Bromeliad Society

Vol 44 No 5 May, 2011 BS/H 40th Annual Show RUBY JUBILEE

Show Results

MEETING DATE: Tuesday, May 17, 7:30 p.m.

PROGRAM SPEAKER: Paul Isley

PROGRAM TITLE: “Costa Rica” Paul will talk about his recent trip to Costa Rica, where he took lots of pictures of Tillandsias in habitat and also visited the nurseries of Chester Skotak and Harvey Bullis.

SEEDLING: Vr. ospinae Supplied by David Meade. Nice yellow bloom. Photo by Peter Frankin on fcbs.org web site. Winner of Mulford Foster Best in Show Horticulture was MEETING AGENDA: Cynthia Johnson showing Dyckia goehringii.  Greetings/Call to Order/ Sale

 Show and Tell  Cultural Tips  Meeting  Break/Refreshments/Buy raffle tickets  Program  Raffle  Adjourn

JUNE PROGRAM: ABCs Picnic

NEXT BOARD MEETING: Thurs., May 19, 7:30 p.m.

The Southwest Bromeliad Guild Show and Sale will take place September 30—October 2, 2011 at the Crown Plaza in Austin, Texas (located at US 290 and I 35). ‘Winter arrangement, artistic his with

Cost of the hotel is $115 per night. Registration is $60. Mark your calendars to attend this fun event! More infor- mation in later bulletins, or contact Steve Reynolds at 512- 933-1867. Winner of Morris Henry Hobbs Best in Show Artistic was Show Artistic in Hobbs Best Henry of Morris Winner Allyn Pearlman Pearlman Allyn Again’. President’s Page

WOW! We are just getting past one of the best BSH shows I can remember. The num- ber of entrants, entries, quality of the and the whole atmosphere was terrific. One time I’m really glad not to have judged, as every plant and display looked great to me, and Phil Speer’s carvings get better every time. Congratulations to everyone for such a great effort. Charlien Rose, as usual, marshaled the troops and made sure every- thing went off without a hitch, Lynn Schermerhorn did a masterful job as Judge’s Chair, Rick and Carole Richtmyer managed the difficult job of classification with their usual ease, and too many others pitched in to name here. Please forgive me for not mentioning all our great contributors, but well done, all. And was that a Dyckia goe- hringii that won best in show? A Dyckia??? Congratulations, Cynthia Johnson. Best one I have ever seen grown.

While nothing could top the show, the after-show party was great fun as usual. We are indebted to Nita Ankenbruck for allowing us to use her home and patio and her wonderful hospitality through the years, and our very own Iron Chef, Doug Trahan in preparing dinner (with some kitchen help!). Thanks to all who contributed to the auction. Very spe- cial thanks to Lindsey and Gordon Stowe for organizing the auction. The auction can be pretty chaotic (especially with a whacko auctioneer) and their hard work behind the scenes made everything go smoothly.

Next month is our annual ABCs picnic (details will be in the June bulletin). This is another event you won’t want to miss. In true BSH style there will be great plants, great food, great company and the chance to learn a thing or two about growing from seed. And you certainly don’t want to miss Ray and Cynthia Johnson’s collection and their hos- pitality. Looking forward to seeing you all at the May meeting to hear Paul Isley and at the picnic next month.

Meet our May Speaker: Paul Isley

Paul T. Isley III is a native Southern Californian who graduated from UCLA where he was first introduced to Tillandsias by his good friend, Mark Dimmitt. Paul began Tillandsia in 1974 and two years later the name was changed to Rainforest Flora, Inc. Also in 1976 Jerry Robinson joined Paul and they have built Rainforest Flora, Inc. into one of the world’s premier Bromeliad op- erations. Besides being the largest grower and distributor of Tillandsias, it is also the only nursery of any size that produces 100% of its Tillandsia inventory, last importing plants in 1993. Since “Tillys” take between 6 and 25 years to mature from seeds, this has been their proudest achievement.

They have also introduced many incomparable bromeliad and Tillandsia , cultivars, and hybrids to the market- place. They are thrilled that Tillandsia hybrids exhibit tremendous hybrid vigor, growing much larger with correspond- ingly larger blooms that either parent. Rainforest Flora distributes their “home grown” bromeliads and staghorn ferns to nurseries and botanical gardens around the U.S. and the world. The plants are becoming very popular in Asia. In Amer- ica, they are being used more and more by cutting edge interior landscapers who are looking for special, modern looking plants that are easy to maintain.

Paul published his first book, Tillandsia, in 1987 and this large format coffee table book has since become a collector’s item,garnering hundreds of dollars in the used book market. Recently, he has come out with Tillandsia II which has more pages and a new chapter devoted to Tillandsia hybrids. Many things have changed since the publication of Tilland- sia, not the least of which has been the evolution and development of the internet, better and faster computers, digital cameras, and cell phones. These developments will greatly assist in the dissemination of the knowledge of and interest in bromeliads in general and Tillandsias in particular. 2 Ruby Jubilee ANOTHER GREAT BS/H 40th Annual Show Results BROMELIAD SALE

Congratulations to the following winners of the 2011 Brome- Another Annual Bromeliad Sale and Show behind us! A big liad Society/Houston show held at Mercer Arboretum on thanks to all the Members who brought bromeliads to sell and April 30-May 1. all those Members that helped out at the Sale.

Special thanks to Cynthia Johnson and Ken Gardner for ► Mulford Foster Best in Show Horticulture, Cynthia manning the registers with me during the weekend. Carole Johnson, entering Dyckia goehringii. and Phil Speer brought our usual wonderful supply of thirst

quenching water for all of us to enjoy the three days. ► Morris Henry Hobbs Best in Show Artistic, Allyn Pearlman, with the artistic arrangement, “Winter The food over the three days was enjoyed by all. Special Again”. thanks to all of our great Members for cooking that special something for us to enjoy. On Sunday we enjoyed the left- ► Winner of Hobbyist Sweepstakes, David Whipkey. overs from the After Show Party and thanks to Nita Anken-

 Best of Div. I, Pitcairnioideae, Dyckia ’Silverback’ F2, bruck and her girls for doing their thing and Doug Trahan and Inez Barres for doing their thing. entered by Cynthia Johnson. Best in Sec. 1A, Single Plant, Dyckia ‘Keswick’ X ‘Paylen’ X ‘Arizona’ X No words can really thank Louise Epperson for all of her ‘Brittlestar’, Cynthia Johnson. Best in Sec. 1B, Multiple time spent in the Hospitality Cottage those three days. Glad to Plants, Dyckia ‘Warren’, Cynthia Johnson. see Verna Powers and the others that helped for the Judge’s Luncheon and worker’s breakfast and lunch.  Best of Div. II, , subulata, Rick Richtmyer. Best in Sec. A, Single Plant, Till. xero- A special big thank you to Lynn Schermehorn who helped me load the Show and Plant Sale items plus my entries. My graphic, David Whipkey. Best in Sec. B, Multiple sugar took a downward spiral and luckily Lynn sprinted her Plants, Vriesea corcovadensis, Rick Richtmyer. way to the Volunteers Cottage to get me some Coke and cook-

ies. The sugar fix helped me make it home.  Best of Div. III, Bromelioideae, Ae. bromelifolia, Daryl Page. Best in Sec. 3A, Single Blooming, Orthophytum Charlien Rose is working on the expenses for the Show. Just ‘Stardust’, David Whipkey. Best in Sec. 3B, Single Fo- in case you did not know it, the entry cards cost six cents each liage, Bill. ‘Bruddah Iz’ (arriba X sanderiana X rosea), and the entry sheet is also an expense. If you do not use all of Wray Page. Sec. 3B runner-up, Ques. marmorata, Cyn- your cards or sheets, please return them to Charlien for next thia Johnson. Best of Sec. 3C, Multiple Blooming, Or- year. All the medallions were donated back to the Society by Carole and Rick Richtmyer and Doug Trahan. tho. conquistensis, Rick Richtmyer. Best in Section D, Multiple Foliage, Neoglaziovia variegata, Cynthia The Show is always fun and really gets your blood flowing Johnson. Sec. 3D runner-up, Bill. ‘Domingos Martins’, when you see are those wonderful entries. Bet you can’t wait Daryl Page. for the Southwest Bromeliad Guild Show in Austin in Septem- ber.  Best in Div. IV, Intergeneric Hybrid, Neophytum Can- Allyn mea ‘Galaxy’, Cynthia Johnson. Ruby Jubilee, Special Awards Winners:  Best in Div. V, Horticultural Displays, Till. purpurea,  Lou Trahan Artistic Sweepstakes: Allyn Daryl Page. Best in Sec. 5A, Single Blooming, Till. fas- Pearlman ciculata, Odean Head. Best in Sec. 5B, Single Foliage,  Tom Montgomery Genera Sweepstakes: David Till. caput-medusa, Don Green. Best in Sec. 5C, Multi- ple Blooming, Dycka ‘Arizona’ (Brittlestar F2), Chris Whipkey Nguyen. Best in Sec. 5D, Multiple Foliage, Till. fuchsii  Valerie Steckler Hort. Display Sweepstakes: Don forma gracilis, Wray Page. Green  Novice Sweepstakes: John Schmidt  Best in Div. VII, Artistic Arrangements, “Itsy Bitsy Spi-  John Anderson Best Aechmea species: Ae. bro- der”, Allyn Pearlman. Best in Sec. A, “Bromeliads for melifolia, Daryl Page Breast Cancer Awareness”, Allyn Pearlman.  Most Eye-Catching Neo: Neo. ‘Bravo Allison,’  Best in Div. VIII, Decorative Containers, Crypt. argyro- Jimmey Woolsey phyllus, Allyn Pearlman. Best in Sec. A, Ae. recurvata,  Members’ Choice: Dyckia ‘Brittlestar’ F2, Chris Ken Gardner. Nguyen  Best in Div. IX, Art, Phil Speer, Wood Intarsia.  Bob Whitman Best Cryptanthus Species: Crypt. warasii, Rick Richtmyer  Winner of Div. X Section A, Judges, Neo. ‘Brian We-  Warren Loose Best Cryptanthus Hybrid: Crypt. ber’, Lindsey Stowe. Section B, Best Novice, Neo. ‘Thelma O’Reilly’, Ray Johnson ‘Bingito’, Sid Newton.. 3 Show Winners:

Left: Dyckia ‘Silverback’ F2, Best Div. I, Pitcairni- oideae, Cynthia Johnson

Right: Best Div. III, Bromelioideae, and John Anderson Best Aechmea Species, Ae. bromelifolia, Daryl Page

Lower left: Best Div. VII, Artistic Design, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” Allyn Pearlman

Lower right: Best Div. II, Tillandsio- deae, Catopsis subu- lata, Rick Richtmyer

Above left, Best Div. IV, Intergeneric Hybrid, Canmea ’Galaxy’, Cynthia Johnson.

Above Center, Best Div. V, Horticultural Display, Tillandsia purpurea, Daryl Page

Above right, Cryptanthus argyrophyllus, Best Div. VIII, Decorative Container, Allyn Pearlman

4 Clockwise from upper left: Members’ Choice, Dyckia ‘Brittlestar’ F2, Chris Nguyen; Best Crypt. Hy- brid, C. ‘Thelma O’Reilly’, Cynthia Johnson; Best Cryptanthus Species, C. warasii, Rick Richtmyer; Best Div. IX, Art, Wood Intarsia, Phil Speer; Best Novice, Neo. ‘Bingito’, Sid Newton; Best Judges’ Challenge, Neo. ‘Brian Weber’, Lindsey Stowe; Most Eye-Catching Neo, Neo. ‘Bravo Allison’, Jimmy Woolsey.

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May Birthdays The Houston Orchid Society, Inc. www.houstonorchidsociety.org Nelwyn Anderson 5/02 Regular meeting first Thursday of month Midge Gorman 5/08 at 7:30 PM at the Houston Garden Center Javier de la Garza 5/11 Next meeting will be June 2, 2011 Jarka Trojan 5/12 Ruby Harlan Adams 5/15 Cynthia Johnson 5/18

Texas Gulf Coast Fern Society www.tgcfernsoc.org Regular meeting third Sunday of month at 2:00 PM DatesDates toto RememberRemember Next meeting will be May 15, 2011 ▪ BS/H ABCs Picnic, Saturday, June 11, Ray and Cynthia Johnson’s, Beaumont, Texas Member Message Board ▪ Southwest Guild Show, September 30 through October 2, Austin, Texas  Welcome to our new members: ▪ Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies Ex- Debbie Gerstner-Wolf travaganza and Cryptanthus Show, Daytona 18200 Westfield Pl. #1314, Houston, 77090 Beach, FL, Saturday, November 5 225-810-9968 ▪ 2011 BS/H Holiday Party, Saturday, Decem-

Sandy Allen ber 3, Saltgrass Steakhouse 7827 Burning Hills Dr., Houston, 77071 713-774-5604

 Welcome back to former members who have joined us again: Meeting

Bill and Jean Keiser Refreshments Charles Johnson Leigh Farmer Now it’s the A-M’s turn to Corpus Christi Bromeliad Society shine in 2011 and bring  Our condolences go to Sam Chism on the loss of some special refreshments to the May his mother. meeting. Drinks will be furnished by the club  Rick Richtmyer would like to thank everyone who participated in the April program, which as always. helped to encourage a record number of Novice entries in our recent show. All Novice entrants won blue ribbons! Congratulations to Sid, John, Thanks to the following donors to the April raffle Cindy, Lee and Patsy. table: Merrill O’Neal, Lee and Gordon Rowell, Odean Head, Ruby Adams, Rick Richtmyer, Tommy Emanuel, David Meade, Sam Chism, Jim It’s never too early to start thinking about the BSI World Woolsey and David Whipkey. Bromeliad Conference to be held Sept. 24-Oct. 1, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. And the lucky winners were: Debbie Gerstner- Wolf, Rick Richtmyer, Steven Reynolds, Lynn Affiliate members can receive a special rate ($10 off the Schermerhorn, Lindsey Stowe, Gary Gallick, Bil- regular rate) by registering as a group and sending all reg- lie Emanuel, Don Green, Lee Rowell, Bob Garcia istrations and money in one envelope to the BSI Member- and Charlien Rose. ship Secretary, Dan Kinnard. Contact a BS/H Board member or Gene Powers if you’re interested! The raffle brought in $163.

6 AFFILIATED WITH THE MEMBER OF BROMELIAD SOCIETY/HOUSTON INC. BROMELIAD SOCIETY SOUTHWEST BROMELIAD INTERNATIONAL GUILD

AFFILIATED WITH THE CRYPTANTHUS SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL

About the Bromeliad Society/Houston Officers and Chairmen President Gary Gallick This corporation is organized exclusively for purely pub- 3202 Riverlawn lic charity and strictly educational purposes. Specific Kingwood, TX 77339 goals of the Society shall be to: 281-358-0364 [email protected] Increase knowledge of bromeliads through inter- Vice President Rick Richtmyer change and dissemination of information. Secretary Charlien Rose Treasurer Allyn Pearlman

Past President Lindsey Stowe Use such funds as are available for the purpose Board of Directors of research and/or equipment in institutions of Term Expires higher learning within the State of Texas. 12/31/11 12/31/12 12/31/13 Gene Powers Wray Page Midge Gorman There are two classes of membership: Ken Gardner Jim Woolsey Scherie Townes

Individual $20.00 per year I. Standing Committees Husband and wife $30.00 per year 1. Publicity Allyn Pearlman Bulletin Editor Carole Richtmyer 2. Plant Sales Chairman Allyn Pearlman All memberships begin with January of the current year. Members: Phil Speer, Lynn Schermerhorn, Ken Gardner Visit our website at www.bromeliadsocietyhouston.org 3. Programs Chairman Rick Richtmyer for more information. Standing Committees Ex-Officio Members: ______Gary Gallick/Rick Richtmyer II. Committees of the Board The Bulletin is published monthly and is mailed or e- 1. Annual Show Charlien Rose mailed to members of the BS/H, Inc. prior to monthly 2. Bromeliad Culture Odean Head meetings. Articles and any other information pertinent to Members Chris Nguyen 3. Holiday Party Allyn Pearlman bromeliads are solicited. Articles may be reprinted with 4. Garden Tours Don Green/Gene Powers proper acknowledgment given to author and publication. 5. Hospitality Coordinator Louise Epperson Members: Daryl Page A Yearbook is published annually based on the member- 7. Librarian Joan and Richard Beaubouef, ship roll at the end of the regular February meeting of Ruby Adams each year and distributed to members of the BS/H, Inc. 8. Membership Allyn Pearlman 9. Raffle Plants Cherie and Frank Lee, Wray Please address any correspondence regarding this publica- Page tion to: 10. Seedlings Provided by David Meade 11. Show & Tell Malcolm McCorquodale

12. Members’ and Visitors’ Registrar Ken Gardner, Carole Richtmyer Noreen Tolman 18814 Cypress Mountain Drive 13. Courtesy Midge Gorman Spring, TX 77388 14. Webmaster Joy Reynolds [email protected] Representatives Southwest Bromeliad Guild Charlien Rose, Ray Johnson Bromeliad Society International Gene Powers

May, 2011 May, Vol 44 No 5 Vol

Bromeliad Society

Carole Richtmyer 18814 Cypress Mountain Drive Spring, TX 77388

FIRST CLASS