Bromeliad Society of Victoria Inc. VOL 37 NO 5 October -November 2020 General Meetings and Field Days will not be held until further notice. CONTENTS 2020 Calendar of Events ................................................................................................2 Editorial ..........................................................................................................................3 Discussion Group Meetings ...........................................................................................3 BSV President’s Report ..................................................................................................4 General Meetings...........................................................................................................5 Spring has Sprung Rob McClure ................................................................................6 Starbucks - Japan ...........................................................................................................7 Vale – Bryan Paten .........................................................................................................7 From my Spring Garden Garry Brady ........................................................................8 Nance Esmore’s Orchids ................................................................................................8 Keely Ough’s Albuca spiralis ..........................................................................................8 Bromeliad Foliage Lloyd Godman .............................................................................9 Erection of heavy tree fern trunk to make a bromeliad totem pole ...........................20 Bromeliads in Tree Ferns Bruce Lee ........................................................................22 2020 CALENDAR OF EVENTS (all cancelled) 28 October – Meeting 14-15 November – Annual Show 9 December – Christmas Meeting COVER: Racinaea dyeriana BSV Inc. Contacts Geoff Beech MAIL PO Box 101, Darling VIC 3145 FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/groups/198663673628029/ WEBSITE http://bromeliad.org.au/ then, CLUB NEWS, Victoria EMAIL [email protected] 2 EDITORIAL We have some fabulous articles in this issue, both informative and full of ideas for you to FOREST DRIVE try. NURSERY As the weather warms up, and Melbourne Located at REPTON, South of has slightly above average rainfall, our Coffs Harbour. gardens are flourishing and the bromeliads SPECIES AND VARIETIES are colouring up and flowering beautifully. All quality plants at reasonable prices Plants for all level of collection. Some of us continue to meet on Zoom for Beautiful TILLANDSIA, Discussion Group, for a friendly chat, and to VRIESEAS, NEOREGELIAS, see familiar faces. Details are below. AECHMEAS ETC. I would be interested to see members make Visitors Welcome, but phone first short videos of their gardens – like mini Field (02) 6655 4130 A.H. Days. Please contact me if you can help out. For mail order send S A E: Keep safe and healthy and enjoy your plants. PO Box 2 Until we meet again, Bonville, NSW, 2441 Prop. Peter Tristram Jill www.bromeliads.com.au DISCUSSION GROUP MEETINGS The Discussion Group will next meet on Wednesday 18 November on ‘Zoom’, at 8 pm. The discussion group meets on the third Wednesday most months to talk bromeliads in an informal setting. This fun and friendly meeting is not of a technical nature. To join the Zoom meeting, click on this link https://us04web.zoom.us/j/72965777914?pwd=Ym8vYVhiNkoxYTYweE5pckpUSzh4d z09 Meeting ID: 729 6577 7914 Passcode: 5czeK9 Future Discussion Group dates: 16 Dec Tillandsia capitata ‘Rojo’ Vriesea ‘RoRo’ Geoff Beech 3 BSV PRESIDENT’S REPORT Hi Members, I hope you are all coping with the ongoing restrictions and are still able to get out and enjoy the spring weather. It's been a great spring so far with plenty of rain but still enough warm sunny days to really get those weeds growing. Oops I meant 'plants'. It’s been great to see plenty of bromeliads flowering as it has been a good year for aechmeas and billbergias, and some colouring up of neoregelias as the daylight hours are increasing. I'm sure the Tillandsia collectors are also seeing lots of colour if Chris Larson’s posts on Facebook are any indication. I did notice that the overnight temperature dropped below five degrees in some suburbs recently, so remain vigilant to avoid cold damage to any plants that you may have put in a more exposed position to make the most of the sunshine. All this time at home has provided a golden opportunity to keep on top of garden maintenance and hopefully a chance to take on some new projects. Not being able to duck out to grab garden supplies when needed has been a downside, but that just takes a bit more forward planning. Unfortunately the BSV is still unable to hold meetings and of course our Bromeliad Show that is usually held next month will not go ahead this year. Plans are to have the show in March 2021 but as you can appreciate, such plans are fluid with our uncertain road back to life as we knew it. You can still catch up with what some BSV members are up to by visiting the Victorian bromeliad site on Facebook or join the Zoom discussion group that's held on the third Wednesday evening of each month. Please take care both physically and mentally and hopefully we'll be unrestricted sooner rather than later. Rochelle Gaugg 4 GENERAL MEETINGS These are held at Phoenix Park Community Centre, Rob Roy Rd, Malvern East. Melway Ref. Map 69, D2. Meetings commence at 7:30 pm sharp. AVAILABLE AT EACH MEETING At each meeting you may take advantage of the following: 1. Raffle. 2. A Bromeliad Book Library. 3. Members’ plant sales table. 4. Plant display and competition. 5. A section for your problem plants. Ask the experts what they think. 6. Books for sale. 7. Accessories for sale. 8. Lots of other interested growers to meet and chat with. OFFICE BEARERS 2020-2021 Position Name Email Phone President Rochelle Gaugg [email protected] 0403 197 516 Vice President Chris Larson [email protected] 9568 8856 Secretary Bruce Lee [email protected] Treasurer Chris Baker [email protected] 9596 1992 General committee Jill Abbott [email protected] 0400 921 374 Geoff Beech [email protected] Garry Brady [email protected] [email protected] Rob McClure [email protected] Non-committee Positions Membership Jane Baker 0408 310 492 Secretary: [email protected] 90A Martin Street, Brighton VIC 3186 Librarian: Mike Raymond Plant Sales: Gary and Bruce Lee Supper Coordinator Sandra Bryant Patron: Maurice Kellett Life Members: Nance Esmore, Chris Larson, Jean Nicol, Garry Thompson Editor: Jill Abbott [email protected] Production: Brian Abbott Deadline for all editorial and advertising is the first Tuesday of publication month. All opinions expressed in the Newsletter are those of the authors, not necessarily those of the BSV. 5 SPRING HAS SPRUNG Rob McClure Row 1: Arisaema thunbergii ssp urashima (L & centre); Helicodiceros muscivorous (Dead horse arum) Row 2: Arum dioscorides; Voodoo Lily (Sauromatum) & Amorpophallus dunnii; Hippeastrum papillio Row 3: Lysichiton americanum. 6 STARBUCKS - JAPAN Tokyo’s newest Starbucks outlet has finally opened inside the Hana Biyori greenhouse, which is part of a larger garden managed by the popular amusement park, Yomiuriland. Especially during the rainy season, when the weather is unpredictable and sudden downpours are not uncommon, this new café is a great place to enjoy greenery over a cup of coffee while keeping dry. It's like walking into a floral fantasy of your Instagram dreams. The big hall is all decked out with blooming flower walls and hanging baskets planted with begonias, fuchsias, petunias, geraniums and bellflowers. The open, light-filled space is a breath of fresh air and a sight for sore eyes. The lush, comfortable atmosphere has plenty of greenery to calm your mind – there’s even a communal table with a water feature. Make a beeline for one of the counter seats facing the café’s 8m-long aquarium and you'll be treated to a mesmerising view of colourful coral fish from Okinawa. As the greenhouse is inside Yomiuriland’s Hana Biyori botanical garden, you’ll have to fork out ¥1,200 (primary school students and children aged three and older ¥600) for the park entry to get to this unique Starbucks outlet. (Ed: ¥1,200 = $16) (from: https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news) Photo: Yomiuri Land VALE – BRYAN PATEN We were very sad to learn of the passing of Bryan Paten, a long-time member of BSV. Bryan held several committee positions, recently as Secretary, but previously as President. He was a fount of knowledge, keen to share this with fellow members, and often gave demonstrations on making his famous bromeliad trees – large branches adorned with a variety of different bromeliads arranged with skill to display the colour, patterns and shapes of one of his favourite plants. Bryan will be sorely missed for his friendship, helpfulness, smile and his sense of humour. 7 FROM MY SPRING GARDEN GARRY BRADY Rhododendron Scilla peruvianus Lachenalias Aechmea apocalyptica mini daffs NANCE ESMORE’S ORCHIDS KEELY OUGH’S ALBUCA SPIRALIS 8 BROMELIAD FOLIAGE LLOYD GODMAN The primary function of pigments in plants is photosynthesis, which uses the green pigment chlorophyll along with several red and yellow pigments that help to capture as much light energy as possible. Other functions of pigments in plants include attracting insects to flowers to encourage pollination. Plant pigments include a