September 2013
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BromeliAdvisory September 2013 Aechmea ‘Del Mar’ In this Issue President’s Message . 2 Put on Thinking Caps . 2 In Case You Missed It. 2-3 An Accelerated Schedule for Show Preparation.. 3-4 About the Speaker . 4 Garden Notes. 4-6 Dr. Grayson Dies . 6 Upcoming Events . 6-7 Murder in Corbin A . 7-8 BromeliAdvisory September 2013 EPTEMBER WEBPAGE: http://www.bssf-miami.org/ S 17, 2013 7:30 PM SPEAKER: Jay Thurrott http://www.facebook.com/groups/BromeliadS RAFFLE TABLE: Mike Michalski SF/?bookmark_t=group http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bromeliad-S FOOD: Josefa Leon, Doris Boiesen, Betty ociety-of-South-Florida/84661684279 McQuayle, Maryanne LaRusso President Barbara Partagas VP: Lenny Goldstein Treasurer: Alan Herndon Speaker Secretary: Peggy Fisher JAY THURROTT _________________ “The other way of growing bromeliads – seed to seed." The DIRECTORS “other way” meaning other than removing offsets. Jay has Past Pres.: Carl Bauer heard so much misinformation regarding growing bromeliads Directors: from seed that he thought he'd put together a program about Urszula Dudek ‘12-‘13 some experiences in bromeliad seed growing. Combined Maureen Adelman ‘13-‘14 successes and failures have made him seek to share photos of Joy Parrish ‘13-‘14 what bromeliad seed looks like and more. He'll also emphasize Lori Weyrick ‘13-‘14 means of growing from seed are by no means "the best" way – it's simply the way he goes about it. Editor Robert C Meyer Miami-Dade County's Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) will be giving FREE trees to the community through its popular Adopt-a-Tree program. Come to our event this Saturday, September 14th, from 9:00 am -12 pm Door Prize: Alan Herndon , at the Miami Springs Community Center, 1401 Westward Education: Nat DeLeon Drive, Miami Springs . Residents eligible to adopt trees will be Hospitality: Elaine Mills able to choose from Mango (only 1 per household), Longan, Library: Skye Palmer Sapodilla, Dahoon Holly, and Orange Geiger . However, tree Membership: Melody Ray quantities are limited and available on a first-come, first-served Mem. Plant Sales: Antonio basis. For information on rules, eligibility, community service Arbelaez hours, and tree info check the Adopt-a-Tree webpage. Raffle: Mike Michalski http://www.miamidade.gov/environment/adopt-a-tree.asp Refreshments: Sandy Roth What Who Sales Antonio Arbelaez The meeting will be held in the Corbin A Table BromeliAdvisory Page 2 President’s Message He entered the military and left after becoming an by Barbara Partagas engineer who sought greater worlds than oil fields. So, began the world of hobbies. One day, he received a bromeliad. It did not grow well. A Is anyone having as much trouble with weeds as I friend advised that he try an Aechmea “Black am? I can’t tell if they are creeping into the garden Jack.” It lasted. That friend was John Anderson – from the lawn or vice versa. Weeds seem to thrive an eventually renowned cultivator of Aechmea. on neglect even more than the bromeliads. I am sure I have every variety known to man growing in my garden and probably many not known to man, as Soon, Don wanted to own every variety of every well. I have always called Florida’s St. Augustine species of the bromeliad world. But, a finite grass a weed because it looks exactly like what we pocket and accompanying wallet made such an pulled out of our yards up North. I have tolerated urge become more of an afflicting itch, than a the weeds in the grass because they are green and despondent dream. look like grass if you don’t get right up on them and see them for what they are. One must still respect He wanted to enter the world of hybridizing. the mighty weed. Do not mistake one for another or Neoregelia were already dumfoundingly addressed one might end up in the ER having mistaken a in the bromeliad charts. Billbergia were the stinging nettle for a thistle. ignored – the stepchildren of the bromeliad world of hybridizing. That simple fact is why the Beadle One’s hand can swell up a lot bigger than one can world entered the world of billbergia. imagine, sort of like blowing air into a rubber glove. No worries. It only takes six or seven months to get Billbergia’s unusually short life span made the feeling back in the hand. Why is it that the preservation of pollen a chore. He tried bagging spiniest of bromeliads are the ones that have the the stuff in plastic. It went bad. Then bagged the most weeds around pollen and froze the them? It would have contents. That been great if Pandora worked. From there could have closed that the pollenization of box before the weeds c u l t i v a r s w i t h (and pestilence and d i f f e r e n t t i m e intolerance, by the way) periods began. got out. Today’s billbergia a r e c o m m o n l y Barbara Partagas speckled – giving the great effect of Put on Thinking Caps s t a i n e d g l a s s luminescence. This The board would like to all started with Don’s propose a once a year receipt of Bob field trip, on a minibus (a W h i t m a n ’ s 25-30 passenger vehicle Don’s photography passion and bromeliad passion “Domingos Martins.” that someone at the board merge in this artistic rendering. He crossed that meeting thought you are spotty plant with “Ed familiar with). This is for McWilliams” which produced “Hallelujah” – often a day trip only. They seek to poll the membership at the crowd favorite for decades to follow. meeting for suggestions of places to visit. You are hereby being given the opportunity to think about it for As space became a valuable commodity, he met a couple of days in advance of meeting. Put on your surfer dudes in Corpus Christi, Texas who worked thinking caps. as carpenters during the off season. They built Don a two-story home, from which his second floor In Case You Missed It master bedroom walked out to a shade house, by Robert Meyer beneath which was more growing space with the Beadle extra comforts – including a hot tub from Don Beadle came to our meeting with the typical which the neighbors’ boys peeped over and to Beadle charm and panache. whom “he never disappointed them.” A Louisiana born native, he had to move on. “Not a Cajun,” he self-describes. BromeliAdvisory Page 3 Photographing was another passion and thousands of preparations before the holiday season overtakes slides of the hybrids were shot and kept in the Texas facility. us. Our first step, as always, is to call for volunteers to head up the committees that actually One year, he packed his truck and took his loyal run the show. miniature dog for a ride to see buddies Harry Luther and Wally Berg. To his dismay, they had gone south of The list below is the listing of these operating the border for a bromeliad excursion. Don liked the committees, along with a brief synopsis of duties surroundings and called a local realtor asking for a for some committees and the names of committee home with “a ski lift to the back door, beach front, and chairs already on the job. All of the committees space for green houses.” She had just the thing. need people to help the chairs with their duties. Jobs are available at all skill levels. There are In a phone call that same day, the property was bought inside jobs and outside jobs _ jobs to fit any and Don moved to Florida in 1986 to become el jefe de schedule. If one of the committees is of particular Los Milagros. interest, you should contact the listed chair the particulars. If no chair is listed for the committee The years of hybridizing of interest, contact the general increased as he fitted the facility show chair. with more shade houses, and other amenities. His engineering Some committees, such as background made such home Advertising, Awards sponsors improvement projects less and Show booklet finish their stressful – and in fact were his work before the show begins. joy. In 2000, Don sold his Others, such as Classification, nursery to Michael Kiehl, got a Placement and Staging have boat and made the boat another some hours of frantic activity on engineering/repairing venture for a single day (Thursday) and are his fix-it skills. then done. Some of the most important committees, including After selling that boat and Information Table and Member moving back to the land, Don Sales require some preparation in enjoys his time with another boat advance of the show and run full project and occasionally working time during the show. The Art at Kiehl’s where he can work Show and Catering stand apart in without being paid. the amount of preparation needed before the show starts, and the sustained effort needed As stated on the FCBS page, during the show. “Don's passion for bromeliads Billbergia zebrina led to ground breaking Billbergia D. Bilderbeck-Frost cultivars that made this genus A d v e r t i s i n g S e l l i n g one of the most popular; his advertisements in the Show Book ground breaking bromeliad photography set the to help pay for printing. standard for bromeliad pictures; his passion for Art Show Sharon Biddex-Maessen - coordinate knowledge led to the Bromeliad Cultivar Registry; his participation of public school students in the show, vision for an accurate registry accessible and available negotiate with Fairchild for use of equipment to to one and all took him beyond his peers and now display art, stage art show, be available when show serves the entire world.” is open to the public to answer questions.