Wow Yong, I really like the HL x (cruent burle Marxi x (carolinae x concentrica)). It really reminds me of the Waggoner (spelling?) clone of Aechmea nudicaulis. I also like the first HL x Buckingham. Nice contrast of colors.
-andy

Thanks for the comments all...And for showing your goodies.

I must say there are some beauts coming from all corners of the globe!

So many have been added to the wishlist and some others that are still small are already looking good...

Now here is the question: How are we going to get hold of each others plants in the future? Theres no point in making them if we cant trade/sell them is there?

Good question!

Where there is a will...there is a way.

After some discussions with the grower who let me collect the seeds that produced my "mistake" I think it's a cross between apocalyptica and gamosepala var. nivea. The inflorescence is about 16 inches tall and might make a good cut flower. I sent 4 of these seedlings to Gainesville FL and 2 died but the other two survived this year's very cold weather. In January there was a stretch of 13 days where the low was less than 32F and on Jan 11th it got down to 17F. So I'd say that some of these are extremely cold tolerant.

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Well done everybody.The future of the bromeliad enthusiast is in good hands.We have no hope in curbing our addiction at this rate.
Hi Bob61.I was particularly impressed with your guzmania crosses and tillandsia in picture 2.What is the white and black plant in the background?Some sort of chantinii I am guessing.
Yong I love your neos.I hope we can get them here one of these days.
Cheers Fran

as for getting some of these great hybrids into our collections ti is such a shame (in this instance) Australia has such tough, expensive and damaging to the plant quarantine protocols. We may have to set up our own GWForum Quarantine Station!

Kristan

Nick, great macro shots. What do you use?

I have a Canon XSi with a 60mm macro lens. For shots like the ones I posted I use a tripod and Live View with manual focus. I also had to do the shot indoors to get out of the wind.

Hi bromadams,

I like your fantastic close-up photography, amazingly clear in every detail.

Ain't technology great when you know how to correctly use it?

Great stuff! All the best, Nev.

Chiming in a bit late here, but I have to say this has been a wonderful thread. It gives us a glimpse of the exciting future for us mad collectors. Thanks for initiating this, Dennis. Your striated Neos have really come into their own - great colour!

There are now too many contributions to individually comment on, but congratulations to all. I must say, however, that Bob61's and Yong's mature hybrid specimens are absolute standouts for me.

Bob61, I love your Guz. lingulata Fortuna x conifera! I grow both species, and your creation is a perfect combination of their best features. That's what I like about primary hybrids (i.e. those with two species parents of the same genus) - one can imagine how the progeny will look, with much more certainty than that of a complex hybrid. They usually produce fairly uniform grexes, and are more likely to retain stability and vigour over future generations, with fairly uniform grexes.

And then we have those complex hybrids full of ancestral history, where the "dance of the chromosomes" keeps us guessing as to the varied results. They are much more of a lucky dip, but probably more exciting to watch develop - with the chance of achieving something unique and outstanding (as well as some ugly monsters). If we were not blessed with the creative attempts of earlier hybridisers, then those superior complex hybrids would not be possible.
Like many, I am grateful to those dedicated folk who have expanded the wealth of beautiful plants for us to enjoy and treasure.

So as Nev always says - "Long live the hybridiser"!

K :)

Hi All,

Thank all kind comments.

Pee Pong: Good word 'Siamese Pride'. May I use this word for one of my hybrid. Thank for your kind heartedand willing to share. ^_^

Dennis: Good question. I think the world become smaller smaller as we can talk to each others this way. Before long we can trade and send plants to other part of the globe I hope and I could get the nice plants from you all and also to share. :-) Thanks for starting this threat.

Nick: Nice macro shot. I have very less ability in taking photos. My pics are not that good enough. I havecto practice a lot. ;-b

Cheers Yong

Hi Yong,

I love your all hybrids, esp Painted Lady F2 x (cruent burle Marxi x (carolinae x concentrica))!

I hope I can create something so beautiful in future.

Cecilia

Dennis you sure started a great posting. The caliber of plants coming on by all makes me want to build a new greenhouse and look forward to stocking it with all the great plants seen here. It just shows us there is always room for improvement with our plants. Personally I never met a plant I didn't think could be improved on.
Fran That is a black chantinii I got from Chester Skotak several years ago.
Kerry Thanks for the comment on the fortuna conifera cross. They are two of my favorite plants and when I got the chance I took it.

Best Bob

Dennis - great thread. And everyone, so many great pics and great plants and lots of inspiration! Thanks for sharing them. Cheers, Paul

My pleasure all...

Bob- would your black chantinii be the one now called Ebony? I love that plant! Get building ASAP! Your first pic has a great flower..

Yong- Thought I would make a quick comment on your X Laberts Pride plants....brilliant. Also the X Buckinghams.

Like Devo and the rest of the guys-Neo pauciflora is one of my favorite minis. The black and giant forms are the best of this already great plant. Devo your youngsters are also looking great.

When I have pups available I will let you guys know...then we can take it from there.

Cheers

Dennis

Since some of you asked about those 2 big zonates, I finally had time to take some pictures today.

This is my favorite. Normally I don't name cvs. until they are ready for release, and this one is FAR from that (5 years old and still no sign of a pup or a bloom, aargh!), but sometimes they just name themselves whether you are ready or not. This one told me it wanted to be called Cat's Pajamas, so who am I to argue with that?

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Its sibling has fairly nice markings too, but has slightly narrower leaves. I'm not sure if they are different enough to merit eventually registering both, but since the other one got a name, this one has started calling itself Cat Man Do.

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As I mentioned before, these were supposed to have been F2s of Blueberry Tiger, but as they grew, they stood out from the rest of the grex like a couple of cuckoo's eggs in a nest, being 2-3 times the size and fuller in form. Furthermore, all of the grexmates bloomed the second year, but these 2 still have yet to show any signs of doing so. All of the BBT F2s were smallish, lax and lanky, and eventually went to visit the trash pile. I kept only the darkest one, which you can see in the left foreground of the pic below. Next to it is the original BBT, the 2 cuckoo birds behind them, and in the back, their presumed real daddy, Mr. Tiger.

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Ooooooooooooh. That's just not fair to tease like that! Can you let me know two weeks before you send them anywhere?!? What show stoppers.

Well well Lisa ,what a terrible dilema to be in,register one or both ? wonderfull plants , beautifull markings , certainly similar ,but side by side the differences show up , Great names , as for the real parentage ? very few people will worry at this stage ,and you will work it out , i know its important ,but a Rose by any other name is still a Rose hmmm ? for those stunning Zonata types now being produced ,i could give up Vrieseas , Jack

Nice Lisa...I agree that Cats PJ's is the best looker. I like the shape and the banding is very uniform, if you know what I mean? 5 years, wow thats a long time!

Hi Lisa,

Wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cat's Pajamas and Cat Man Do. I will add that two to my wish list and wait for your release. Cat's Pajamas is the best in shap and banding.

Thank for showing

Cheers
Yong

Hi Dennis, do you have a photo of the black form of neo pauciflora. I also love the pauciflora forms and hybrids.

Nico

You really are the Cat's Pajamas of brom hybridising Lisa ;-) Those zonates looked good from a distance, but up close they are just stunning! Cat's PJ's is a stand out, with that very clear zonation & great form too. Now if you & Yong could match up Cat's PJ's with HL x Buckingham, Paul can add a reddish flush & then Dennis can finish with a touch of variegation...yes, I think I'd be happy with that...

Hi all

Nico: I am off to Cape Town today but will get a pic for you on the weekend!

Japie: your box is packed and ready to go...See you in a few hours!

Lisa: as per Devo's request, please get the two Cats ready for shipping! :-)

Cheers all

Dennis

Lisa I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw cat's P J's. Unbelievable!!! I'v never liked cats until now.
Dennis It's not Ebony.
Best Bob

Hi everyone,

Wow! Lisa, what can I say? They are truly a couple of magnificent creatures, however I'll bet they bite and scratch like a cat also.

"Long live the hybridizer"

All the best, Nev.

"Now if you & Yong could match up Cat's PJ's with HL x Buckingham, Paul can add a reddish flush & then Dennis can finish with a touch of variegation...yes, I think I'd be happy with that..."

I'm way ahead of you, Andrew. Or at least I would be if these guys would ever bloom! An arranged marriage of CPJ with Yong's HLxB would certainly produce some lovely well-formed children, but I really want to get some cup color in there as well. And variegation, of course. Getting all of those features to line up in one plant is like doing a 5 dimensional Rubik's cube. Gain one, lose another. I'll get there eventually, it will just take a while.

Nev, they're actually not that scratchy. CPJ in particular has very small spines, which is the only reason I might question Tiger as a parent. Usually Tiger babies have prominent spines, but many of its other traits are in evidence here.

Another vote of admiration for your two feline creations, Lisa. Just pur-fect!

K :)

Very interesting to see what you all are doing out there! And very nice stuff indeed.

Paul, your Punctate Red x Blushing Tiger is of specific interest as I did some Punctate Red x (Lambert's Pride x Tiger). They are just starting to show some stripes. It will be very interesting for me to see how much more zonation yours show than mine that have a pollen parent that carry the genes, but do not show any zonation!

Yong I still like your HL x Buckingham a lot - both of them but the second one, more.

Lisa, Cat's Pajamas has got such a 'finished' look, the zonation is almost too perfect!

Dennis, I am more than impressed - Thanks!
And very nice variegated babies you made with nice colour, now for some really cool patterns/markings! And the chantinii x orlandiana, do they all look more or less like the one pictured or are there many variations? Will be interesting to see it growing up!!

Japie

Further to Japie's comments on Dennis's Ae. chantinii x orlandiana, I thought I would show a photo, taken a few years ago, of another hybrid with the same parentage for comparison.

This one has the quoted parentage of Ae. chantinii (cv. 'Snowflake') x orlandiana (cv. 'Ensign'). I reckon Dennis's hybrid is much nicer. I lost this plant in the freak black frost of a couple of winters back.

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K:)

Hi all

Thanks Kez! I popped one in to Japie's lucky box, so we will see how they do in CT.

Thanks Japie, there is a bit of variation amongst them. Though not that much, mainly the colour, the one Japie has is purple with some silver banding. Japs-I will see you later to collect my new "children".

Cheers for now

Dennis

PS Lisa are the felines in the mail?

Sorry, the felines are staying put with Mama, Dennis. Unlike most kitties, they have a fear of boxes. Wouldn't want to traumatize the poor dears.

Lisa, are you about read to "screw" them? Great plants with no kittens is a huge problem.

Well, it wouldn't have been a "huge" problem if you guys didn't know about it, Nick! That's why I don't tell everyone everything I'm up to. Then I can go about my business in my own good time. ;-)

No, if I screw them then I can't cross with them, and a look at the inflo should help confirm my suspicions about the parentage too. I have been contemplating Florel, but that sometimes causes some damage or distortion, so I really prefer it if they bloom on their own. If I do that I'll want to make sure I have several perfect partners lined up that I can treat too.

I haven't had any real problem with Florel spotting. I did get 3 spots on one Neo (I think it's a Neo) out of the 24 plants that I've treated and those spots are almost gone at this point and the inflorescence is just starting to show.

I would certainly Florel one of the two and see what happens. If you're real squeamish, Florel some other plants and see what happens. It really does work and shouldn't cause any problems if you follow the directions.

I've used it many times, so I know what it does. Sometimes it's fine, but if there is any injured portion of the leaf or any type of foliar pathogen present, the ethylene will speed up the aging process and cause all of the affected leaves to suddenly turn brown and rot. Other times it may fail to produce a bloom but makes the plant stop growing and start pupping. Or it might produce a bloom but the cup becomes very shallow, or if there are any emerging pups, even buds, they will sometimes throw a bloom too.

Maybe it's because I've had the same bottle of Florel for close to 20 years, but I've only been having about 50-60% success with it. I'll only do it on a plant that looks really healthy, and preferably something I have more than one of. It's not a failsafe method of synchronizing bloom anyway. The growth rate of the plant in general will determine how quickly it will bloom. Two plants treated the same time might open their first flowers 6 weeks apart.

I think I've had about 80% success and I've never seen the brown leaf problem yet. I think my bottle of Florel is only 2 years old! I use 2 tbsp in a 500 ml spray bottle, which is inline with the 8oz/gallon rate on the label. I clean and dry the plants for a day and then spray the top part of the plant, wait 60 minutes and then rinse them off. I also tried a half strength dose applied twice, 30 minutes apart and that worked too. I also did a Q edmundoi strapped to a tree by just pouring a half ounce right down the throat and that worked quite well too.

Since this thread started my plants have flowered, set seed and pupped. Now the pups are flowering!

Ha ha! Gonz - yes, it has been an extraordinarily long week. My PC just about blew a gasket trying to upload your latest report.

Maybe someone could start a new thread to continue, if desired - like SYHW Part 2. This might be the record-breaking thread for the most number of posts? 'Onya Dennis!

K :)

Hi Guys ,yes i thought i would dig this thread up and post a piccie ,just for the heck of it , just some new seedlings coming on

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Cheers Jack

Before anyone asks ,this is a shot of the white seedling in there ,Vr, Michelle Cameron , thats the proposed name , jack

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WOW Jack, Michelle is a beaut!Infact all of the plants in the pic are great!!! How many years down the line are they?

Hi Jack,

You certainly have a lot of beautiful plants to name after all the beautiful women you know. What I want to know is; with the high standard you are achieving, how do you manage to still be able to cull them without breaking your heart.

Or do you farm them all out to your beautiful lady friend's for agistment in their back yards.

Beautiful plants, "Long live the hybridizer"

All the best, Nev.

Michelle Cameron is a stunner Jack! Nice tips ;-)

What are the parents?

Wow Lisa, love those zonates. Good luck with the variegation and blushing centre! And Wow Jack, just love those pin-stripey ones, and 'Michelle Cameron' of course. Just stunning. Cheers, Paul

Yup, Michele is a beauty, but I like the peachy streaky ones in the front too.

Thanks Paul, I'll let you know when I get there!

Hello Jack and Everyone.

Very nice and fantastic Michele Cameron! I also like the whole group. You still be a good man on Vrieseas. Hope I can get some of your plants. Thank for sharing Jack.

How about your Al.vinicolor hybridization with my Werau? Do you succeed in the mission? Sadly all of my werau. seed pots aborted.

Vriesias are one of the most fevorite plants of mine that have unique characters other broms don't have. Very nice colour and stripes.

Does Jack or anyone here know how to get Jack's plants or know someone on nursery that can distribute this plants to Thailand?

Cheers
Yong

Thats a good question Yong. Jack are your plants available outside of Aus?

Well thank you everyone for your kind comments ,i agree Lisa i like the soft peachy tones ,those plants are bred from Vr,fenestralis ,all the others have Vr'Milky Way' in them , and Andrew the parentage of Vr'Michelle Cameron' is my Vr'Uluru Sunset' x 'Milky Way' i grew 12 seedlings out the cross and the others are burnt orange tones ,Nev ,there is now not a lot of culling to be done (and that is a problem as you want to keep all ) as the quality of the parents improves ,so do the offspring ,Michelle is a beautifull lady and her husband Mal is a great bloke ,they grow perfect plants and are nice friends , No Nev , i dont farm them out ,though no one would mind i guess ,Hi Yong ,thank you my friend ,Sorry but my vinicolor x your Wer, did not work ,still there is allways next time ,at this stage Yong i do not send out of Australia ,otherwise you would have some ,i have included a piccie of the other plants from the cross of Michelle to show the difference

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They are nice high coloured plants , 'Uluru Sunset' is very strong ,but 'Milky Way' came through on 'Michelle Cameron ' its now very apparent that you will allways get quality from 'Milky Way'

cheers ,Jack

Jack I love the your orange Vriesea. I have managed to collect several orange and one is making pups so hopefully the kids will be orange. I have a Dusty Shadow that is conibg ibto bloom so I will freeze pollen and see what happens when the orange ones bloom.