Bromeliads for Novices and Addicts - August 2013

Welcome brom addicts. This forum is for anyone who loves bromeliads and enjoys looking at lovely pics. No experience necessary. Please drop in and we'll try to help with any questions.
We came here from http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1322400/
It's starting to feel like spring is in the air so here are some flowering Guzmanias to get us thinking about the garden. 1. Bernie's Gold 2. El Cope 3. A noid from Big W 4. Denise variegated 5. A micro Guzmania only about 12cm across. Jen

Hi Jen,I love your plants.They are so beautiful as well.

Hi Nev,it is Wednesday the 31th here at 11:30p.m. at night.Y'all are almost a day ahead of us.When will get up in the morning,its y'all bedtime over their.Love your pics!!Yes Shirley does have beautiful Guz's.Take care!!!

I love everyone's beautiful pics!!!

Goodnight all!!!

Cody








This message was edited Jul 31, 2013 11:39 PM

Hi all, not much constructive done here today but I did get some watering done and a bit of mulch work. Weather wise I wish it would make up it's mind. It is supposed to be winter and I am still waiting for the cold, like temps in the single figures. We had frosts last year but nothing like it this year. I think a couple of days that I had to wear a coat was just about it. I am experimenting with plants out in the open this year and have to watch what is happening. I still have my plants in pots in the garden so that I can move or replace them easily' I can also re landscape an area if I decide to or if the sun is too much for them or it moves and they are getting more shade than they like.
Shirley, I bought Guz conifer this week. It appears to be a nice guzzie. I thing gabion baskets could make a nice wall or fence and maybe could have a few broms growing on the sides and top. A space saving decorative idea.They would also house lizards and spiders to get rid of some bugs, in a natural manner.
It is Horses birthday here today and I nearly forgot. Every horse has a birthday here in Australia and I don't know about other countries.
Nev Crypthansus like to be kept moist as they cannot store water and have to collect it from the soil. They also like to be kept warm and morning sun. Now I know why mine are not as happy as I would like for them to be. They are also heavy feeders.
Cody, We have had an extremely mild winter this year, I'm not looking forward to summer if winter is anything to go by. Here is a hug a smile and a wave for you.

Have a good one
Ian
Pic 1 Ae Chantini seed pods.
Pic 2 Ae Gigantea
Pic 3 Ae Little harve
Pic 4 Ananas Red star

Hi all,

Where has everyone gone ???

Cody, thanks, the bloom on the NOID in my pic 4 lasted for a full twelve months … and still looked good.

Nev, I agree that school is a lot more stimulating than it was in our day and the kids have a lot more opportunity. Having said that, I wouldn’t want to go back to school now.

It’s great to see that you are creating such lovely hybrids, Nev. I love your bill Fascinator … could you add my name to your pup list for that one please.

Jen, thanks for starting the new thread. What a lovely lot of guzmanias you have. Love the variegated ones and the flower on pic 3 is gorgeous.

I have bought a few nice broms lately, some of them still in the mail. I finally have an Ae Samurai, not a very big one but I love it. Ae Mariae Reginae Variegated is another new one … can’t wait for this one to flower. Ae Fasciata Variegata and Fascini Albomarginata are two more. Not sure if I have taken photos of these last two.

Ian, those are some nice looking aechmeas in your pics.

My pics are 1 – Ae Samurai, pic 2 – Ae Mariae Reginae Variegated, pic 3 – Fasciata Variegata

Bye for now, Shirley

Hi to all!!!
Hi Ian,you are right if you have had a mild winter this year.I hate to see how hot your summer gets.Our winter gets so cold that,we have to leave our water dripping so the pipes don't bust.It gets very cold here to were we have to bundle up just to stay warm when outside.Thanks for the hug a smile and a wave.I am sending you back a hug,smile and waving back too ya.Love your pics!!Take care!!!

Hi Shirley,you are very welcome.Wow it flowered for 12 months,that is awesome their.Love your pics!!!Take care!!!
Waving to everyone!!!!

Cody

Good morning all, its taken a little while for me to catch up from the old thread and find my way here.
Thanks Jen, for staring an August thread, and your Guzmanias are gorgeous!
Ian, you asked in the previous thread, what the Tillandsia next to T. duratii was. It is actually a succulent, Cotyledon orbiculata, which is in desperate need of restarting, as it as gotten a bit woody and is shrivelling a bit. Mind you, it has been in that basket for about 5 years, with not much attention!
Nev, the scale and boggy soil are all in the collection I bought. It didn't seem that bad when I first bought them, but it was summer, and they could use that moisture then, but now its totally deadly to most of them, and it has made the cold tender ones mark even more, by having damp feet. Anyway, I have gotten through more than half of it, and there is light at the end of the shade tunnel! heh heh
I have to tell you all, a friend and I finally visited the older gentleman I met at Bunnings a while back. He had 8 acres of park-like gardens, and a rainforest area, with a small spring fed damn and bromeliads planted and perched on the banks and in trees and on the ground. It was quite boggy, and there were nidulariums and Cryptanthus doing very well indeed. Alan, his name is, had been down in Sydney for the most part, and moved to Bonville about 16 years ago. He used to collect a lot of tillandsias, mostly, but only bought a small selection with him when he moved up here. He had his Tillandsia collection mounted and hanging in a Huge Dracaena tree, outside his kitchen window, as well as a few in another area, hanging from a chicken wire fence and doing very well!
So, we did very well out of the visit, as he loaded us with anything we looked at with love! If he had more than one of it, he was happy to share and he didn't accept an offer of payment. He said he had never sold a bromeliad in his life, and wasn't about to start now! I will add some photos to the bottom of my post.
Tash, the comparison photos are great. I love the colour you got from Neo. 'Barbara' I can't get anywhere near that golden, but get a slightly lemon yellow. Your winter sun seems ideal for the Neos! Lucky thing. Mine are all looking a bit pale, and I am tempted to try them in full sun and see how they go, but maybe only ones I have more than one of?
Hi Shirley, Jean, Theresa, Cody and Trish. I will try to catch up again soon. I am still painting and potting, and have the added bonus of a developing cold, so hopefully it doesn't slow me down too much!
photo one is a Tillansia seedling growing out of a statue at Allans.
Photo two-five are the rainforest broms.
as per usual, I didn't take enough photos, and quite a few didn't turn out, as it was a gloomy day.
Hope all are well
Sue

Hello everyone.
Thanks for sending 2 nice days down here, but the rain is back. Its pouring outside now.
There goes all my plans to get moving on the new brom area.
At least I have it all cleared now.

I do like all the guzmanias being shown. Mine are looking very healthy and I am hoping for a bloom or two this year as it warms up.

I have plenty of small pups coming so that will keep me busy during the next year.

I will get down to the back shadehouse and take a few pics of the new broms which arrived yesterday.
Lucky it has the alsinite roof so I have somewhere dry to do my potting etc .

I was very bad and just could not resist buying a vriesea yesterday afternoon on eBay. It is one I have admired for a while and was going very cheaply.
vriesea fosteriana rubra.

Hubby laughed when the parcels arrived and said why do I need more when I have shadehouses full ?
I told him if he gives me extra money to play with, thats what I do.
He doesnt mind as he likes to walk around and look at all the plants.
He buys lots of man things for his hobby too. He has been a radio ham for over 40 years and is known around the world in ham circles.

Its nice that we both have our hobbies that keep us from getting under each others feet...lol

Hello to everyone an d I hope you are all enjoying sunshine.

Hers a pic of the new area .. Its going to be covered with beige shadecloth and is about 12'x 18 '

Jean.

Hi everyone – Hopefully it will be a nice day today as I have to get a lot of plants ready for the plant sales table at the monthly Brom Meeting on Saturday. I was a bit surprised to see Ian's comment about how he's still waiting for the cold weather as he likes temps in single figures. We've had quite a few days of single figure temps this winter and I can say that I certainly don't like them, I'm a shorts and singlet bloke myself and it's been too uncomfortable to work in these low temperatures without being dressed in long pants and a tee shirt, so bring on the warmer weather sooner rather than later.

Jen – Thanks for starting the new thread and adding the pic's of your lovely Guzzies, they're beautiful. How's Ray going? Still improving each day I hope. I was pleased to see you had started a new post and was looking forward to reading a nice long post about what's been happening in your part of the world and bit disappointed that you didn't stay around too long after you had started the new post. We miss your interesting posts and pic's and I hope you will be back posting regularly real soon.

Ian – That's a good idea about leaving your plants in pots in the garden until you find exactly the right place for them. A friend of mine always plants an “empty” pot of the same size as the one with the plant he's going to put in that spot. That way it's easy to just slip one pot inside the other and swap plants around whenever you want so that you can take full advantage of the different degrees of light throughout the year.

That's a good idea for the Gabion Baskets and I can just visualise the brom's growing there with their roots getting in between the bits of rock as they search for food and water just like they do in their natural habitat growing as epiphytes., and as you say, a good home for lizards and spiders.

I'm a bit surprised to hear you are having an extremely mild winter there this year as I think ours has been one of the coldest we have had so far. According to statistics though, they are saying it's the warmest one for so many years etc. and this is probably true on the average. But we've had some horribly cold days with freezing winds coming from the snow fields. I think these days seem even colder because we have had a few warmer patches in between them which make the cold seem even colder. We've had ice on the water in the bird bath twice this year and that's unusual considering we live just one street back from the sea, and personally I thinks over the last few years the weather has gone completely mad down here and not at all like it used to be or maybe it's because I'm getting older and not adjusting to the changes as well as I once did.

I see with interest one of your pic's is Ae. Gigantea. I've never seen this before, but as the name implies, it should be a very large plant. Can you tell us a bit about it and just how large it gets as the FCBS doesn't give any sizes.

Shirley – Yes indeed, where has everyone gone? As I said before I think they've all gone into hibernation for the winter.

Like you Shirley, there's no way I would like to go back to school again either, but I was very interested to see how much it had changed from the days when I was a kid.

Bill. 'Fascinator' is a beautiful brom but alas it certainly isn't one of my hybrids and I apologise if I gave that impression in what I wrote. It was bred way back in 1930 which makes it eighty three years old (a bit before my time). It's one Bill that certainly does react remarkably to the different light levels and I have seen it a greenish brown colour when grown in low light right through to the other end of the scale when I have grown it in bright light where it seems almost white (See pic 1.) and yes I can put you down for a pup.

The pic's on the BCR also show the variation in colour possible and to see them go to:
http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/bcr/index.php?genus=BILLBERGIA&id=833#833

They're a great lot of new plants you've just got and with the exception of the Ae. 'Fasciata Variegata', are all ones I can't grow down here as it isn't warm enough. Ae. Samuari and Ae Facini both have Ae. Chantinii in the parentage and I can't grow anything with Chantinii in it, it's just not warm enough down here, but they are beautiful plants and I'm pleased to see you've got hold of them for your collection.

Ae, 'Samuari' is a beautiful plant and like its relative Ae. 'Shogun', is a cultivated variety from Chantinii, although in both cases the pollen parent isn't listed. Both plants are of Japanese origin and have been tissue cultured in Japan also. I think that Ae Samurai is the pick of the two but you can look at the BCR to make up your own mind.
See: http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/bcr/index.php?genus=AECHMEA&id=526#526
http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/bcr/index.php?genus=AECHMEA&id=538#538

I managed to easily grow Ae. 'Mariae Reginae' (not the variegated form) from seed a few years back, however as the seedlings got a bit of size they soon succumbed to the cold winter weather and I now just have one scrawny miserable looking plant left which I should probably bin, but I live in hope that it could survive. These are also a bit different from other brom's as they come in male and female forms. You can see the differences in the fantastic array of pic's in the FCBS Photo Index.

Cody – Good morning from here to good night over there.
Just to add to what Shirley said about her Guzmania NOID (lasted for a full twelve months … and still looked good.) That's not all that uncommon with Guzmanias as that's the main reason why there are so many of them grown in Europe for the flower trade.

I have a friend who had a Guz. (or Guzvriesea) NOID which lasted in excess of 12 months and was still looking good when I saw it with a 14 month old inflorescence on it. This same friend also has a Guzmania called Guz. 'Firecracker' which has the most beautifully coloured foliage which is a “picture” whether it's flowering or not. (See Pic 5)

Sue - I was just about to post and the message came up to say you had posted so it's good to see you back posting again.

When you previously mentioned the brom's with the “soggy bottoms” I thought at the time they would have been the ones you bought in the collection. The same thing happened to me years ago when I bought a collection (although much smaller) of Cymbidium orchids. When I got around to cleaning them up it was obvious from the weight that something wasn't right and sure enough the bottom third of the pots were just mud. The other unexpected hazard I found was that the previous grower had stupidly used broken bits of glass bottles in the bottom of the pots for drainage. Now I'm a great advocate for re-cycling, but that was just plain bloody stupid!

Gee I wish I could meet someone in Bunnings with a collection like your friend has; how great would be to be able to walk through a large collection especially when they are in a park and rainforest area. As you say you did very well out of the visit except you now have more re-potting to do, you sure are a glutton for punishment.

I'm certainly looking forward to when I get this bug out of my computer as I can't wait to enlarge your pic's to see what the area you visited was like.

That's it for today and seeing that Jen started out on a Guzmania theme I'll finish with a couple also.

Pic's 1 and 2 show a couple of possible colour variations in Bill.'Fascinator'. Pic.1 shows a plant which was grown on a bench beneath a 75% beige shade cloth roof but open to the north where it got all the uninterrupted winter sun. Pic 2 is also a Bill 'Fascinator' (the plant on the right) growing in a shade house covered in 75% beige shade cloth. Pic.3 is Guz.'Cherry Ripe', Pic.4 is Guz. 'Sanguinea' and Pic. five shows a section of the beautifully coloured foliage of (unfortunately not mine) Guz. 'Firecracker'.

All the best, Nev.

Hi sue,sorry to hear you are sick with a cold.I hope you feel better soon.The pics are lovely.Take care!!

Hi Nev,good morning too you.Thanks for the good night as well.Lol!!! Its a good thing you don't over here then during the winter.I think you would be like a bear and never come out during the winter.I have some pics of snow on my camera so i will take a few and post them.Love your pics.Take care!!!

Cody

Here is two pics when it snowed about 4 years ago.

Here is pics of my pups.I took a pic of the biggest.One pic of the 3 and a pic of the smallest one.They are doing well.

Hi everyone – A nice sunny day here today at 7.15am (yes I slept in); however that cold wind is just starting to blow again to spoil it. It won't worry me today though as I'll be at the AGM of our brom society where hopefully everyone will put up their hands to take on committee positions.

Cody – Gee Cody it looks like it's just you and me today. After looking at that pic you posted of the snow where you live I still feel cold. I could never live in a place like that, but I suppose it's just a case of what you're used to.

Your Guzzie is looking better all the time and the pups are growing well, don't forget to keep giving them a bit of fertiliser (as per the instructions) as these particular plants are really heavy feeders and do well when fed properly. Remember the bigger the plant, the better the flower.

Don't make the mistake that new growers often make and feed double the dose of fertiliser. Just because a plant grows well with the recommended dose doesn't mean it will grow twice as good if you double the dose. Quite often the opposite applies and the plant “goes backwards” and can on some occasions even die.

Well that's it from me today and firstly a pic of a hybrid I have which is Bill. 'Pyramidalis concolor' x 'Windigig Special' which was bred by Allan Ladd from the North Coast and it's a good example of how it's possible to breed nice plants using common plants as parents.

The next four pic's aren't of my plants but are old file pic's and I use them just to illustrate how xNeophytum 'Galactic Warrior' was made. Using Orthophytum Navioides (Pic.2) as the seed parent and crossing it with Neoregelia Meyemdorffii (Pic.3) a plant registered as Neophytum 'Ralph Davis' (Pic 4) was bred. After some time Ralph Davis produced a variegated pup (Pic.5) which was later registered as xNeophytum 'Galactic Warrior'........ and that's why I find hybridising so interesting.

All the best, Nev.

Good morning
yup, definitely got a cough! I'll swig some Irish Moss mixture and hope for the best! heh heh.
The weather looks like its going to be gorgeous!
Jean, Your new area sounds ideal, and I bet you can't wait to get started and finished. You will fill it without even buying new ones, I bet.
Nev, we've had a warmer than usual winter, and yet I have heard people complain that its the coldest one in ages! We haven't been below 6.9 degrees, and I remember one winter when it was 2.9, so this one is mild. We hardly go under 10, and have had maybe 10-15 days under 10 in the whole period this winter. I seem to feel the cold more, each year, so this year I just rug up, and hubby has been keeping the fire going, so I have been feeling so toasty! Its been lovely when its sunny, and when its rainy or overcast, the temps are actaully not as cold in the mornings.
I have Aechmea gigantea Nev. I hate it! I've had it for about 6 years, and at first had it planted in the garden for about 3 years, where it did nothing, so I potted it in a good mix, and fertilised it, but still, nothing, then I moved it to morning sun, and it goes a nice reddish shade, but still nothing. No pups, No flower. Its quite a big plant, about a metre tall, and apparently it get a fasciata type flower, deep in the tube, so you have to keep looking down in there, now and then. It doesn't like the cold that much either, so it goes a bit shabby over winter. Its a dog, in my opinion.
Since you are still having trouble opening pictures, I will send them to you via Email instead.
You were right about the repotting. Actually, mostly I had to mount the Tillandsias, as there were only a couple of plants requiring potting. I also tied some into a tree or two, as I was inspired by Allans garden. I have quite a few new planting in mind now. oh dear!
Broken glass? really, who would be that stupid? I could think of a million things to use for drainage before resorting to broken glass! The pots I have are extremely heavy too, which is also part of my reason for repotting, because I find a tray to heavy to carry. Not too many to go now, although i haven't had a chance to repot for the last three days. Not sure if I will get time this weekend either, but next week, for sure!
I hope your brom sales go well this saturday (today).
Hi Cody, those winter photos look too cold for me. Brrrrrr!
I bet they make you feel a bit cooler to look at?
Photos today are of the black igloo, and the sales igloo.
Sue
geeze, took forever to load the pics this morning.......waiting......waiting.......10 minutes later, still waiting....waiting......I can't sit here all day waiting, so I'll cancel the forth one and try again another time.

done it

Hi to all!!!
Hi Nev,lol it doesn't snow every year,but it sure does get cold here during the winter.I think y'all have it made during y'alls winter compare to us.Love your pics!!!Take care!!!

Hi Sue,i lived in the house during that year it snowed.Oh you talk about freezing.Love your pics.Take care!!!

Waving to all!!!

Cody

there's always a chance of snow here but it is only a big dump once in a blue moon.

Sue - forget the Irish Moss, try a whiskey sour or a whiskey mac...
I used to whip those up for the old boys at the RSA & they swore it helped knock any colds on the head.

Whiskey mac is easy to make, 1 nip ginger wine to 2 nips whiskey - note that I have spelled it with an 'e' so that means Scotch :)

Whiskey sours are tasty but you need sugar syrup & lemon juice...

I used to mix sugar & a little water, microwave to dissolve & then add that to the whiskey & juice from 1 lemon.

look after yourself!

Hi all, another 2 days gone already and I almost have all the deep watering done, just 1 section to go, then to fill a few pots where the mix has disappeared and do another scale and other problem check. What a mammoth job and I haven't even looked at the plants in the front garden as yet other than to water them. Then there is the seedling area, I sometimes wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew. It will be worth it in the end.

Shirley, I like your Ae samauri and Mariae reginae as well. Both are nice looking plants.

Cody we definitely have had a mild winter, usually we get 2 weeks of sub 10C temps and this year I think we have only had 1 day of it. Here is a smile a wave and a hug, just to be different today. Your Guzzie is growing well.

Sue are you sure there is light at the end of the tunnel and not some ba///// with a torch bringing more work. It looks like a nice place to visit, that place of Alans I mean. It appears to be a nice relaxing area. I love the Ques mamorata in pic 5 in particular and the ones growing up the trees.
Jean, how long will it before you need another bush house. I have a feeling that it won't be long. It looks like a good area for it. I have a mesh top in mine and that doubles the area for plants, I can hang them in different levels and leave a path to walk through. If it is not straight it gives the illusion of having more plants. A drink for relief from a cold would be a Hot toddy. Mix lemon juice honey in Hot water and add a spirit (I preferred Rum) of your choice. If you drink enough of these you will not feel the effects of a cold.

Nev, Ae Gigantea has grown to about 2 ft high and pups quite well for me. I saw Sue's comments on it and all I can say is that the plant likes this location here. I took 2 pups off it in March and there are 6 more on it now. It has flowered and thrives on neglect. It sits on the front porch with Gold medal, cracker jack Orchid and a Vr Orange sundae. They get watered irregularly. It's flower was on a long stem, pendular I think and I cannot remember what colour. It was flowering when I bought it. I will have to look up my files to see if I can find it.
I took a pup of N Ralph Davis today and will give it special attention. I have put it straight into a 10" hanging basket and deep watered it then hung it up where it will get a lot of light and sun. I know that I recycle but broken glass would never be used for crocks maybe in concrete. I am going to experiment with a welding byproduct for mulch or pathways. I have no idea whether there could be chemical problems as yet so will start of with a plant that I don't really care about and go from there.
Dalfyre we get a Blue moon every time we have 2 New moons in a single calendar month, just saying.
Have a good one
Ian
Pic 1 Neo Blue nude
Pic 2 N Gold medal
Pic 3 N Goldilocks
Pic 4 N Grace pup just starting to colour
Pic 5 N Orchid

Hi everyone,

Sue, hope you aren’t feeling too crook … maybe you should take it easy for a couple of days and give your body a chance to rest and recover.

Jean, glad to hear you have had a couple of nice days, weather wise, sorry it’s raining again. We have been having nice days with just the odd annoying shower here and there.

Speaking of guzmanias, usually Bunnings and Masters have heaps but I tried to buy a nice one this morning for a relative in hospital rather than take a bunch of flowers and neither place had one. There were a few flowering vrieseas but nothing to write home about ... ended up with a very pretty cyclamen but would have liked a nice flowering guz.

Nev, I hope your sales went well this morning. I totally agree with you about temps in the single figures. Anything below 20 degrees and I’m shivering.

For some reason I can’t open the BCR so I can’t check out your link for bill Fascinator. Thanks so much for adding my name to your pup list. Love the photo of Guz Firecracker.

I wasn’t aware there were male and female forms of Ae Mariae Reginae, guess I’ll just have to wait till it flowers.

Gosh Cody, those pics look so cold. I’ve never even seen snow but while I would like to see it snowing, I would hate to live somewhere where it was a regular occurrence.

Sue, everything is look really good at your place.

Therese, your medications sound a whole lot better than Sue’s Irish Moss. After a few, you really wouldn’t care if you had a cold or not, hey!!

Ian, nice pics.

Just a couple of pics from me tonight. Pic 1 – Canistrum Seidelianum x Ae Corriea Araujoi, pic 2 – neo running river pup

Bye, Shirley

Hi to all!!!
Hi Ian,i wish it was like that during our winter.Thanks for the smile,wave and a hug.I am sending you back a hug,smile and a wave as well.Thanks!!!Love your pics!!!Take care!!

Hi Shirley,the good thing is that it does not snow every year.I hope we miss the snow this year too.Its pretty when it snows,but it also makes the roads very dangerous too.Love your pics!!!Take care!!!

Waving to everyone evening though you all are sound asleep.
Cody

Hi everyone – Well another Brom Society AGM over until next year with the same old faces elected to do the same old jobs. Why is it that a lot of members seem afraid to put up their hands to take on one of the many positions? After all, they all seem to enjoy the benefits that club membership provides.

Plant sales went well and I cleared over $200 after the society took their sales commission, hopefully I will now be able to get this old computer sorted out. For anyone who has sent me an email recently and not received a reply, I apologise, but I forgot to mention my emails aren't working either; so thanks for the offer of emailing your pic's Sue but it wouldn't help as I wouldn't be able to look at them via email either.

Sue – Regarding the winter temperatures down here, the weather reports say it's not as cold as in previous years but I think it's because we are at almost the highest point in town that we cop those rotten cold south west winds and the accompanying “wind chill factor” which lowers the temperature more than they actually are at the weather station. Whatever the reason, I still reckon it's colder this year than it was last year and so do my brom's.

From what you and Ian say about Ae. Gigantea, I don't think I'll rush out and buy one as they sound too large for me.

There was a bare rooted plant brought into the meeting yesterday as a raffle prize. It was over a metre tall and had a small pup on the side but was a NOID. It had grey, very thick, leathery leaves and the spikes on the end were like spear points and I have no doubt that if you fell on it, it could probably penetrate to quite a depth. The lady who won it is going to keep a photographic record so we will all see what it is like when it flowers and maybe even find out a name for it.

The open ended igloo you have for you plant sales is a good idea as people can walk right through if they wish without clogging up the walkway but you probably need Bill at the other end to make sure they pay for all of their purchases, especially the small Tillandsias.

Cody – They say we have to be grateful for small things, and I'm very grateful we don't get any snow here after seeing your pic's. I posted a pic a month or two back of a “brom-friend's” garden in England where all of the garden plants, the green house and the trees were all covered in snow and I still get the “shivers” every time I think about it.

Theresa – Just one question, is the RSA the N.Z. Equivalent of our RSL here in Australia which is a club for returned service men and women?

I don't know if your remedy for a cold actually works as a cure, but it would sure make it more fun to have a cold if that were the treatment. I don't know if it would be a good idea for Sue to try it though as she would be “sozzled” in no time flat and would probably end up potting the same plant two of three times.

Ian – Like you, I think there are occasions where those of us with largish collections all sometimes wonder if we have “bitten off more than we can chew”, but just then we spy something that we didn't see last time we looked and everything seems worthwhile.

I have found as I get older and the aches and pains increase, the best way to address the on-going required maintenance is to do a little bit of work every day, it doesn't have to be a whole day's work, just an hour or two but you need to be committed to do it "every day", and it's surprising just how much you can achieve by taking this approach. But you only have to miss a week or two due to other commitments and the amount of work required to catch up seems insurmountable.

What you say you have found with the growth habits of Ae. Gigantea compared to how Sue has found it can be compared with many bromeliads and it simply comes down to”horses for courses” and what sometimes does well for you in your area won't do as well for someone else in a different area. After all, if all plants would grow easily in all areas, what sort of a boring hobby would that be as there just wouldn't be any challenge for the growers.

Ian, can you keep us posted on the results from the xNeophytum 'Ralph Davis' you've just potted up as it will be interesting to compare them to the results of the American grower I posted recently.

Just looking at the first of your pic's (Neo. Blue Nude) reminded me that I have a few seedlings in which I used this as one of the parents and they must be almost getting large enough to see if they show any promise. I must have a look to see if there's anything I think is worth keeping, and if so I'll post a pic.

Shirley – Isn't that always the way? Just when you think you know where you will have a good variety of plants to choose from, you find there's nothing worthwhile and you then have to start chasing something else.

As I mentioned above I unloaded quite a few “bits and pieces” yesterday so I'm not complaining about the plants sales; I just hope I can do as well at the next meeting and our spring show.

I too am unable to open the BCR yesterday and today, and I didn't take a lot of notice as I thought it was just my computer problems progressing to the next level, so maybe it's a problem with the BCR itself as the FCBS site is still working for me OK.

From what I can make out from your picture, the markings on the leaves of your Canistrum Seidelianum x Ae Corriea Araujoi look very nice. Incidently that particular cross would be a "bi-generic" hybrid which is called a xCanmea (for anyone here who doesn't already know). When naming a bi-generic hybrid, the name is made up of part of the name of each of the two parents. In this case, the “Can” part of the name is taken from the Canistrum and the “mea” part is taken from the Aechmea thereby giving the name “Canmea”. The “x” before the name indicates that it is a bi-generic hybrid and not some rare newly discovered species.

That's all from me today and now pictures of five of the "marbled types" from my collection to finish with. Pic.1 is one I bought with the name Neo.'Running River' (some may say it is called 'Red River' or 'Red Running River' but this is the name it had when I bought it from a reputable bromeliad nurseryman and this is what I'll call it) Pic.2 is Neo.'Marble Snow' the first of these types I ever got. Pic.3 is Neo.'Pink River', Pic.4 is Neo.'Pink Marble Delight' and Pic. 5 is a hybrid from Neo. Marble Snow x Self.

All the best, Nev.

Lol Ian, I wondered if any one actually knew what a Blue Moon was when I used the phrase...
so I guess we don't really get snow once in a blue moon, far less frequently than that.
Actually sounds as if we are similar to Cody in snowfalls.

Nev - yes the RSL is the equivalent to an RSA or Returned And Services Association.
Any former Service man or woman is welcome to join - and that includes Merchant Navy, Fire/Police/Ambulance service as well.
By being inclusive of these groups it recognises the genuine service they commit to & broadens the membership base to ensure the RSA will continue into the future.

People think of the RSA as for old soldiers but with the likes of Iraq & Afghanistan being so recent we have returned veterans still in their 20's & they are encouraged to participate in events & are entitled to benefits like subsidies for health care.

Hi all, well an international member anyway. Glad you are here Dalfyre, or I would be on my own. We had many years ago the ISA Incapacitated Sailors Soldiers and Airmen and it was exclusive. My dad was a member for many years, then went over to RSL Returned Servicemens League. I think the ISA is no longer. The RSL is , I think , for military service persons only returned from overseas service. I am lucky I didn't see active service but did the basic training.
I just managed to do an inspection of all my broms today and repotted a few and watered a few and took some pics. Nothing exciting and now it is well and truly dark.
Have a good one
Ian
Pic 1 Ae Red bands maybe but maybe not.
Pic 2 Ae NOID
Pic 3 Neophytum Ralph Davis pup potted yesterday.
Pic 4 Quesnelia quesneliana flower emerging
Pic 5 Some Bills just hanging around.

Hi everyone,

Nev, pleased to hear your plant sales went well. I still can’t open the BCR. Thanks for the info on the Canistrum x Aechmea cross, I hadn’t realised this is a xCanmea.

Like you, I am very fond of the marbled types of neo. I meant to take new photos of a few of mine today but, I forgot … maybe tomorrow.

Ian I like your Quesnelia in pic 4.

Sunday night again, another weekend over and back to work for some. Has anyone heard from Trish.

Hi to everyone else looking in.

My pics are – pic 1 – neo Golden Goddess, pic 2 – neo Marble Throat, pic 3 – neo Glauca

Bye for now, Shirley

Hi to all!!
Hi Nev,i am glad it doesn't snow every year.I hate when it gets real cold.I wish it would stay 75 F all year long,but thats never going to happen.Love your pics!!Take care!!!

Love everyones pics!!!!

Waving to everyone!!!!

Cody

Hi everyone – Here we are at the start of another new week already, aren't they flying past? I got a bit more dead leafing done yesterday and today I have to do some more of the same as well as seeing if I can get the computer doctor to make a house call and diagnose and treat my sick computer. Unfortunately I won't be able to get a refund from Medicare.

Theresa – That's interesting what you say about the RSA having the Fire, Police, and Ambulance services included in the membership; I don't think the same applies to the RSL unless of course they also served in the armed services, but I don't know for sure as I'm not a member. I've often thought there should be some sort of separate club for the volunteer services as well to recognise the good work they do all around the country.

I know here in NSW we have the S.E.S. which grew from the war time Civil Defence Organisation which had a membership of people who didn't meet the medical standards for military service or who worked in protected industries, NSW Bushfire Brigades which are now the NSW Rural Fire Service, Volunteer Coastal Patrol, Coast Guard, Volunteer Rescue Association, Aerial Patrol and probably a few more I don't know about; and these men and women have given and still give their time freely to help others in time of war, natural disasters and other emergencies and without them the full time emergency services just wouldn't be able to meet the demand.

Ian – Seems like you're still getting stuff done around your place as well.

I've always been fascinated by the flowers on some of the Quesnelias, especially Quesnelia quesnelia, Quesnbeia Testudo and Quesnelia Arvensis, the beautiful colour of the flowers is hard to accurately describe and they always remind me of crepe paper for some strange reason.

Shirley – I'm always on the lookout for new marble type plants, but not very successful in finding them. There are a quite a few new hybrids being made in N.Z. but I don't know if they've reached Australia yet although they probably will in time.

Now that you come to mention it, Trish has been absent for a while, but then she was bogged down with “paper work” for some time so maybe she's trying to catch up with her brom work or even gone away for a bit of a break. If you're reading this Trish, drop us a quick line to tell us you're OK.

Nice pic's you've posted again Shirley unfortunately I still can't enlarge them. Neo. 'Marble Throat' is the plant that was used for a lot of the crossings that produced the marbled types we have today. I don't know about yours,but my plant is quite a bit smaller than the other marbled types. I also like the Neo. 'Glacua', I haven't seen that one before so please add it to my wish list.

Cody- Hi Cody, I suppose you're getting ready for bed as I've just been up for a couple of hours now, so good night to you both.

Time to go and today's pic's are more marbled types. Pic's 1 and 2 are both Neo.'Marble Snow' x Neo.'Marble Pink' seedlings, Pic.3 was named Neo.'Pink River' but it's very different to the one I posted yesterday, Pic.4 is Neo.'Snow Pink' and Pic.5 is Neo.'Marble Pink'.

All the best, Nev.

Hi Nev,good morning to you.Its only 7:34 p.m. in the evening.Its still day light out.Its gets dark about 8:30 at night for now.Our state is one of those that changes time.When it changes again we will go back a hour.Then it will be dark about by this time when it does change back.Thanks for the good night..I hope you have a bless day...Love your pics...Take care!!!

Hope everyone has a bless day!!!
Cody

Hello all, just a quick drop in.
I wish I had some alcohol in the house for a cold remedy! Bill has rum, but I can't stomach the aroma, let alone the taste, I also try to avoid sugary or sweet drinks.I have made a couple of lemon and honey drinks, and that relieves the morning and night congestion. I'm mostly suffering a chesty cough, and lucky, no runny nose! Has anyone heard the song, 'if my nose was running money, I'd blow it all on you'? check it out on youtube. funny.
Nev, i did send the Email, before I read your post that you can't get them either. Maybe when you finally get that computer of yours sorted for once and for all, you can have a look then?
I hope we hear rom Trish soon. Hope she is well.
Ian, I'm pretty sure aechmea gigantea has a flower down low, and not pendulous. Do you have a photo of yours when in flower?
Not much to report today, but I went log trucking with hubby this morning, which was quite fun, scarey at times, but the weather has been stunning, so to sit on top of a mountain in the sunshine, waaaaay out the back of bug---ry, was beautiful.
I did get afew pots repottted, and yes, I actually repotted some I had already repotted! I did discover that they had some really healthy root growth, so my mix has worked well. Hopefully I can get some more achieved this week.
Stay warm, (or cool for Cody) and have a good week.
Sue

Ian - I forgot one group, the CMT or Compulsory Military Training.
They never got sent over seas but had the Korean War not ended when it did they would have been.

Hi everyone,

Cody, waving to you and Alex

Nev, I am sure Trish is off somewhere in the Pacific sunning herself, drinking pina coladas and having a ball. She deserves to be anyway, she works too hard.

Nice pics of your marbled neos Nev. I did remember to take photos today of some of mine.

Sue, sorry to hear you are not feeling the best. Get out in the fresh air and sunshine and relax, DON’T work, put your feet up, read a book.

Hi to everyone else.

My pics are – pic 1 – neo Red Dawn, pic 2 – neo Marble Snow pup, pic 3 – neo unnamed (JP108), pic 4 – neo Pink Mosaic

Bye, Shirley

Hi to all!!!
Hi Sue,i hope you get well real soon.Sounds like you had a great time while you was out,glad you did.Well take care of yourself!!!

Hi Shirley,we are waving back to you too.Its 9:50 a.m. Monday morning and alex is still asleep.The older he get the later his sleeps.It going to be a bugger to get him up in the mornings,because school starts this week.They go two days this week and next week it starts for good.Love your pics!!!Take care!!!!

Cody

Hi Cody - Well it looks like everyone's disappeared into thin air. I don't know what's happened to them all. Anyway, I'm still having computer problems and I can't open or load and send pic's now and as I have nothing new to say today it seems that's it from me today.

All the best to you and the young one

Nev.

Hi Nev,good morning.Sorry that you are still having trouble with your computer.I hope you get it fixed soon.I know what you mean.I got a new phone,but it will not let me log in on here with it.So i have to switch my sim card from the new phone to put it in the old one in order to be able to get on here.Its a pain in the behind to have to keep switching out.Have a bless day!!!Take care!!Thanks Nev,you too!!!
Cody

Hello everyone.
I am still here looking in but have no new pics as its been raining for days.
I will try to get a few today if the rain holds off.
Even with the alsinite roof to keep the rain off in the back shadehouse, it gets too cold to be doing anything down there at the moment.
Its not so much the rain but the bitterly cold wind that makes things uncomfortable outside.
I should not complain after seeing on the news all the awful weather over in the US.

Sue, I have found that colds etc will run their own course whatever you take, but the lemon always helps the sore throat. Keep warm and dry.
Your trip in the mountains sounds lovely.

Nev, I hope my few marbled neos look as nice as yours eventually.
I have a neo I really must get a pic of as it has gone a beautiful dark red over the last few months... its carolinae x Fireball.
Talking of taking off dead leaves, I am going to have to do quite a bit too, when the weather warms up.

Shirley, I have been having trouble opening the BCR site . I have often found that it has come up with a note in a foreign language that its not available but lately it just comes up as site not loading..
Its annoying as they give more info on the broms . I have no trouble with the FCBS site though.
Love your marbled broms too.

Looking out the window, I see the sun is trying hard to come out. I could use a day without rain ..
Its not windy either at the moment. Hopefully it will stay that way.

Hello Cody and everyone else on ..
I will try to take pics later ..

Jean.

Hi Jean,hope the rain you are getting goes away soon.Take care

Cody

Goodnight here and good day their everyone!!!!
Cody

Hi Everyone!

Sorry it’s been so long but we still have family over and have been away a lot showing them around and we took some time off to spend some quality time with them which has been really nice as Joe had not seen his sister for 13 years so they have a lot of catching up to do, although they always talk on the phone it is not the same as been face to face in conversation so I have been very happy for them getting this wonderful opportunity to spend time together and having all these wonderful new memories to remember and talk about for the rest of their lives.

Hope everyone is well, apologies in advance but at the moment I do not have the time to catch up on all the missed threads but will look at doing so when things quieten down a bit and life returns back to some sort of normal routine.

I am back to work tomorrow so not overly thrilled about that he he but did get a little brom time over the holidays which was great. I have taken some fresh pics of my new broms (finally) which I will attach below. Thank goodness broms are ever so hardy as I really have neglected them these past couple of weeks but they are going great, seeds are germinating, Nev’s seedlings are growing, and all my broms are growing and pupping well. Joe’s orchids are also growing well and flowering beautifully and our house has been filled with orchids and broms the past couple of weeks as we like to display them around the place as we luv to inject as much colour around the place so we can enjoy seeing them indoors when we are on holidays.

The weather has been beautiful here and Joe’s sister has really been enjoying the warmth and sunshine. They have also been swimming which Joe and I have been too chicken to do as it is still too cold for us but our Jack Russell “Lucy” has been really enjoying joining them for a paddle every day on her boogie-board.

I just realised that there are not that many threads to catch-up on, where is everyone? Looks like I am not the only one that has been AWOL. I think it is just a busy time of year right now for everyone? I just realised that Jen has started a new thread so I do have loads of catching up to do and there are many theads to catch-up on LOL.

Hi Nev have you got Neo’ ‘Cliff Siverd’ yet as I have just taken off a nice sized pup off mine and your name was the first one on the “Cliff Siverd Want List” of people waiting for a pup.

Oh Nev I cracked up laughing when I read the story you told about hiding out under the house with your friend to avoid getting the belt, it’s amazing how creative our minds think at that age and where we look to hide.
Hi Jean thanks yes my mum is really enjoying growing broms in VIC and is looking at coming up to see me in September so I can teach her some more about them and send her home with more to add to her collection.

Hi Tash sound like you have been busy buying beautiful broms, can’t wait to see pics.

Hi Cody I hope you and Alex are well. Also hope your Guz’ and pups are doing well (just saw pics of them, they look great). What does a “Chicken Snake” look like? Cody I luved the pics of the snow at your place from 4 years ago; how beautiful.

Hi Shirley sounds like you have been getting quality time with your broms since you got back, hope the weather has been behaving itself.

Hi Ian sounds like you have your brom areas looking neat, tidy and organised, what a great feeling that must be for you and nice for you to come home and feel like you have everything under control so you can enjoy doing all those other things you have wanted to do that were lower on the list.

Hi Sue sounds like you too have been busy in the garden catching up on chores and great to hear you are looking at setting up for another plant sale soon. I just saw the amazing garden pics you posted, so lovely and organised, what a fantastic job you have done.

Hi Jen thanks for starting new thread for August, beautiful pics you used, so full of wonderful colour.

Hi Bree, hope your well, how are all you broms and orchids doing?

Hi Dalfyre hope your well!

Anyway sincere apologies if I have missed anyone as I have totally lost the plot trying to read all the wonderful threads and looking at all the wonderful pics.

I better head off as time to start dinner. I will try to thread during the week but we still have our family over so I don’t want to be rude being on the computer too long and I don’t know how to type a short thread.

Hi to anyone else looking in or on the sick list.

Take Care and Happy Gardening!

Trish

Pic 1 – Vriesea – Jacks Angel ‘Dark Lord’ (side on)
Pic 2 – Vriesea – Jacks Angel ‘Dark Lord’ (face)
Pic 3 – Vriesea – ‘Simpson Desert’
Pic 4 – Neo’ ‘Hot August Night’
Pic 5 – Neo’ ‘Mauve Star’

Hello everyone and thanks for the get well wishes. Its all good, I am not that unwell! heh heh
I cannot believe the beautiful weather we are getting this last week! I wish I could send it to you, Jean, but we will have our fill of the rain soon enough. Do you have tanks? If so, I guess you will apreciate the water, come summer?
Cody, thanks for wishing me well. I love the new pics of your bromeliad. It seems to be thriving under your care.
Shirley, I am assuming you are getting this lovely weather too? Are you able to get out in the garden? I love that Pink Mosaic. I'm not sure if I have that one. It sounds familiar. I will have to look.
Hi nev, sorry you are experiencing more computer trouble. I can already tell you will think it is to do with your recent return to FB? Maybe Fb has too much going on for your computer to handle, and its frying something?
I didn't get much done about the yard today, and I don't even have anything in my greenwaste bin! Unheard of! People will think I have gone on holiday if they see it missing from the kerb on rubbish day!
Photo one is the igloo we made for our friends orchids. (isn't her vege patch gorgeous)
Photo two is billbergia NOIDS flowering in the garden
Photo three is one of the Tillandsias that Allan gave me. Its huge!
Photo four is a cute fuzzy tillandsia tectorum
Sue

Hi trish, glad to know you are still around, and happy. Beautiful plants you have photograpthed for us. Enjoy your time with your family.

Hi all. I missed yesterday as I was stuffed from work, not much better today but I did an inspection and moved a couple of plants showing signs of burn..
Sue I do have a pic of what I bought as Ae Gigantea somewhere on my files but could not find it. I will keep searching. file by file. It will happen.
Trish, it is only an illusion that my yard is tidy, there is stuff everywhere but it will get sorted out, some to the tip I am sure. Most of the cleaning has been on individual plants and is very time consuming. I got 4 months behind when my son was living here and had some of the yard partitioned off for his dogs. It was a real hassle just to water my plants, so I went overboard with seed sewing and transplanting seedlings.
Jean The weather is too good to go to work but there is no money in staying home. I wish it would stay like this all year. I wish I could send some down to you. I will enjoy it for you.
Nev I hope you get that computer sorted out soon.
Cody I gave up on trying new phones, I couldn't keep up with the changes and couldn't hear on them anyway.There is a phone hanging on the wall and that is all that I need. Here is a smile a hug and a wave for you.
Nite all
Have a good one
Ian
Pic 1 Ae Noid
Pic 2 Quesnelia arvensis rubra maybe
Pic 3 Same plant different view
Pic 4 Vr NOID
Pic 5 Bil Delicosa

Hi all,

Jean, hope you finally got a nice sunny day and managed to get outdoors.

Trish, good to hear from you, glad you have been enjoying yourself with family and are not ill or working too hard … we were all starting to worry about you. Love your pics.

Sue, yes, we are having lovely weather here at the moment as well. I have enjoyed some time in the garden but not as much as I would like … always seems to be something that has to be done (like housework) that stops me from getting out in the yard.

Ian, sounds like you are working too hard. Can you tell me the name of the variegated plant on the right of your flowering NOID vriesea in your pic 4, please.

Hi to Nev, Cody and Therese and everyone else dropping in.

My pics are – pics 1 & 2 – Vr Big Red, now more than a metre wide, pic 3 – neo Donna, pic 4 – Ae Purple Heart

Bye for now, Shirley