A Quick Trip to Jack & Tams'.

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:-

 

 

Wide shots through the greenhouses showing mostly Vrieseas:-
 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Here are some photos of a few outstanding individual plants:-

 

Vriesea 'Party Dress':-

 

 

 

Vriesea 'Incan Warrior':-

 

 

 Vr. 'Ferny Forest' X ' Melissa Dilling'
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".