NEWS East London LETTER Bromeliad Society October 2016 South Africa Established: 25 July 2009 Our aim is to promote and encourage awareness and interest in Bromeliads in East London and all of South Africa! ELBS is an Affiliated Society of Bromeliad Society International September Meeting There were 32 of us at the September meeting, a very enjoyable afternoon which was hosted by Denise O'Hagan in Beacon Bay. If you were not there, you missed seeing a gem of a garden, beautifully landscaped and immaculately maintained; there was so much to see with beautiful guzmania and vriesea growing in shady areas with lots of interesting features that are especially for the grandchildren. Thank you for sharing Our hostess, Denise O’Hagan with Dr Pete Pfister at the end of a lovely afternoon. your special place with us Denise! Some Popular Bromeliads from the Spring Fair The topic of the September meeting was a display and some information by the owners of the gorgeous bromeliads that drew the most attention and questions at the recent Spring fair held at Pioneer Nursery . Dr Peter Pfister brought his Guzmania wittmackii, a stunning plant native to Ecuador/Columbia, the Andes zones where it is found in dense rain forest. Birds are the main pollinators. The plant lives for 3-4 years, grown in a 12 cm pot. Another one of Pete’s plants was Vriesea fosteriana ‘Red Chestnut’ which he originally got from Ray's Palms in Durban many years ago. Grown in partial to full shade. He uses stone and polystyrene in the potting mix to create good drainage. Pete finds these vrieseas and their pups rot easily, so good drainage is essential. It flowers in the summer months. Vriesea fosteriana ‘Red Chestnut’ Guzmania wittmackii Next meeting: Sunday 30 October at 2.00 pm. Hosted by Malcolm and Pam Stoltz at 2 Bamburgh Road, Stirling. Bring your chair , a mug, and one of your broms to brag about! East London Bromeliad Society South Africa October 2016 Page 1 Brenda Wegner showed her Guzmania which has no name but has the most magnificent, large maroon/red inflorescence. A stunner indeed! Dudley Reynolds brought two plants which generated interest at the Spring Fair. One was Neoregelia ‘Flama’ which Peter displayed as well on the stand. Positioned next to each other, one would never say they were the same plant. My plant grown in lesser light displayed a subtle shade of green, yellow and red on the leaf while Pete's plant was very red with a touch of yellow, obviously grown in stronger light. This just emphasises the importance of labelling your plants correctly, especially with the genus Neoregelia ‘Flama’ Brenda’s Guzmania Neoregelia , where a slight difference in growing conditions may affect the visual appearance so drastically. The second plant Dudley discussed briefly was Orthophytum ‘Iron Ore’ . This plant caught the attention of many people, the foliage colour and the young plants formed along the inflorescence. The plant also produces pups from the base of the mother plant. The genus is endemic to areas in South East Brazil and 53 species are found there. The furry appearance of the leaf indicates that this plant enjoys strong light conditions. Lyn Wegner showed her much admired Encholirium horridum . She was surprised and excited that a form plant, a green plant, could receive the most attention and interest at the garden fair. Lyn has had hers for a few years and it is doing well although she actually Orthophytum ‘Iron Ore’ knows nothing about the plant's requirements. She Googled it to find some information. This species comes from Eastern Brazil, it is xerophytic (needs little water) and is monocarpic which means it blooms and then dies, disappointing! It could grow for 5 to 10 years before flowering. The species does form clumps on very short stolons in the wild but these may be difficult to grow. They are usually seed grown. Lyn discovered that they supposedly prefer sun to half shade and like to be dry to moderately moist in Summer and no water in Winter but she grows hers in almost full sun and waters very generously all year round, it is doing very well. Billbergia 'Beadleman' and Billbergia 'Fireworks' These beauties excited many visitors to the fair. They are both Don Beadle hybrids. Thank heaven for Don Beadle says Lyn! You will enjoy the article, Mr Encholirium horridum Billbergia's Deep Legacy by Karen Andreas at fcbs.org/Don Beadle. They both grow in a sunny spot with many more spectacular bills, receiving little water and no feeding. “I love my billbergia!”. Edmundoa 'Alvim Seidel' The albomarginated form was in our display. A large, beautiful bromeliad. These were first known as Edmundoa lindenii albomarginated. They were named after the collector Alvim Seidel who founded the Seidel nursery in Brazil in 1906 and 100 years later is still in the family. Alvim's life was spent collecting plants and thanks to him Billbergia 'Beadleman' many species were saved when old Billbergia 'Fireworks' East London Bromeliad Society South Africa October 2016 Page 2 trees were felled. They are shade loving and it is said that they need to be kept moist to avoid brown marks on the leaves if the soil or the air around them is too dry. I grow a group of Edmundoa in a shady spot where they do very well. Barbara Black brought her Hohenbergia correia-araujoi. Hohenbergia is a genus of more than 40 species and 20 cultivars are listed. They are native to parts of Brazil, central America and the Caribbean. They are tough and can take the sun. They don’t like frost too much, so prefer a sub tropical garden. This plant was discovered in 1979, it is extraordinary with its leaves of stiff coppery brown, heavily banded with silver. Some nurseries refer to it as Hohenbergia Fudge Ripple, Edmundoa 'Alvim Seidel' although not registered as such, you can see why if you look at the leaves!!! Awesome markings! The flower spike is also rather nice with a 'woolly' pink stem with branching flower clusters of silver. Lasts a long time too. It can be grown in the ground or as an epiphyte in a tree. It needs to be elevated so that the drooping lower leaves, referred to as the skirt, can be best viewed. Some growers prefer to remove the skirt. It can reach up to 1.7 meters in its natural habitat. This plant was made available to growers for the first time at the 1980 World Bromeliad Conference where seven small plants were sold at high prices. Specimens were entered in many bromeliad shows in 1984 and during the early months of 1985. On each occasion the plants have attracted a great deal of attention because of their size, colour, and unusual markings. Just shows how quickly it was cultivated after being discovered. I love the cylindrical shape and stiff leaves with their incredible markings, truly an eye catching plant in our garden. We have three pups off the original mother plant we got many years ago from Lyn. They are grown in large pots placed in the garden Hohenbergia correia-araujoi with a free draining mix in full morning sun. and its inflorescence. Show and Tell Dudley Reynolds and Lyn Wegner compared their Aechmea ’Jean Merkel’ bromeliads, right, to show and discuss how light impacts on the colouration of your bromeliads. Quite astounding. Dudley's is positioned in a shadier spot while Lyn grows hers in full sun. Both beautiful! Helena van der Ham Lyn’s Aechmea ‘Jean Merkel’ on the left and Dudley’s on the right. Helena’s Tillandsia ‘Sweet Isobel’ brought along her Tillandsia ‘Sweet Isobel’ to discuss why the flowers look dried up without ever having opened. We decided they had bloomed while Helena was looking the other way! Library - Brenda Wegner Bromeliads: Tropical Air Plants by Bill Seaborn. Bill’s extensive knowledge of plants began with practical experience in a nursery and four years of college studying Agriculture, Horticulture and Landscaping. With his interest in horticulture he and his wife, Estie, opened Seaborn’s Del Dios Nursery in Escondido, California. The book is East London Bromeliad Society South Africa October 2016 Page 3 an easy, quick read with many photos of the different varieties. Just to mention a few of the topics covered: What is a bromeliad? Where will they grow? The life in a bromeliad, natural habitats, culture, transplanting and mounting, propagation, identification section, pests and a glossary of botanical terms. To the author, Bill and his wife, Estie, the Nursery provided both a very satisfying way of life and an excellent source for meeting new friends. Please contact Brenda should you wish to take any books out of the library. Thanks • Denise O'Hagan for hosting the September meeting. • Larraine Parathyras and Joyce Hattingh for supplying delicious goodies for tea time! • Dr Pete Pfister, Lyn Wegner and Gayle Kockjeu for Lucky Draw plants. Tea Duty To facilitate catering, please confirm with Larraine Parathyras who will now be co-ordinating the tea roster, cell: 082 594 4559 or [email protected] if you are unable to provide eats for the meeting when you are on duty. October: Bev Owen, Helena van de Ham, Malcolm and Pam Stoltz. November: Annual Bring and Braai. We need volunteers to make desserts, you can be reimbursed for the cost of the ingredients. When you are on duty this is what your duty entails: • One of the Catering Co-ordinators will bring everything required for tea, eg, tea, coffee, milk, sugar, paper plates and styrofoam cups, spoons and serviettes.