I managed to get away last week for a quick trip up the coast to Port Macquarie. The Niche closed on the Monday to give me an extra day & make the whole journey less of a rush. The idea was to buy & look at some stock for growing on & future sale, as well as do something a bit different from my normal routine.
First stop on the Tuesday was a search for Blue Waterlily on the north side of Port. I had seen these years ago thriving in dish drains beside the road; a bit of searching soon tracked down some accessible plants & 4 were collected with the help of a spade along with some careful footwork.
Next on the list were bromeliads. Jack & Tamera specialise in Vrieseas, my personal favourites. Tamera is the marketer, Jack does the breeding & the growing is done between them. Together they make a formidable pair & have produced some outstanding plants, both species & hybrids, with many registered crosses.
Here are a few photos from their greenhouses:-
Some fabulous Cryptanthus; great for terrariums.
This is a Guzmannia species:-
Here are some photos of a few outstanding individual plants:-
Vriesea 'Party Dress':-
Vriesea 'Incan Warrior':-
A beautiful hybrid with pastel tones:-
Vriesea 'Rainbow Beach':-
Vriesea 'Lolly Shop' showing variegation:-
Seedling flats:-
Seedlings purchased:-
These will be grown on for later sale.
The good news is that many of the plants I have potted on from autumn 2015 are now up for sale. Here are a few examples:-
I have selected out the crosses that appeal most to my eye; they will be available for future purchase as they throw pups.
Thanks to Jack & Tamera for allowing me to photograph their magnificent collection.
All the best for the upcoming growing season,
Russell.
P.S:- A belated thank you to Telani Kumar for her link to this blog in her post for Weekend Notes, "A Day Trip To Thirroul".
