before adding anything nicer. There is scope for more improvements, as the yard is bordered with garden beds of agapanthus and white rocks (complete with weeds) I cleaned them up and reckon theres a couple of spots for some Aechmea blanchettianas there! Now to convince the client.
Trish, you made up for your short post with the last few! I love all the photos, and especially the front garden ones, as you know, that is my area of interest. It looks as though it is going along nicely. I especially like the golden canes with the broms planted around it.
Your 'Coral' flowers are Celosia, and they have what is called 'fasciation' which is a flatteneing out of some of the parts, be it stem or flowers, and it also usually results in more flowers or a wider stem. I see it a bit in Agapanthus, where the stem is wide and flat instead of round, and the flower heads are doubled. Anyway, the growers have somehow managed to use fasciation to their advantage by growing these lovely annuals for us. The other name for them is 'Cockscomb' as they somewhat resemble the wattle on a roosters head. I just bought a different Celosia again, with lovely purple spikes, that i will give to a friend.
Jen, I don't mind surprise visits, so catch me out if you can! heh heh. I imagine your place is tidy much of thetime too, and to get it looking as magic as it did last week, in 40 minutes, then it must have been pretty good to start with. It would have taken at least 10 minutes to hose out the patio area, which indicates to me that you were bored waiting for me! heh heh. I love that little Micro guzmania. I had seen photos of it, but to see it for real, it was so cute!
Shirley, I hope you have a nice time at the markets and find new treasure. I am going to isit the markets this morning too, as a friend is selling some of her broms, and also the car boot market is on, and I want to pick up some books. Being an avid reader, I'm always looking for more.
Right, lets see whats on the SD card today.
Photo one is Neo. 'Sunday best' in the afternoon light.
Photo two is N. 'Princess Di' in the afternoon light
Photo three is a NOID Aechmea. Jen, does this look like it might be A. 'Little Harv'?
Photo four is labelled Pitcairnia paniculata, but it doesn't look like the one on the bromeliad photo index.
Photo five is Aechmea fendlerii
Sue
Hi all,I think that summer cold has got through the computer system and got me. I don't feel too bright but a casual look amongst my Vr's showed some fantastic growth of pups. I took off 1 pup yesterday and it is almost 300 mm high. In September it may have been 2" high . Is this usual for a well grown and well fed Vr. I have followed Nev's suggestion of placing a couple of prills of fertiliser(slow release) in the lower leaves and have grown the plant in a lot of light, Under 70%shadecloth with a floor of scoria to maintain high humidity. I am doing the same with some of my bills and a few Neos. They seem to like the conditions and grow well.
I have had a thought, maybe dangerous. I was wondering whether I could use a rooting powder to stimulate root growth. It usually isn't necessary but I wonder if it would speed up rooting or whether it would cause more problems than it is worth. I will wait for feedback before experimenting as someone somewhere has possibly tried it before.
I can't concentrate here .
Have a good one
Ian
Pic 1 Vr splendens on05-01-12
Pic 2 A pup I took yesterday
Pic 1 Vr splendens yesterday 05-01-13
