The Edison Garden Market and Creative Cottage are two added activities at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates on Thanksgiving Weekend.  The Estates will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM – 5:30 PM and closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Throughout the weekend more than 30 vendors and the Estates Garden Shoppe will offer a wide variety of unusual plants including heritage plants, orchids, bamboo, bromeliads, fruits, vegetables, roses, edibles and gift items for the garden and home.  Holiday gifts such as the Estates Heritage Herb baskets and other items from the Estates Garden Shoppe will also be available.  The Edison Garden Market is a free event located in the Estates public gardens and the area near the Banyan Tree.  Edison Garden Market hours are Friday, November 27, noon – 5 PM; Saturday, November 28, 9 AM – 5 PM; Sunday, November 29, 9 AM – 3 PM.   

Creative Cottage also opens Thanksgiving weekend in the Edison Caretaker’s House with spectacular work for purchase by regional artists, authors and chefs.  Featured artisan, Norman Love, internationally known award winning chocolatier has created a special “Edison” hand-crafted chocolate in honor of Thomas Edison.  Other artists include:  Leoma Lovegrove, Marie Dyer, Manfred Behr, Karen Flanders, Ellen Sheppard, Virginia Harper, Anita Singh, James DiGiorgio, Lynn Russell, and members of the Southwest Florida Quilter’s Guild.  Creative Cottage will be open 1 PM – 5 PM until December 11.  During the Estates Holiday event, Edison & Ford Holiday Nights, hours will be extended to 9 PM.  Estates members are always admitted free and will receive a 10% discount.  For non members a “shoppers pass” will be issued at the main ticket area.

I don’t know what occured during the past few months but I’ve noticed that I’ve become an enthusiast of this species. This was actually given to us and already had a year of growth under its belt.

Aside from the saw-like blades, I’m more annoyed by how long these take to harvest. From what I’ve researched it can take a good “few” years! Now WTF? A mature one is a beauty. The ball of spikes look is appealing to the eye.

As you can see this is one of the most sandy spots in our yard. Pineapples require this texture of soil. It’s in the Bromeliad family so the roots stay pretty shallow. We mulched it because we all know how our Florida climate is. It looks better anyway.

I have no clue when to expect some “color” out of this but we’ll keep you posted.

Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

On my birthday a few days ago, shortly after midnight, there was a day-for-night flash, then a sound like worlds colliding. The rain blasted down as from a fire hose, and the sun did not shine all day. A very unusual day here in paradise! Here is a picture of the bromeliads that were on display the following morning in the crook of a tree next door…

After the Storm

A very dramatic bloom and a cycle of life that provides beautiful foliage, makes the Bromeliad plant a popular plant in the yard and indoors.

Surprisingly the Bromeliad plant is related to Spanish moss and also is related to the pineapple plant. The Bromeliad is native to the American Tropics. In its native environment Bromeliad plants will get their nutrients from the air and rain. They have a special root structure that it has developed so that it can attach itself to tree trunks, branches, and even rocks. These Bromeliads are known as saxicolous. Many types of Bromeliads are terrestrial and grow in the ground like most plants do. Amazingly each type of Bromeliad can switch places and adapt to its new environment! It is also able to adapt to both indoor and outdoor environments.

Plant enthusiasts are drawn to Bromeliads because of their beautiful blooms. Mostly they are cultivated to grow indoors but will also grow well out doors in warm and humid environments. The Bromeliad only blooms once in its life time, but with the variation in leaves, the Bromeliad is still a good choice for home décor and gardens because it is and easy to grow plant that is hardy.

In the plant family, Bromeliaceae, there is a wide range of variety in the following:

• Shape
• Color
• Size

The Bromeliad plants that are cultivated for indoor environments often have the following common appearance traits:

• There are no stems
• The is a central flower spike
• Leaf texture is leathery
• Arched leaves arranged in a rosette
• Leaves that are strap-shaped

With good air circulation and humidity, most Bromeliad plants will flourish indoors.

Once a plant is mature enough to start blooming, it can be encouraged to bloom by doing the following:

• Properly fertilized
• Watered regularly
• Adequate light
• Warmth (a lamp near by may help)
• Add a small amount of Epsom salts to soil (for the magnesium)

A Bromeliad bloom can be one of a wide variety of colors from yellows to deep burgundies. When a Bromeliad plant is preparing to bloom, the leaves on the upper part of the plant will also change color, which will intensify the color and the appearance of the Bromeliad bloom. Once the Bromeliad plant blooms the plant will focus on producing the next generation of Bromeliads and “pups” will begin to sprout up around the plant.

Some Bromeliads may bloom more than once, but most Bromeliad plants cultivated for the indoor growing will have only one beautiful and dramatic bloom in a lifetime. A well cared for Bromeliad will add beauty to any home or garden. Its “pups” can be transplanted to add to an indoor or outdoor garden. They can also be shared with friends or sold at swap meets.

Bromeliad plants are easily found for purchase at nurseries, grocery stores, florists, and some department stores.

Spanish Moss growing on trees is a typical sight in and around Wilmington, NC. Spanish Moss is a lacy, beautiful romantic image that symbolizes the south. It grows in the humid, coastal areas of the southeastern United States. It is neither a parasite, nor a true moss, but an air plant.This iconic plant is in the Bromeliad family, which also includes pineapples. It live entirely above ground and relies on other plants, usually trees, for its aerial roots. Although Spanish moss is not parasitic, it can still hurt the trees. If the mats become well-developed, they can cut off the supply of light to the host tree, making it difficult for the tree to photosynthesize. Large mats of Spanish moss will also build wind resistance, making trees less likely to survive high winds.

This photo was chosen for Macro Monday.

To see more daily photos of other cities around the world, visit City Daily Photo.

Green Friendly Pesticide Recipe

In keeping with the move to recycle and stay green I’ve found the following home brewed pesticide works wonders.

Recipe: Boil up 1kg of chopped chillies with 200g of chopped garlic for 30 – 40 minutes. Cool and then strain. Bottle liquid and store in the fridge.

Application: Mix one tablespoon of infusion to 1 litre of water and add 1 tsp of liquid dishwashing soap, Spray plants.

Tip: Don’t touch your eyes by accident!

Enjoy

Rob

“Living in the clouds” took on a whole new meaning for me when I discovered that there were entire, canopy-bound ecosystems to be found in the Amazonian rainforest, centered around plants like this one:

(Photo by David J. Ringer)

As epiphytic bromeliads, these plants — varying greatly in size — live entirely in the canopy of the rainforest, either rooting in tree bark and dirt caught in the nooks and crannies of branches, or dangling root mats to trap moisture, debris, and nutrients from the air.  Bromeliads are special in that they store pools of water in the “tanks” at the center of their rosette-like structures.

The smallest of these plants could easily fit in the palm of your hand.  But the largest of them, Glomeropitcairnia penduliflora, is as big as a grade-school child, and can hold a “pond” of up to 5 gallons (about 19 litres) of water in its tank!

These sky ponds host water-breeding bugs, and serve as the primary (if not only) source of drinking and bathing water for all manner of birds, lizards, frogs, monkeys, and other rainforest critters, many of whom never bother to visit the ground.

Here is a peek at part of the back yard thta was converted to a growing area. This is the right side as lookinbg out the back of the house. Everything was started from seeds or cuttings that I started. It was all started on a little section at a time.

back yard - right side - from preserve

This shot was taken at Airlie Gardens. This is Airlie Lake. If you look closely, you can see a family of swans in the background.

Spanish Moss growing on trees is a typical sight in and around Wilmington, NC. Spanish Moss is a lacy, beautiful romantic image that symbolizes the south. It grows in the humid, coastal areas of the southeastern United States. It is neither a parasite, nor a true moss, but an air plant. This iconic plant is in the Bromeliad family, which also includes pineapples. It live entirely above ground and relies on other plants, usually trees, for its aerial roots. Although Spanish moss is not parasitic, it can still hurt the trees. If the mats become well-developed, they can cut off the supply of light to the host tree, making it difficult for the tree to photosynthesize. Large mats of Spanish moss will also build wind resistance, making trees less likely to survive high winds.

To see more daily photos of other cities around the world, visit City Daily Photo.

Growing bromeliads is quite easy, since it is a low maintenance plant but it will take at  least a couple of years before you’ll be richly rewarded with a terrific bloom.  Bromeliads belongs to the family of monocot flowering plants.

I planted this one in a small pot two years ago.  Since the roots are not too invasive, they can be placed in small containers while growing and they can also be used as indoor plant decors.  The flower spikes dies after about a month and a new shoot of green leaves begin at the roots, that’s the time to transfer it to another pot.

TID BITS … AND PIECES

I am so grateful to my indoor plants, most especially to the ones that flower in winter.  Granted, I tend them with loving care and talk to them, often silently, encouraging their blooms to spring forth.  Often when it’s cold and gray, I buy a plant in bloom and set it somewhere prominent.  Especially rewarding are bromeliads, like this one, whose efflorescence lasts a few months.

I also bought this miniature orchid in bloom.  After a week, the blooms were starting to droop and I felt desperate and cheated until shortly thereafter I found this charming and delightful Wardian case at the Rusk Institute garden (more on this another time), a miniature terrarium that opens on top.  Inside its cozy, moist home, the orchid has been happily revived and plans to stay in bloom indefinitely.

Last summer I bought the flowering maple below from Chris, the plant man at my local farmer’s market.  Once the blooms fell away, it hung out for months with nary a bud until I set it under grow lights and began fertilizing regularly.  Within a month it started blooming its little head off.  I moved it to a southern window where it continues to make new buds and look very happy.

This episcia is a rather large plant that I’ve grown from cuttings generously supplied by members of the NYC gesneriad society.   (I belong to numerous indoor plant societies and will write more about them soon.)  While it is profligate about growing leaves, it’s stingy with flowers.  So these little red darlings are special cause for celebration.

I saved the most generous plant for last.  This euphorbia, commonly called a crown of thorns, was a rescue.  It stood among the garbage on my block a few years ago, and I took it in gladly, somewhat in shock that a neighbor of mine could toss such a thing away.  (What is this neighborhood coming to?)  It has grown to be about two feet tall, and has never stopped flowering.

Soon to come:  the dramatic journey of my amaryllus bulb.  Stay tuned.

For the past week, the Queensboro Blogger has been in Fort Myers and Key West, Florida.  In Key West, the Blogger considered purchasing a sweatshirt at the Butterfly Conservatory.  However, the embroidery did not look very good, and the price was high.  Oh well.

Upon returning from Key West, the Blogger and her parents, who live on one side of the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, went to the other side of the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve to see what was in the Slough.  At the brand-new, LEED certified Interpretative Center, the Blogger and her family walked around the top-notch new exhibits, learning about the different types of ferns, trees, birds, mammals and other wildlife living in the slough.  Also, being the responsible tourists that they are, they stopped in “Friends Corner” the shop at the Slough.  Husband of the Blogger picked up one of the snazzy embroidered caps and promptly quizzed the Blogger.  “Who do you think made their hats?” he said.  “Did we?!?” squealed the Blogger.  Indeed, it was so.  The hat had a Queensboro tag in it.  Upon the discovery, the Blogger immediately cornered the Friend of the Slough Volunteer Naturalist, asking her about the hats and shirts in the shop.

“Is it true?” the Blogger asked “Did you get your shirts from Queensboro?”  “Yes!” exclaimed the volunteer,  Carolyn.  “I found you on Google when we started stocking the Friends Corner Shop and ordered shirts and hats.  I just got an order from you the other day!” Whereupon, Carolyn went back to the stockroom and brought out the box, posing for a picture in her shop.

Volunteers Keep the Slough View True

Next commenced the grand interview about the Slough.  (In case you were wondering, you pronounce the word slough as “slew,” making it really fun to say and rhyme with things.)  Carolyn has been in Fort Myers for about four years.  She came from Illinois and loves the weather down in Southwest Florida.  She was kind enough to take the time to tell the Blogger about the Friends of the Slough and the Slough itself.

The Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve has been visited by visitors from 38 states and eight foreign countries since the Interpretive Center opened in the Spring of 2008.  The property is managed by  Lee County Parks and Recreation, and is supported in part by the Friends of the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.  The Friends have raised money since 2001 to help build the new Center, and to create the educational exhibits in the Center.

One of the ways they raise money is through the Friends Corner shop in the Interpretative Center at the Slough.  And what is in the shop, in addition to some neat books, note cards and educational materials?  Queensboro shirts and hats! The Friends of the Six Mile Cypress Slough is one of Queensboro’s great customers!  The Blogger did not know this before visiting the Slough.  It was the highlight of her visit until she saw the Slough itself.

To Know the Slough is to Love the Slough

Yes, the main point of this blog is to present the hard work of the volunteers of the Friends of the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.  Without them, the Slough might still be there, not gobbled up by development, but it would not be such an educational and enjoyable experience for all of its visitors.  Also, the Slough is hemmed in on all sides by development, and needs preservation.  The best way to preserve a place is to make sure that as many people as possible see it, and love it.  Because, when they love it they will want to save it.  That is the job of the Slough Volunteers.  They don’t have too hard of a sell, in the opinion of the Queensboro Blogger.  Over 90 volunteers give a minimum of 40 volunteer hours per year to man the Center, give educational programs and walks, provide scoping and spotting services, and lead guided walks.  Many volunteers give more than 40 hours.

The Slough is breathtakingly beautiful, even in the winter.  The main tree of the Slough is the Bald Cypress, pictured here in the winter without leaves.  This tree is a deciduous conifer.  The trees look like evergreens and are conifers, but they are not evergreens-but lose their leaves each year.   Above, is another picture of the cypress trees just starting to grow new leaves.

If you walk further into the slough, you will find a fascinating ecosystem filled with curiosities like bromeliads, which are flowering plants that attach to trees, living and blooming entirely in the air.  There are several different kinds of ferns: strap ferns that grow on the old stumps of dead trees.  Resurrection ferns are brown and curled-up when it is dry, and become green again after a rain.  Cabbage Palms, the state tree of Florida grow with ferns, wax myrtle, and slash pines.  It is a temperate jungle.  As Carolyn put it when the Blogger asked her about her favorite part of the Slough: “Every day, there is something new to see and something new to learn out there in the Slough.  Each day is different.”

The best part of being the Queensboro Blogger is the chance to email or talk with our customers.  It is even better to meet the customers in person, especially if the meeting is unexpected.  It was a serendipitous meeting between the Blogger and Carolyn, Friend of the Slough.  The Blogger always enjoys her visits to places when she has a place to share what she sees.  The Slough was no different.

After her interview with Carolyn, it became imperative for the Blogger to soak up as much of the Slough View as possible so that she could share it with you.  Please, if you have the chance to be in Fort Myers, Florida, make time to go visit the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.  It is beautiful, interesting, and a vital part of the South Florida ecosystem.  The Volunteer guides are knowledgeable and kind.  Plus, they have a pretty great shop!  Many thanks to the Friends of the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, not just for being great customers, which you are, but for all of your hard work preserving the Slough.

Thanksgiving Day this year found me trotting up Pike St. around 8:30 in the morning, looking for an open coffee shop. I finally found one on the corner of Pike and Broadway, and gave thanks. Catching my breath from climbing yet another of Seattle’s sloping streets, I got an apple fritter to accompany my coffee, and then (sniffing as unobtrusively as possible) I plotted my next move.

The holiday hampered my options, but I had already determined to find Volunteer Park, in the Capitol Hill area, and visit it’s Conservatory which claimed to be open year round. After breakfast I followed Broadway through Seattle’s “funkiest” neighborhood, lusting after the many thrift shops that were closed for Thanksgiving. I eventually found the side street I was looking for, and soon enough I was walking through the park, snapping photos of the Space Needle from high above it.

The Conservatory was steamy and full of bromeliads in one half, and cacti in the other. My sniffles diminished somewhat while I was there, so I took my time taking photos through a foggy lens, and just sitting and watching the sun come out again (incredibly) over Seattle.

I left the park and consulted my map, a glossy illustrated thing not drawn to scale, and decided that the Washington Park Arboretum looked close enough to walk to. After all I had the whole day to fill, and not a lot of options. I took off up 10th Ave. and walked and walked and walked, passing through pretty neighborhoods full of cute houses, catching increasingly distant views of the Downtown buildings, and relishing the miles my feet were tamping down.

It took me a long time to find the Arboretum, due to that silly map leaving out all of the minor streets I found myself on. My excellent sense of direction, and the help of an extremely nice young woman, prevailed however, and a few hours later I entered the park and collapsed thankfully down on a bench inside a lovely pagoda.

What followed was a “classic Sarah” move. Tired and sick regardless, and with five or six miles already between me and the hostel, I looked for the most interesting route back. Retracing my steps is never an option! A thorough perusal of the map led me to realize that the University District, an interesting area I had deemed too far away to explore, was now only a bridge-length away. Even better, I could then walk down the other side of the Lk. Washington Ship Canal and find Fremont, another famous Seattle neighborhood.

And so my Thanksgiving Day walk turned into the Great Turkey Day Marathon. I wouldn’t be surprised if I eventually walked 10 to 12 miles that day! I crossed the water on Montlake Blvd. N.E. and then took N.E. Pacific and Northlake St. all the way down, passing Lake Union and getting marvelous views of Downtown and the Space Needle.

It was of course farther than I had hoped, but right when I was getting a little discouraged, I stumbled across another of Seattle’s park – the Gasworks Park. Right on Lake Union, it had a hill that offered fabulous views of the city, and an intriguing array of rusty old gas chambers and pipes that looked like some kind of fantastic castle.

I left with my imagination rekindled, and finally pulled into Fremont, Seattle’s “quirkiest” neighborhood before the cutoff time of 3 – which was when every coffee shop in the city seemed to be closing. After refueling I dutifully made a circle of the area, checking off the 53-ft. high Russian rocket, the statue of Lenin, and the Richard Beyer sculpture, I crossed the Fremont drawbridge and began the seemingly endless walk back to Downtown.

My ultimate goal for the day was to go up to the top of the Space Needle, and I needed to get there before 5 in order for my Go-Card passage to work. Time seemed to be racing away, the light was already beginning to fade, and my poor tired legs didn’t seem to be able to move fast enough. Skirting around the bottom of Queen Anne hill, I made the turn onto Broad St. and almost squealed out loud as the Space Needle came into view . I actually made it there with an hour to spare.

I dragged myself up the ramp to the elevator and collapsed against the wall, only to leave it moments later as we reached the top, 520 ft. above the city. I made a circle of the O deck, and bought the “I made it to the top” T-shirt, feeling extremely entitled.

Then, because the Monorail doesn’t run on Thanksgiving, I trudged all the way back to the hostel, making it in time for the feast that was so kindly prepared by the staff and some of the other lodgers of the Green Tortoise. I took my cold to bed soon after, determined to squeeze the last goodness out of a real bed before I inflicted myself on my train seat mates.

Although I was sore the next day, I was extremely satisfied with my Seattle adventures. I checked out of the hostel, bought snacks and Ny-Quil, and found my way to the train station. My cold had appreciated a day of fresh air, and packed itself neatly away for the next leg of my trip. As the Coast Starlight – train number 11 – pulled out of the station right on time at 9:45 a.m., I bid farewell to Seattle. Fittingly enough, it shed tears over my departure, skies clouding over and classic Seattle drizzle washing the windows of the train clean.

we specialize in exotic and rare plant species, living plant sculptures, bonsai and unique water fountain design. 

store hours are 10 am  to 4 pm,   tuesday – sunday. 

we are located at 1029 & 1/2 abbot kinney blvd. in venice between meditrina café & lilly’s restuarant.

tel. 310.399.0321

www. sculpture-gardens.com

Well we are on Day 5 of an 8 day dog sitting stint. We are looking after my brother’s two dogs, a miniture daschund and a staffie.  I’m a dog lover so having them is great, I love having dogs around. However, it does come with it’s own set of challenges! We already have a Big dog (a big loveable bitzer) and also a somewhat Unpleasant Natured cat… and our house is not large.  Dogs are welcome in our home so there’s none of this ‘dogs belong outside’ rubbish, dogs are part of the family and they are welcome to come in and lay about on the floor wherever they want to.

So back to the challenges… the little one is only a Spoilt puppy and not toilet trained. The carpeted bedrooms now have the doors shut, an uncommon occurence in our home but necessary as cleaning up poo and wee from carpet is NOT fun.  Of course being a puppy she also likes to chew, we rushed out and purchased two chew toys after she arrived (don’t worry, I will be questioning why she wasn’t delivered with some). Apparently the toys are not as tasty as my bromeliads, several of them have been ripped out and shredded (yes, I have a deep frown on my face and don’t give a flying fark if the winds changes).   The Staffie dog has also discovered that the broms are fun to roll around in, they must give a lovely tickly feeling on the back… while they are being smooshed into the mulch and destroyed (if I frown any harder my eyebrows will become a goatee). My crucifix orchid is also fun for the Spoilt puppy to play with, it has long stalks that wave in the breeze and make a delightful game of trying to see if she can catch them and wrestle them to the ground. Unfortunately quite a few stalks have been subdued in this way and are now lying in bits all over the paving.  Coincidentally, this orchid is in a pot with a fabulous rough textured edge, just marvellous for staffie dog to rub up against… which also happens to scrape off the lower hanging stalks – for God’s sake, someone buy this dog a back scratching post!

There’s also the little issue of Staffie dog beating up my Big wuss boy.  He doesn’t stand up for himself and I have to rush to the rescue, wading into snapping jaws and drool to prise them apart.  Fortunately that’s only happened once this visit and no damage has ever been done. I can usually pick the look in her eye and do my Growly Do As I Say voice before she launches at him.

Sigh.. my poor Unpleasant Natured cat. She doesn’t cope well with new dogs in the house. She has our Big boy trained so that he scoots out of her way at the first hiss so she doesn’t have to follow up with a full-on claws out slap to the face. New dogs don’t understand that right away though and take a bit of training. She’s not too worried about Spoilt puppy because she’s twice its size. Staffie dog is another story though and there has been much hissing, paw waving and cat-growling while she teaches her the finer points of interaction with unpleasant natured cats.  This morning Unpleasant Natured cat wandered around the house at her leisure so I think the teaching phase is over and field training has begun.

Oh did I mention that the Spoilt puppy likes to sleep in people beds?  Yes, she burrows under the covers and sleeps without breathing all night.  Well she mustn’t breathe, who the hell could possibly survive under there all night? I didn’t sleep at all the first night because I was scared of squashing her and the following nights are spent sleeping but waking every time I need to move because yes, she sleeps inbetween my ankles so I need to carefully move my feet. If I kicked her I’d probably collapse her rib cage.

But you know what? They are super sweet dogs and I love them. We’ll dog sit anytime. Well maybe I’d like Spoilt puppy to be toilet trained first… and not chew plants… and sleep in a basket at night… and maybe Staffie dog could be nicer to Big boy… and come with a back scratching implement of her own…

Drake started to rub his eyes in disbelief, but his helmet prevented him. Had he sustained a concussion when the ship crash-landed? Could he be dreaming? What was he looking at?

Drake had never seen such mysterious plantlife. Were they flowers or leaves? Did the lurid reds and yellows fade to green, or did the green leaves take on petal colouring as they aged?

While Drake stood there, pondering this puzzle, a crowd of creatures began to assemble around him. They looked almost human, but each one was dressed alike, as though they were parodying earthlings: grey slacks topped by blue-and-white-striped shirts. Summoning his courage, Drake addressed them.

“Who is your leader? And what is this place?” The silence made him nervous, and he shouted to hide his fear. “Answer me!”

Finally one of the male creatures spoke up. “Our manager’s name is Linda; she’ll be in at nine. You’re in Golden Harvest Grocery.”

The Solana Center Compost Program often collaborates with school and community gardens and other non-profits throughout San Diego. One of the members of Food Not Lawns, Central Chapter (the group that invited us to participate in the Edible City Celebration with a compost booth and workshop), is having an amazing plant sale this weekend. 10% of the proceeds benefit  the San Diego Food Not Lawns “Edible Garden Start-Up-Funds-Program,” which just happens to be a great way to fund a compost program at your school or community garden! Paul is also an amazing ‘extreme’ composter, so he’s also a great person to chat compost with! Here are the details from Paul:

Labor Day Weekend Plant Sale. Dates: 27 and 28 Sept. Labor Day Weekend, 8-3:30pm, both days

Location is 1111 Sunset Cliffs Blvd Ocean Beach , SD 92107.

Huge Plant Sale. Thousands of Succulents and Bromeliads.

Paul Maschka, grower extraordinaire

I’ve been collecting and propagating these plants for over 25 years.

This will be the last sale of the year and when you see my plants you’ll see I have “A Plant Problem”. I have 2 inch pots to 5 gal. containers. Many varieties of Aloes, Bromeliads, Tropical Cactus like Dragon Fruit, Epiphylum, Rhipsalis.

Some very nice house plants too.

The magority are 3 inch and 6 inch Succulents of every shape size and color. Average prices are $3-$5. The sale will start Friday morning August 29th at 8 am – 4pm and run Sat. 30th and Sun. 31st all days 8am till 4pm.

Absolutely No Earlybirds. Please Bring your own boxes or flats to cary plants. New plants will be put out on each day, so all the best bargains won’t be gone the first day. Please don’t call or email I won’t have time to respond.

10 % of gross sales will go to fund San Diego Food Not Lawns “Edible Garden Start-Up-Funds-Program”

Aechmea fuerstenbergii has an outstanding inflorescence consisting of a tight conical spike of white flowers behind rose-red bracts. 

I first saw this in a Cargo Report and immediately wanted one. I mentioned this to Brian Weber as we walked down a main isle of the 2-acre shade house at Tropiflora. He immediately pointed to a smallish untagged potted plant on the floor adjacent to where I was passing. “That’s either it or beeriana.” I was skeptical on the ID but he quoted me a great price. (Did I mention I was cheep?) I guess I should never question Brian’s ability to track and ID a few 10K’s of plants. Great plant – great price – thanks Brian.

The FCBS record has Bahia, Brazil as the point of the type collection, yet it is ranged as an Amazonian epiphyte from Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil.  This plant was first described in the late 1800’s from collected greenhouse material found in Europe. So the Bahia reference seems slim to me. Are there any other accounts of a Bahia collection origin for this plant?

I’ve heard the Streptocalyx genus name referenced in comments that “the taxonomists can not make up their mind”. Streptocalyx was sucked into Aechmea over 14 years ago – Give it up – it is time to change the name on your tags.

Cheers, Greg – PSJPlants – Brevard County, FL (Space Coast)

Billbergia distachia var. straussiana is a pleasing specie bromeliad from South-Eastern Brazil (Santa Catarina?). A medium small tubular plant with purple tipped green sepals surround greenish flowers at anthesis. The ovaries are heavily ribbed.

Dyckia ‘Cherry Coke’ a cv. platyphylla x ‘Carlsbad’ is a hardy sun loving bromeliad with graceful arching reddish cola toned foliage, and is topically interesting.

‘Cherry Coke’ can be finicky in attaining it’s best coloration and size due nutrient needs, seasonal variation, and overall light levels. However, when the conditions align, it can yield an award winning Head-Table plant that is stunning in form, size, and coloration, (see the FCBS site).

This hybrid was introduced by Tropiflora several years ago. ‘Cherry Coke’ proves to me that the initial naming of a hybrid can be crucial to it’s acceptance. I don’t consider this to be my favorite Dyckia, but more as a required starter plant to grow this genus. Polling the average society member to recite a Dyckia by name – you’d probably here ‘Cherry Coke’ as a response.

As with many released crosses it is possible to have several variants in circulation. I’d seen pictures on the web that don’t match mine and others that do. I can show pictures of my plant in bloom showing yellow petals, yellow flower bracts, primary bracts longer than the petals. And provide that I had acquired this from Michael’s Bromeliads, excepting the identity, knowing there are probably others growing the same clone, with this name, as mine.

Cheers, Greg – PSJPlants – Brevard County, FL (Space Coast)

Aechmea lueddemanniana is a wide ranging variable bromeliad from Mexico to Costa Rica. This bromeliad grows as an epiphyte or saxicolous. Grows well in strong light, though mine gets a little dappled shade during the summer noon time sun. 

The name spelling gets shortened sometimes to lueddemannia, confusing but in character, as the spelling of the person whom it was named after has more than one version.

This specie clone is a beauty. It is compact at a 2 foot spread,  with stiff reddish foliage and silverish bloom spike. The self setting flowers are lavender, producing a white berry that turns purple when ripe.

The prodigious quantity of self-set berries allows for an other learning and growing opportunity – growing bromeliads from seed.

My normal seed starting technique is the using the lazy method – squeeze the berries onto the surface of some fine moist peat, place in the shade and ignore for 2 months. This seems to weed out all those species that require a minimum of care.

I have used a more successful method – squeeze the berries into a small cup of water that has had a teaspoon of bleach added. Stir and swish to separate all the seed from the pulp. The viable seeds should sink to the bottom while the pulp and non-viable seeds should float. Carefully pour off the chaff – then repeat the process with another rinse to remove any remaining residue. Pour the remaining seeds thru a paper towel and allow to dry for at least 24 hours. 

The seeds may now be scraped into a packet for short term storage. For specie plants I recommend separating out 50% for distribution to the BSI seed fund.

I next sprinkle the seeds on finely ground moist peat in a berry flat and cover, trying to maintain constant moisture and humidity. The berry flats have bottom drainage that also allow for wicking moisture inward if necessary.

This plant seems to work well with both seed start methods being unusually hardy and fast growing from the start. However, for additional and probably more reliable information on seed growing check out the BSI and the BSQ for related articles.

Cheers, Greg PSJPlants – Brevard County, FL (Space Coast)