What a beautiful scene to wake up to, Fred.

Great to have you back posting, Fred! Missed your gorgeous brom pics!

Wow, that's a lovely collection you've got going there, Fred.

These were all pups of that clump in the tree I posted earlier. They seem to want to change color!

Update on my clump of big pink blooms, almost over now, but still pretty. This camera makes them a lot more red than they actually are. The little florets are actually quite purple, the rest is coral.



So this really made me laugh, as I drove by yesterday. I gave some starts of this same brom to my neighbor last year, and he has them planted where they get some morning sun. Well . . . they obviously bloom a lot more generously in a bit of sun, (but I think the foliage on mine looks better).

Gorgeous, Elaine. Nothing beats growing them in the ground all year round.

Elaine, those are great bloomers. When nothing much is blooming in the garden, I can always count on a couple of long lasting brom blooms. I should treat them better!

An interesting bromeliad that put up the flower scape a couple of weeks ago. The last time it bloomed the scape was approximately 6-8" tall and the bracts were tight. This time around the scape kept growing until it is at least 18" tall and the numerous bracts have opened up. The pictures were taken a week ago and the bracts are even more open now. Quite a sight.

Last update on my variegated broms here, I still really like the way the flowers look even after the little purple florets are all brown. The calyxes fade to a nice soft pink. I'll divide and spread them around now, and look forward to the next round of blooms in the spring.

If you like leaf patterns, Elaine, what do you think of this 'Marbled Rainbow'? This is an old picture of one I had mounted on 110 year old cypress, and though the picture was not taken in the best light, it shows the mottled cream-colored pattern on the leaves. The flowers are pretty awesome as well.

That's a beauty, Ken. I have one quite similar, but it hasn't bloomed yet. It got into a little bit too much sun this summer, so I'll wait to post a picture of it until it looks better.

Messed up my back planting and digging the other day. Now I can hardly move and yet have 53 people showing up for a garden tour tomorrow. Woe is me! http://www.meetup.com/FloridaG...

Fred

Hello AlohaHoya/Carol,

I am an Alcantarea enthusiast from Queensland in Australia and am wondering if you still have seed from your Merlot available. I would love to grow an Alcantarea form as pretty as yours.

Best regards,

John

dyzzypyxxy said:Wonderful instructions, Ken. They do root pretty firmly into the bark if it is rough, and porous enough. Fasten them firmly enough (so they don't move) to a branch or piece of bark and they will be rooted to it in few months.

I've been gradually thinning this clump in the crutch of an oak tree, and believe me, they are really rooted in there! It takes some determined prying to get them loose.

Hi, Can someone tell me the name of those exact bromeliads? I have the same old oak and want to add those type of bromeliads in the center they would go very well with all my other plants that are placed around my tree. Thanks Lori

Lori You might want to send Elaine a T-Mail for that information.

These young bromeliads are just starting to change color. A month ago they were dark green and now many have turned a rich burgundy. I have noticed that a few hours of late afternoon sun on these bromeliads produces a darker burgundy color. I expect them to ultimately become a candy-pink/burgundy color by fall. These are Neoregelia 'Voodoo Doll'.

P. S. They are for sale at $9.50, or $24 for three. They can easily be mounted and I have several mounted on natural Portuguese cork mounts.

Hi Lori, welcome to ATP. I don't know the name of those broms, as they were living in the tree there when we bought this house.

Btw, I honestly wouldn't recommend you grow broms right in the center of a tree like this. It can cause rot in the Y of the tree and weaken the structure. The broms will grow just as well out on a big branch, and not cause problems there. As I said above, I am thinning that clump, and eventually will remove it altogether.

Those broms do well on the ground in clumps, too. In fact they developed even more colors and yellow stripes on the leaves, and bloomed nicely after I transplanted the pups.

All right you Brom. growers, give me some advice about dividing/ repotting this Aechmea fasciata. The only thing keeping it upright is the lava rock you see at lower left of this picture. It's still in it's original pot that I received as a gift years ago. It's definitely time! It has to go in pots so as to be portable. What type of medium should I use? I have cactus mix, orchid mix, and tropical mix ( peat and pumice) on hand. I think the tropical mix would be too light, but I can always use it in a mix.

Geez, Carol that thing is gorgeous! I've honestly never potted up a brom, they grow so well on the ground under my oak trees. But what I'd do is tip it out of the pot and see what it's growing in right now. You've obviously been doing everything right for this plant. Try and give it exactly what it's had all this time. Mine grow in the leafy duff under the trees very happily.

Have you just been pulling out the spent rosettes of leaves and letting new pups fill in? Maybe take half the big ones out of there after they finish blooming and put them in the new pot, then that will give the ones left in the original pot more room to make new pups.

Unless you want to end up with 5 or 6 new plants from that one, that is. You could put each 'mama' plant in its own pot and let them all make pups separately. But I really like the grouping you've got there. That's the kind of clump mine make in the garden.

It really doesn't need soil, just something to steady them. The lava rock would be fine. I agree, a lovely group.

I was happy to find this Tillandsia recently. It was marked "Brachycaulos Red". I'm hoping that the red blush means it will bloom for me soon. I couldn't find a pic of the bloom. Do any of you grow it?