2020
- Details
- Written by BSNZ Admin
January 2020
VOL 60 NO 1
A beautiful clump of Puya venusta.
Plant and photo from John Mitchell.
• ‘Fiesta’ 2020 classes and show competition rules
• Broms flourish in Wellington Botanic Garden
3
Bromeliad Journal – January 2020 issue
CONTENTS
Puya venusta – John Mitchell
Obituary: Pat Sweeney
President’s Page – Diane Timmins
November ‘Plant of the Month’ – Diane Timmins
Bromeliad Society November meeting news – Dave Anderson
‘Dear Doctor Brom’ – Diane Timmins
2019 monthly competition and trophy winners
‘Fiesta’ show competition classes and entry conditions
Rules and guidelines for show sellers and helpers
‘Bromeliad Surprise’ – Diane Timmins
‘Special Species Spotlight’ – Graeme Barclay
Society officers, subs and Journal directory
Appreciating Wellington Botanic Garden
Group News
‘New from New Zealand’ – Graeme Barclay
‘Fiesta’ 2020… get those plants ready for show!
Bromeliad Society of New Zealand Inc
The opinions expressed in articles or letters in this Journal are the contributors’ own views and
do not necessarily express the views or the policy of the Bromeliad Society of New Zealand.
COMING EVENTS
Please see the Group News section starting on page 20 for details of Group meeting
times and venues.
FEBRUARY
2nd South Auckland Group meeting
12th Bay of Plenty Group meeting
19th Bay of Plenty garden visit
22nd – 23rd The Society’s ‘FIESTA’
competition, display and plant sale
at Mt Eden War Memorial Hall, 489
Dominion Road, Balmoral, Auckland.
See back cover for details.
25th Society monthly meeting at
Greyfriar’s Hall, corner of Mt Eden
and Windmill roads at 7.30pm. Our
‘Monthly Choice’ competition is
Aechmea orlandiana and its hybrids.
We will enjoy a PowerPoint presentation
by renowned bromeliad grower, Nigel
Thompson, from Australia.
JANUARY
28th Society monthly meeting at
Greyfriar’s Hall, corner of Mt Eden
and Windmill roads at 7.30pm. Our
‘Monthly Choice’ competition is
stoloniferous bromeliads. We will have
a series of presentations about basic
growing guidelines, potting tips, potting
mixes, feeding programmes and ideas
for mounting tillandsias – a practical
‘hands-on’ session with plenty of ideas
for both new and experienced growers.
A
bout 10 years ago, Margaret
Flanagan gave me a Puya venusta
seedling as a present.
It has been thriving in our frost-prone
Papakura garden ever since. A decade of
growth has seen the single plant multiply
into a huge clump with more than 10 heads.
It flowers annually around Christmas time
and takes care of itself, maintaining a really
tidy look. There is no dead heading required.
Perhaps, this is one of the best medium sized
garden puyas currently available in New
Zealand.
Puya venusta…
thriving in Papakura
– Notes from grower, John Mitchell
Obituary: We lose our patron
and life member, Pat Sweeney
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our patron, Pat Sweeney.
Pat has had a very long association with the BSNZ. She was one of our founder
members when the Society was first established in 1962. Over the years she has
been very involved – serving on the committee and on the executive and she
became a life member.
Pat acquired a broad knowledge of all bromeliad species and owned a large
and diverse collection of beautiful plants herself. She especially loved her
tillandsias. Her garden was well and artistically set out. Pat had other very
artistic hobbies too, and loved making and clothing dolls, giving them porcelain
heads and faces.
Pat was always a lady of her word and was forever stylishly and smartly dressed.
Personally, Joan and I first met Pat at the House Plant Society meetings and she
encouraged us to join the Bromeliad Society, which we did in 1983.
Pat will be very much missed with many of us having lovely long-term and
happy memories of her. We extend our sincerest sympathy, on behalf of all of
us at BSNZ, to Pat’s family.
– Dave Anderson
4 5
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
J
ust as we were about to go to
print, we received the sad news of
the passing of our patron and life
member, Pat Sweeney. We send our
sincere condolences to Pat’s family.
Please see the obituary notice for Pat on
page 2.
At our January meeting we’re going
to start off the year with a few experts
talking about some general bromeliad
care, a brief demonstration of pup
removal, and comments on what some
growers use as their planting mixes,
along with hints for types of glue and
techniques for attaching tillandsias to
solid surfaces. If you have found an ideal
tool for any of these or other tasks, bring
it along for us to be inspired. This will
be a good opportunity to ask questions
and speak easily with a number of our
experienced growers.
On Sunday 16th March we have
arranged a northern bus trip for members.
We will visit two private gardens, and
the Whangarei Quarry Garden. There
will be two Auckland pick up and drop
off points, and a comfort stop along the
way. The subsidised price is $40 per
person and includes morning tea and
garden entry. To secure a seat, payment
can be made at the January meeting, or
by internet – (details for paying BSNZ
electronically are on page 18). You can
also contact me to discuss on diane.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 09-415
9066.
Our annual ‘Fiesta’ is only weeks
away… February 22nd to 23rd
The highlight of the year, and an
important fundraiser, it is always a
fabulous display of rare and beautiful
competition plants, a stunning foyer
display, with bargains galore for any
bromeliad enthusiast, from beginners to
collectors.
At our January meeting we will gather
names of people who wish to be helpers
or sellers, or who are able to put the
‘Fiesta’ information on their community
Facebook, or who may wish to attend
our Saturday night dinner. If you are
unable to attend the meeting, please
contact Lester Ching to book a sales
table. Contact Jocelyn Coyle if you are
able to help in any way (even half an
hour Friday morning setting up tables is
appreciated), or any committee member
if you have any queries. Graeme Barclay
can email you a post for Facebook.
Our contact numbers are on page 18.
Peter Waters will have seller’s price
stickers available to buy at our January
meeting. We have a list of ‘Fiesta’ show
competition and sellers rules, starting
on page 11 of this Journal.
Two days after ‘Fiesta’ we have our
February meeting on Tuesday 25th where
we will welcome Nigel Thompson –
renowned bromeliad grower based in
Australia. He will give us a PowerPoint
presentation.
Congratulations to all monthly meeting
competition table trophy winners
(winner’s listed page 10).
I am looking forward to seeing many
more brom beauties at our upcoming
meetings!
Diane Timmins
S
he turns heads whenever she
enters the room, luring the
crowds with her mesmerising
beauty.
Her’ faithful consort’, Peter Coyle, has
once again won ‘Plant of the Month’
with a particularly good, stable clone
of this plant, which has pure white
central stripe on wide glossy leaves.
Originally potted up in a good mix
with slow release fertiliser, no extra
feed has been given to this plant as
yet, although Peter will feed it when
it flowers, to ensure plenty of nutrition
– to make lots of babies. Along with
a position in the plastic house with
very high light, this means the plant
has developed strong pinkie red
colouration, spreading down from the
tips, and a plump look with compact
wide leaves.
Neoregelia ‘Lorena Lector’
– grown by Peter Coyle
Her impressive size is inherited from
the parents. Ray Coleman used two
Skotak hybrids – Neoregelia ‘Lorena’
(a sizeable variegate named after
Chester Skotak’s wife), and Neoregelia
‘Hannibal Lector’ – a formidable bold
banded plant also spanning over 40cm
across.
Another specimen of the same plant has
been grown in a shady position in Peter
Coyle’s plastic house, and this has not
developed the bright colour bleeding
in from the edges, proof that the right
position can change the appearance of
your bromeliad from just great, to a
real show stopper.
Neoregelia ‘Lorena Lector’.
Above: Grown in shade
Right: Grown in high light
PHOTOS PETER COYLE
6 7
P
resident Diane welcomed over
sixty members on a warm summers
evening. Our BSNZ ‘Fiesta’ will
be held on the weekend of the 22nd and
23rd of February along with the Society’s
annual show competition. The message
was – start getting your plants ready!
The monthly competition plant was
Christmas arrangements. As usual there
were some lovely displays. Graeme
Barclay thanked everyone who had
supported the upcoming ‘Kiwi Broms’
2021 conference to be held in Auckland.
Isla McGowan then spoke about the
bromeliad glade at Eden Garden where
she has been organising the cleaning
up and maintenance over the last six
years. She had received a card from
Eden Garden thanking the Bromeliad
Society for all the hard work done over
the years. Regarding this she said that
she was always looking for people who
Bromeliad Society
November Meeting News
– Notes by Dave Anderson and photos by Lucy Timmins
could help with the working bees that
she organises once a month, on a Friday
morning. Please contact Isla if you can
help.
The trophy and annual competition
winners for the 2019 year were then
presented with their prizes.
Peter Waters took us through’ Show and
Tell’ plants. First up for display was
Billbergia viridiflora with its beautiful
pendulous spike that has green flowers – a
species that could possibly be reclassified
into the Ursulaea genus. Their habitat is
in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. The
next plants were the very similar but still
separated species Tillandsia cereicola
and Tillandsia hitchcockiana. These
plants are very similar but the botanists
still think that there is enough difference
to be separate species. In cereicola the
More photos on P8
floral bracts exceed the sepals and the
reverse for hitchcockiana. Next and
for display were the plants Tillandsia
pringlei and Tillandsia karwinskyana
with Peter saying that the difference
between these plants was that Tillandsia
karwinskyana leaves were more fluffy
and its petals yellowish-green while
pringlei has creamy-white petals.
For show was the species Canistrum
guzmanioides that has a very similar
flower spike to a guzmania. Also, for
display was Tillandsia crista-gallii
that looked a lot like a small Tillandsia
fasciculata. Lastly, someone wanted to
know what causes a neoregelia to have
a double inflorescence in the centre. The
consensus was that it was caused by
damage to the meristem.
The Annual Rare Plant Auction of special
plants followed, with Peter Coyle, our
auctioneer, once again doing outstanding
work to obtain some lively bidding and
prices.
Bev Ching won this month’s special
raffle prize. The door prizes went to
Fleur Phillips, Joan Anderson and Pas
Southon.
COMPETITIONS
• Open Flowering: First was Judy
Graham with a beautiful guzmania
hybrid. Second was Peter Coyle
with Aechmea zebrina. Also in the
competition were Aechmea ‘Blue Imp’,
‘Rafa’; Canistrum triangulare; xCanmea
‘Havoc’; Catopsis compacta; Goudaea
ospinae var gruberi; Hohenbergia
‘Karla’; Quesnelia lateralis; Vriesea
‘Vistarella’ and ‘Arcadian Mist’ hybrid.
• Open Foliage: First was Peter Coyle
with Neoregelia ‘Ironside’. Nancy
Murphy was second with Vriesea
‘Hunua Twilight’. In the competition
were Billbergia ‘Domingos Martins’,
Canistrum ‘Vania Leme’, xCanmea
‘Hunua Net Troll’, ‘Wild Tiger’;
Quesnelia ‘Black Knight’; Neoregelia
‘Tara Beauty’ x (ampullacea x ‘Gold
Fever’); Vriesea ‘Chestnut Wave’ hybrid
x ‘Afterglow’, ‘Fairy Charm’, ‘Hunua
Fireburst’ x ‘Hunua Lavaflow’ and ‘Rose
First in Open Flowering: Guzmania hybrid – Judy Graham First in Open Foliage: Neoregelia ‘Ironside’ – Peter Coyle
8 9
Cont’d from P7 – Bromeliad Society Meeting News
Lime’ hybrid.
• Tillandsia: Judy Graham was first
with Tillandsia straminea and second
with Tillandsia ‘Dimmitt’s Talent’ was
Peter Coyle. In the competition were
Tillandsia brenneri, fuchsii, welzii,
tomasellii, imperialis, ‘Lucille’ and
‘Werner’s Wonder’.
• Neoregelia: Peter Coyle was first
with Neoregelia ‘Lorena Lector’ which
also won plant of the month and second
was Graeme Barclay with a Neoregelia
‘Blast Furnace’. In the competition were
Neoregelia bahiana, ‘Black Beauty’ F2,
‘Totara Devils Nectar’, ‘Red Tiger’,
‘Rosy Morn’ x ‘Lambert’s Pride’,
‘Mai Snow Pheasant’, ‘Golden Child
Phoenix’, ‘Shelldance’, ‘Spanky’, ‘Tiger
Prince’, ‘Ed Prince’ x ‘Punctate Red’
and (lilliputiana x ‘Felix’) x ‘Grace’s
Avalanche’.
• Christmas Decoration: First was
Lynette Nash and second was Judy
Graham – both with attractive
arrangements. In fact, all the
arrangements entered in this year’s
competition were of a very high standard.
The ‘Plant of the Month’ went to Peter
Coyle with Neoregelia ‘Lorena Lector’.
Congratulations to all the winners.
Christmas supper concluded a most
enjoyable evening.
NEXT MEETING: Tues 28th January.
First in Tillandsia:
Tillandsia straminea – Judy Graham
First in Christmas Decoration:
Lynette Nash
Dear
Doctor Brom…
Dear Doctor Brom…
Q: A couple of my bromeliads appear
to be healthy, but when I moved them
their middle moved, and a gentle tug
removed the entire centre.
Diagnosis: Crown Rot, also known as
Heart Rot.
Crown Rot and Heart Rot can cause
considerable losses. These conditions
are caused by the same organism,
Phytophthora cinnamomic. This
organism is a fungus with swimming
spores which thrive in oxygen deficient
conditions. The spores have a long
survival time estimated at 12-15 years!
It is highly invasive, particularly when
some mechanical damage has occurred.
The mode of dispersal is not known
but contaminated surface water is a
If you have a ‘bromeliad problem’ that
needs answering, please send your
question, (hopefully with a photo or two),
to ‘Doctor Brom’ c/- Diane Timmins at
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possibility, and rain water has been
suspected. This fungus is a normal
inhabitant of some soils, particularly
those which are waterlogged, or
otherwise have oxygen deficient
conditions. In a normal well aerated
soil (or compost), any phytophthora
is kept in check by a parasitic fungus,
Trichoderma. Trichoderma thrives only
under well aerated conditions.
Extended periods of excess moisture
often happen during winter, but the
fungal spores may not proliferate and
cause irreversible damage until the
warmth of spring. Bromeliads infected
may not show obvious symptoms until
the problem is well advanced. A quick
test is to gently wriggle one of the
centre leaves. Worst case – the leaf is
easily removed. The infection is readily
identified, as it has a foul odour, and
the leaves show a characteristic blue/
black line marking the advance of the
infection.
Prognosis: Sadly, probable death.
Remove all infected matter, and rinse
with clean water. Use of fungicide is
possible, but that brings other potential
problems. Prevention is better than cure.
Prevention: Avoid water-logging or
compost break down that will cause the
potting mixture to become anaerobic.
Too much organic matter sitting in the
centre of the plant, such as rotting tree
leaves can also offer an environment for
fungus to accumulate. Before and during
winter, try to tidy out leaf litter from the
cups of your bromeliads.
References: Heart Rot by Peter Paroz
10 11
2020 BROMELIAD
Cont’d P12
2019 Monthly Competition Winners
Judged over eleven monthly meetings of the Bromeliad Society.
BEA HANSON TROPHY – Most points in Monthly Choice competitions
David Goss
GREENOUGH TROPHY – Plant of the month competitions
Peter Coyle
CENTENNIAL TROPHY – Most points overall for the year
Peter Coyle & David Goss
BEA HANSON MEMORIAL TROPHY
Awarded to a member who has given outstanding service to the Society
and who typifies the founding spirit and commitment of Bea Hanson.
(Judged by our President and Patron)
Pas Southon
Flowering:
1st Peter Coyle 31 Points
2nd David Goss 30 Points
3rd Graeme Barclay 29 Points
Foliage:
1st David Goss 47 Points
2nd Peter Coyle 28 Points
3rd Graeme Barclay 20 Points
Tillandsia:
1st Lynette Nash 33 Points
2nd Peter Coyle 18 Points
3rd Dave Dawson 13 Points
2019 Trophy Winners
Judged over eleven monthly meetings of the Bromeliad Society.
Neoregelia:
1st Graeme Barclay 34 Points
2nd Peter Coyle 29 Points
3rd David Goss 22 Points
Monthly Choice:
1st David Goss 32 Points
2nd Peter Coyle 30 Points
3rd Graeme Barclay 18 Points
Class
1. Aechmea
3. Billbergia
4. Cryptanthus or Orthophytum
5. Guzmania
6. Bromeliad species (any genus)
7. Neoregelia
8. Neoregelia Midi size
9. Nidularioids
10. Tillandsia Small Blooming
11. Tillandsia Small Foliage
12. Tillandsia colony
13 Tillandsioideae
14. Tillandsia Large Blooming
15. Tillandsia Large Foliage
16. Vriesea Blooming
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES
17. Vriesea Foliage
18. Bigeneric or other genus not
listed above
19. Miniature bromeliad
20. Variegated bromeliad
21. Pitcairnioideae
23. Dish or tray garden or novelty
planting
24. Bromeliad arrangement
25. Artistic or floral arrangement
26. Decorative container
27. Hanging container
28. New Zealand hybrid
29. Original Bromeliad Art Work
30. Educational display
BROMELIAD SOCIETY OF N.Z. (INC)
COMPETITIVE SHOW 2020
CONDUCTED AS PART OF OUR ANNUAL
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
1. Exhibitors must be financial
members of the Bromeliad Society
of N.Z.
2. A maximum of two plants may be
entered in each class.
3. Plants must have been grown by
exhibitor for at least six months prior
to show.
4. Plants must be clean and healthy,
free from scale and insects and
drained of water. Pots must be clean
and potting mix free of weeds and
other plant material. Each plant
should be correctly labelled with
name, or if unnamed, with parents,
and with no abbreviations. (ie.
Neoregelia hybrid is unacceptable).
This rule does not apply to classes
16, 17 and 28. Labelling not
necessary in Classes 23 to 25, and 29.
12 Cont’d P14 13
5. Plants may be potted only in
standard clay, terracotta, green or
black plastic pots or unadorned
bonsai pots. They may also be
mounted on any suitable material.
6. No commercial leaf shine, cream or
milk may be used to enhance the
appearance of the plant.
7. A pot may contain single or multiple
plants provided they are attached
to a single rootstock. This applies to
Classes 1 to 9, 16 to 21 and 28.
8. Neoregelia Midi size is for plants
less than 200mm high and 250mm
wide.
9. Nidularioids include Nidularium,
Canistropsis, Canistrum, Wittrockia
and Edmundoa.
10. Tillandsias must be firmly
attached to mounts and must
look established. They may be
single or with attached offsets of
one type only, within the stated
measurements. Fiji Trophy awarded
for Best Tillandsia.
11. Tillandsia sizes are: Small (up
to 20cm (8in)), Large (20cm up
(8in plus)). These measurements
exclude inflorescence and mount.
12. Tillandsia colony is for multiple
plants of the same type only.
13. Tillandsioideae is for genera in this
subfamily other than Guzmania,
Tillandsia or Vriesea. These genera
are Alcantarea, Barfussia, Catopsis,
Cipuropsis, Glomeropitcairnia,
Goudaea, Gregbrownia, Jagrantia,
Josemania, Lemeltonia, Lutheria,
Mezobromelia, Pseudalcantarea,
Racinaea, Stigmatodon, Wallisia,
Waltillia and Zizkaea.
14. Miniature bromeliad may be single
or have multiple heads attached to
a single rootstock, no plant more
than 12.5cm (5in) high excluding
inflorescence. Tillandsias are not
permitted in this class.
15. Variegated bromeliad is a plant
with white, pink or red longitudinal
stripes on leaves.
16. Pitcairnioideae includes Dyckia,
Puya, Pitcairnia, Hechtia, Navia and
Deuterocohnia.
17. Olive Allan Trophy for Best of Show
chosen from Classes 1 to 22 and 28
only.
18. Class 24 Bromeliad Arrangement
uses bromeliads only and can
incorporate only natural materials.
Plastic pots are not allowed. Ern
Bailey Trophy for Best Arrangement
awarded to winner of this class.
19. Class 25 Artistic or floral
arrangement may use other types of
plant but must include a significant
amount of bromeliad material.
20. Class 26 Decorative Container
where emphasis is placed on
harmony or contrast between plant
and container, and Class 27 Hanging
Container where balance is sought,
may contain more than one plant
but of one type only.
21. Class 29 May be painting, drawing,
photograph, needlework or other
original work of art executed by the
exhibitor.
22. Class 30 May be any collection of
bromeliads and/or other visual aids
designed to educate on any phase of
bromeliad horticulture. Maximum
size is one square metre.
23. Entries will be accepted between
1pm and 5pm only on Friday
21st February
24. Entries may not be removed from
show until after 3pm on Sunday 23rd
February.
25. Unless mentioned above other
rules as BSI standard show. Final
decision rests with Competition
Stewards.
Cont’d from P11 – Schedule of Classes
Information for plant sellers and helpers…
at Bromeliad Society of New Zealand
‘Fiesta’ and ‘Spring Sale’ – From your BSNZ Committee
• All labels must be of the white
rectangular sticker type supplied
by the BSNZ and must be attached
securely. This means ONE side of the
label ONLY is adhered to the pot (or
name tag for bare-rooted plants), so
that the other side of the sticker (with
the price and initials on it) is hanging
free and can be easily removed by the
cashiers. DO NOT remove the sticker
backing from both halves of the label,
as this causes the removed labels to
stick together when being collated.
It is recommended to also duplicate
initials and price on the side of the
label adhered to the pot or plant name
tag as well.
• Where possible (but not absolutely
necessary), plant prices should ideally
be rounded to the nearest $5.00 to
allow easier addition by the cashiers
and Treasurer. Please think of others.
• Prices on labels MUST NOT be
amended at any time by sellers or
anyone else during the sale. If a
price is to be changed/discounted,
a new label MUST ALWAYS be used.
Labels with changed prices will not be
accepted by the cashiers.
SELLER REQUIREMENTS:
• Sellers must be current financial
members of the Bromeliad Society of
NZ. Inc (BSNZ).
• All sale plants must be free of scale
and disease and have water removed
from their leaves/tanks.
• Sale plants must be of a reasonable
standard. Potted plants must be
rooted and stable, un-rooted or freshly
cut plants must be sold as bare-root
cuttings. Old mothers or plants that
have had their pups removed must
not be sold.
• To allow the set-up of tables, sale
plants must not be brought into the
hall before 9.00am for ‘Fiesta’ and
before 7.30am for the ‘Spring Sale’.
Seller’s tables must not be packed
up until the sale has concluded at
3.00pm.
• All plants must be clearly labelled
with a $ sign price and the name initials
given to you by the sale manager. A
clear, permanent pen must be used,
NOT pencil. The same initials should
be used for all future sales, unless
advised to change.
With a number of new sellers and helpers now involved with our two annual
BSNZ sale events, it’s time to revisit our ‘rules’ and expectations for everyone
involved. This is to ensure we are all on the same page, so each event runs
smoothly and is enjoyable for all.
14 15
• Plant price labels can be purchased
from Peter Waters or at the January
BSNZ meeting - $10.00 per bundle of
250 labels.
• For the February ‘Fiesta’, all sellers
will be charged a $15.00 fee for each
requested 1.8 metre table space or
equivalent sized floor space. The table
hire fee will be deducted from plant
sale payments. Sellers must only use
the hall tables or those hired by BSNZ
to allow the prior set-up of the hall.
Vertical racks for displaying tillandsias
etc and crates/boxes placed below
tables for housing larger plants are
allowed, provided they are within the
allocated space and clear of walkways.
• Table space must be booked with
Lester Ching, no later than the end
of January for ‘Fiesta’ and end of
September for ‘Spring Sale’.
• Sellers who do not regularly attend
BSNZ meetings may be located on the
stage area for the ‘Fiesta’. This will be
at the discretion of the sale organisers
depending on room available.
• The BSNZ will charge a commission
of 20% on all sales made by members.
• All sellers are requested to bring
at least 2 display plants for the
foyer plant display. These should be
correctly labelled and left with the
display organisers in the foyer ASAP
between 9.00am-1.00pm FRIDAY for
the ‘Fiesta’ and no later than 7:30am
for the ‘Spring Sale’.
• All sellers are expected to help
break down and clean up the hall and
other facilities post the 3.00pm finish,
after sale and show are removed.
Cont’d from P13 – Information for Plant Sellers and Helpers
SELLER AND HELPER PLANT
PURCHASES:
• Sellers and Helpers may only select
UP TO 5 PLANTS from the sales tables
at any time BEFORE the sale opens
at 9.00am. Please DO NOT attempt
to pay for them before the 9.00am
opening, storing and paying later in
the day after the rush is preferred.
Please be fair and considerate to our
other members and customers when
selecting plants.
• Sellers and Helpers may store
plants for purchase later behind their
tables, in the lunch room sitting area,
or in the foyer adjacent to the kitchen.
Please DO NOT place plants anywhere
inside the kitchen area, near doorways
or near the plant sticker sorting table.
• Any priced plant placed on a sale
table is available for sale to any person
at any time. Plants placed under or
behind tables may or may not be
available for sale, in this case the seller
must be consulted before such a plant
is removed for purchase.
• Sellers and Helpers intending
to purchase multiple plants are
encouraged to bring your own boxes
(and any spares) to ensure boxes are
left for other buyers and the public.
• Smile and have fun!
A
rather different type of
‘surprise’ to get your brain
cells working for the start
of a new year. We have a bromeliad
that has inspired an abstract floral
painting and that in turn has inspired
a special cocktail!
Featuring strongly in the craft cocktail
renaissance, the term ‘mixology’ is
generally accepted as the in-depth study
of the art and craft of mixing drinks and
a ‘mixologist’ is a professional mixer
(who could also be a bartender) who
studies the art.
Recently, ‘Comet Space Project’ (an
Auckland artist run initiative) hosted
a mixology event where the aim was
to combine the art of mixing cocktails
and other drinks with the art of painters.
The thinking was that a painting is an
experience for your eyes, while cocktails
are a taste experience. When we
By Diane Timmins
combine the two, can that stretch the
experience and reveal something new
– an extra treat for the senses?
So here we have it – our January
summer ‘surprise’…
The plant: Neoregelia ‘Lucy’ –
a cultivar or albomarginated sport of
a Neoregelia chlorosticta, named by
Peter Waters for BSNZ committee
member, Lucy Timmins.
The art: a large abstract painting by
Molly Timmins, set on a green fabric
canvas. Molly has started with soft
blended layers of cool colours and
worked up into a warm spectrum,
applied with heavier brush strokes.
The cocktail: by Jason Rosen.
A custom ‘Tropical Luau Mix’ of
Bombay Sapphire gin, combined with
pineapple, mint and orange, topped
up with tonic. Tropical, summery and
juicy with a warming finish of roasted
nuts and spices.
16 17
This will be the last edition of the ‘Special Species’ series until after the
‘Kiwi Broms’ Conference. To finish, let’s look at a recently imported new
clone of a popular tillandsia species.
Tillandsia ‘Deep Purple’
By Graeme Barclay
As
we have seen with numerous
other ‘special’ species clones,
this plant also surfaced in the
realms of cultivation. In the 1990s and
early 200’s, well-known bromeliad
nurseryman, Franz Gruber, of Bromelias
de Colombia Nursery in Fusagasuga
(near Bogota) Colombia, was raising
seed of Tillandsia straminea. His
nursery grew thousands of plants, some
possessed dark, pink-purple floral bracts
rather than the usual light pink or beige
colour when they bloomed, so they were
selected out for propagating their offsets.
The origin of the dark-bracted clone that
produced this seed is not known for sure,
but these purple-bracted plants were
then further crossed with each other (and
probably other dark-bracted clones) to
increase the population numbers via
further seed raising. Interestingly, a
crimson-red bracted form has also since
been developed and released in 2018
by Pam Hyatt of Birdrock Tropicals
near San Diego, further proving colour
variation can sometimes occur.
This lovely purple form is a normal-
sized Tillandsia straminea, with soft,
attenuate (pointy), lepidote (scurfy)
leaves to around 20-25cm diameter that
are quite velvety to touch. The mature
plant is semi-caulescent (grows with
a slightly extended stem/trunk), while
the peduncle (flower stalk) extends
registered in the BSI BCR in February
2017. In early 2018 I imported a single
plant from Peter into New Zealand along
with a number of other unique species
clones. It recently bloomed in November
2019, so now the task is to produce
numerous pups for circulation here.
Unfortunately, his clone does not self-set
seed, so vegetative pups are the only way
to ensure the continuing presence of the
striking purple bracts.
Tillandsia straminea (meaning ‘straw
Tillandsia ‘Deep Purple’ blooming clump coloured bracts’) was first collected way
PHOTO PETER TRISTRAM
Tillandsia ‘Deep Purple’
inflorescence (left) and
flower detail (above)
PHOTOS GRAEME BARCLAY
around 30-40cm. The flowers have
purple-edged, creamy-white petals and
are fragrant with a sweet perfume, as
also seen in the usual light pink-bracted
clones of Tillandsia straminea that are
common in cultivation.
In 2014, bromeliad collector Peter
Tristram of Repton, NSW, imported
a small number of these Colombian
‘purple’ gems into Australia. After
blooming them himself, he coined the
name Tillandsia ‘Deep Purple’ and it was
back in 1802 and published in 1816. It
is endemic to Ecuador and Peru where it
grows in a wide variety of habitats from
mountainous areas to barren coastal
deserts, mainly as an epiphyte, but also
terrestrially on sand. It prefers very bright
light and is quite hardy, but doesn’t enjoy
prolonged high humidity and heat. Like
many other tillandsia species, if grown
outdoors in New Zealand in cooler
environments, it should be kept dry for
longish periods after watering to prevent
suffocation and rotting.
Tillandsia ‘Deep Purple’ en masse in Colombia
PHOTO PETER TRISTRAM
18 19
President: Diane Timmins 09-415 9066
Vice Presidents: Jocelyn Coyle 09-416 8272
Graeme Barclay 09-817 4153
Secretary: Dave Anderson 09-638 8671
Membership Secretary | Scientific Officer:
Peter Waters 09-534 5616
Treasurer: Pas Southon 09-535 3544
Librarian: Bev Ching 09-576 4595
Committee: Lester Ching 09-576 4595
Alan Cliffe 09-479 1451
David Cowie 09-630 8220
Lucy Timmins 021-078 1102
Editor: Murray Mathieson 09-418 0366
Life Members: Dave Anderson, Patricia Perratt,
Peter Waters
OFFICERS
MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION
BROMELIAD JOURNAL
Editorial Committee
Dave Anderson
Murray Mathieson
Peter Waters
Production
Murray Mathieson
Distribution
Dave Anderson
All enquiries and contributions welcome,
please contact any member of the editorial
committee or send to Peter Waters, 22 Half Moon
Rise, Half Moon Bay, Auckland 2012 or email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Deadline
For all editorial and advertising, the first
Tuesday of publication month
Display Advertising
Rates are:
Full Page $60.00
Half Page $30.00
Quarter Page $15.00
‘Buy & Swap’
Listings in ‘Buy & Swap’ are FREE for members
of the Society (max. 30 words).
For advertising enquiries and material, please
contact Murray Mathieson ph (09) 418 0366
or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New Zealand
Ordinary membership NZ $45.00 ($5.00 discount
if paid before the end of February).
Dual membership (same household) NZ $55.00
($5.00 discount applies as above).
Overseas
NZD $45.00. Send all payments to the Membership
Secretary, Peter Waters, 22 Half Moon Rise, Half
Moon Bay, Auckland 2012.
Paying electronically
Paying via internet banking: Bromeliad Society
account: 03-0227-0071516-00. Please include your
name as reference. Re full contact information for
new members / changes for existing members,
please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Correspondence
All general correspondence should be sent to the
Secretary, Bromeliad Society of New Zealand,
P.O. Box 108-168, Symonds Street, Auckland,
New Zealand. The opinions expressed in letters
or articles in the Journal are the contributors’ own
views and do not necessarily express the views or
policy of the Bromeliad Society of New Zealand
Inc.
Society Website
www.bsnz.org – For past Journal archive –
growing tips – articles – sales information
T
he Wellington Botanic Garden
is one of New Zealand’s most
significant public gardens,
occupying an area of 25 hectares in the
suburb of Kelburn. A cable car ride to
the peak offers extensive views of the
Wellington area, and access to the old
observatory and a pleasant meander
down through the extensive park like
grounds to the café, rose garden, bedding
displays and Begonia House below.
It consists of hills and valleys, the
remains of a pre-European forest, mixed
gardens, and plantings and buildings of
significant architectural and historical
value. The land was set aside on
instructions of the Directors of the New
Zealand Company.
Wellington Botanic Garden has national
historical significance as one of earliest
public gardens in New Zealand.
Officially established by an Act of
Parliament in 1869, the garden was
intended to serve as a kind of ‘Central
Depot for botanical and acclimatising
purposes’ that would benefit the entire
colony. Adjacent is the large Begonia
House displaying tropical and temperate
plants and a tropical conservatory
In June 1960, after talking with Director
Edward Hutt, Lady Norwood generously
donated the sum of £20,000 ($40,000)
for the construction of a new Begonia
House to face onto the new Lady
Norwood Rose Garden. The planned
Begonia House could act as a glasshouse
the whole year round, and include the
most exotic indoor plants. The new
glasshouse was recognised at the time as
the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
There’s a place for broms at
Wellington Botanic Garden
It now contains a variety of other plants
as well as begonias which are displayed
in summer, with the winter varieties of
cyclamen, cineraria, impatiens, hibiscus,
liliums, bougainvillea and orchids with
an extensive collection of cymbidiums.
Tropical subjects are crotons, coleus,
bromeliads, banana palms and many
more varieties. The display usually
includes some 5,000 separate plants.
The temperature at the tropical end
is maintained so it does not go under
18º C, and preferably not above 27º C.
During winter heating is achieved by
pipes running around the inside of the
building containing water that has been
heated by 3 boilers.
A flowing metal structure supports a
canopy of various tillandsias, guzmanias
brighten the lower canopy, and a large
clump of Vriesea fosteriana (rubra)
draws the eye in a beautiful display
Cont’d P20
20 21
Bay of Plenty Bromeliad Group
– Lynley Breeze
Lynley welcomed over 50 members to the
November meeting. Our recent display
and sales day held at the Matua Hall was
very successful with most plants sold
early and many attendees - probably as a
result of the good publicity and photo of
Dean and his vrieseas on the front page
of the local Bay Sun. Lynley indicated
that next year we will need to establish
a group of people to assist in setting up,
running it and cleaning up afterwards.
We were appalled to hear that Carolina
Pagnanelli-Coghlan had all her
bromeliads and orchids stolen from her
garden one evening. They must have
had a trailer to take so many. Carolina
lives in the Avenues close to the central
city. We have never heard of plant theft
before in this area.
Lester Ching was our guest speaker
Group News
and he entertained and informed us
with much information on growing
tillandsias. Thrive is a fertiliser he
recommends and rainwater is preferable
to tap water if possible. Liquid nails is
the glue he uses for mounting and he
emphasised the importance of good air
movement. Tillandsias must dry out
between waterings and he has found grey
ones tougher than the green varieties.
Competition Results November:
• Plant of the month – Tillandsia:
1st Maisie Kokshorn with Tillandsia
bergeri, 2nd Lynley Breeze with
Tillandsia ’Wildfire’ and 3rd Dean
Morman with Tillandsia utriculata. Also
tabled were Tillandsia subsecundifolia,
‘Red Fountain’ and tectorum.
• Foliage competition: 1st Kevin
Pritchard with Neoregelia ‘Fireball
Donger’ 2nd Roger Allen with Neoregelia
‘Grace x Passion’ 3rd Dean Morman
with Aechmea ‘Ensign’. Also tabled
Cont’d P22
featuring an indoor ornamental pool.
Other bromeliads collected over past
years nestle in with the orchids and the
fascinating foliage of temperate through
to tropical leafy treasures.
Documents show that Muriel Waterman
was an important source of bromeliads for
the greenhouse complexes. More recently,
many of Andrew Flower’s tillandsias have
also been sourced for the displays.
Adjacent to an inviting café, the
Wellington Botanic Garden Begonia
House is certainly an all-weather warm
and welcoming array of colour, interest
and variety to cheer up any visitor.
Cont’d from P19 – Wellington Botanic Garden
were Orthophytum gurkenii and Vriesea
‘Razzle Dazzle’.
• Flowering Plant: 1st Dean Morman
with Canistrum triangulare, 2nd Kevin
Pritchard with Vriesea scalaris 3rd
Roger Allen with Guzmania sanguinea.
Also tabled were Tillandsia imperialis,
Guzmania ‘Mandarin’ Aechmea ‘Parati’.
• Show and Tell: Kevin Pritchard had
a display of flowering tillandsias, and
Roger Allen had a pineapple he had
grown.
Next Meeting: Wednesday 12th February,
12.00pm – 2.00pm at the Yacht Club
Sulphur Point. This will be our annual
display and sales day open to the public.
Note the earlier start time so that people
on their lunch break can attend.
Garden Visit: Wednesday 19th February
10.00am. Di Pinkerton, 155 Rowe Rd,
Ohauiti (to be confirmed).
Eastern Bay of Plenty Bromeliad and
Orchid Group – Jenny Briggs
Over the weekend of November 23rd
and 24th, 16 members including 2 BOP
members and 2 visitors travelled to
Auckland to visit the unique gardens of
5 well known Auckland members.
We began at Bev and Lester Ching’s
beautiful lush brom haven then onto Pas
and Jim Southon’s fabulous potted ‘rock
star’ garden.
The following day began with Andrew
Devonshire’s own mini hybrid creations,
Graeme Barclay’s bush retreat with
beautiful newly imported hybrids
then finishing at Margaret and Robert
Flanagan’s tillandsia paradise garden.
All the gardens have their own individual
displays of fabulous brom collections
with accompanying plants, palms, trees
and garden art.
We enjoyed and learnt so much just
from observation alone. We extend
our grateful thanks to these wonderful
knowledgeable hosts and their families
who opened their gardens to us, provided
‘foodie delights’, excellent plant sales,
raffle contributions and freebies plus
expert hybridising and growing tips.
A totally inspiring experience.
Thanks also to Maureen Moffatt for
organising the event and our drivers
Ross and Stuart.
Our last meeting for the year was held on
December 8th, with Christmas lunch and
prize giving.
Group Contacts: Ross Fergusson 07-312
5487 and Maureen Moffatt 07-322 2276.
South Auckland Bromeliad Group
– Hawi Winter
Our December/Christmas meeting at
the beautiful Flanagan homestead was
a great success. More than 60 members
and guests attended. The overall
atmosphere was happy and enjoyable,
there was plenty of food, two coffee
automates working flat out, tea, cold
lemonade and BBQ. The weather was
great, the glass house and shade house
were in top condition, and the plants
were breathtakingly beautiful. Robert’s
tillandsia collection was showing
many blooms and Margaret’s huge
Aechmea blanchetiana collection was
so brightly coloured that one almost
needed sunglasses to inspect closely.
22 23
The PowerPoint presentation ‘Brazilian
Impressions’ by Margaret Flanagan
was extremely informative. Habitat
shots and pictures of the buildings on
stilts and floating petrol stations in
the Amazon River, power poles with
hundreds of chaotically crossing wires
and relaxing reptiles will be lingering
in our memories. Thanks, Margaret!
Both the plant auction and the plant sales
created welcome additions to our plant
collections and the quality of the broms
was outstanding. The top price fetched
in the auction was $175 for Neoregelia
‘Margaret’. The bargain of the day was a
huge Wittrockia ‘Leopardinum’ for $25.
Nancy Murphy reminded us of the past
committee decision to send/finance
one of our members to attend the 2021
conference. We have booked the space,
now we encourage our members to step
forward to apply for the privilege. The
name will be pulled out of a hat at our
AGM in May. To be in the draw call
Hawi on 09-233 4469 – don’t be shy!
Raffle winner: 1st J. Graham, 2nd P.
Muddiman, 3rd W. Shorrock, 4th C.
Dickson and 5th D. Pell.
2019 Skite plant prizegiving:
1st M. and R. Flanagan, 2nd J. Muddiman,
3rd D. Brown.
Upcoming Events: In January we will
have no meeting. Our next outing is to
Ayrlies Gardens on Sunday, February 2nd.
We are meeting 12.00 noon at ‘Lime Tree
Cafe’, 730 Whitford Road, Whitford for
lunch and from there we will go to Ayrlies
at 125 Potts Rd, Whitford. Cost $20.00
Thank you again to the Flanagans
for hosting us for our end of the year
function. We really appreciate it!
Cont’d from P21 – Group News
Vriesea ‘Neon Pink’
Andrew Maloy – 2009 | Reg: December 2018
New from New Zealand
– By Graeme Barclay
Let’s kick off 2020 with a hot new vriesea that will be released at either the
‘Kiwi Broms’ conference auction or plant sale.
M
ature, open large rosette to
75cm diameter x 50cm high.
White-based, green lineated
leaves, sepia red tips and some green
glyph-pattern cross-banding. The
foliage is pink-tinted with inner growth
an intense fuchsia pink. Erect, simple
spike to 1.35 metres tall with pink/
beige floral bracts and pastel yellow
flowers. The breeders initially sold this
hybrid under a grex name of Vriesea
‘Hot Mist Hybrid’.
The parentage formula is; Vriesea ‘Fire
Star’ x Vriesea ‘Kiwi Misty Pink’.
As mentioned in the BCR
description above, there
will no doubt be a number
of different looking Vriesea
’Hot Mist Hybrid’ plants
around New Zealand
that were sold under this
commercial grex name
in past years. Once in a
while a standout member
of the group surfaces, or is
sometimes nurtured from a
young seedling. These plants
eventually generate a high
demand due to their unique
qualities, becoming worthy
of a registered name of their
own. Vriesea ‘Neon Pink’ is
a good example, where the astute eye
of South Auckland vriesea grower and
hybridiser John Mitchell, nabbed a
young plant with a bright pink centre
for his own breeding programme a few
years ago. At maturity, the ‘neon pink’
colour became much more intense,
hence it reached registration standard.
John has now used it as a parent in
crosses of his own, where the ‘colour
genetics’ will transmit to create further
pink-based offspring. These pink-
centered vrieseas are top garden plants
and like strong but filtered light, year
round, to ensure their lively colour is
maximized.
Vriesea ‘Neon Pink’
PHOTO JOHN MITCHELL
Tillandsia Group – Auckland
– Isla McGowan
The weather was not on our side for
our final meeting in November last
year, so the venue was changed to the
home of Lynette Nash. It is always a
privilege to see her colourful and well
maintained garden, and large collection
of tillandsias, both inside her glass
house and outside. All her tillandsias are
immaculate and beautifully mounted.
Thank you so much Lynette for offering
your home at the last minute.
We finished the alphabet U-Z, with
lots of interesting plants, and many in
flower, including beautiful specimens
of Tillandsia xerographica, Tillandsia
velutina, and Tillandsia ‘White Spice’.
Next meeting: March 8th at Dave
Dawson’s place (and trust the weather is
on our side this time). More details in the
February Journal.
We will start the year with grass-like
tillandsias, which are often very similar
and can get confused. It will be a good
idea to get them all together to compare,
and hopefully the experts will be able to
put the correct name to them if you are
unsure.
24
2020 BROMELIAD
Saturday 22nd and
Sunday 23rdh February
Mt Eden War Memorial Hall
489 Dominion Road,
Balmoral, Auckland
9.00am – 3.00pm both days
It’s time to start planning your Show entries!
Sellers… if you haven’t registered yet,
please contact Lester Ching
on 09-576 4595 without delay.
Please refer to page 11 for
competition rules and classes.
BROMELIAD
SHOW & SALE
- Details
- Written by BSNZ Admin
A view of Peter Brady’s
inner-city Auckland garden.
Photo: Dave Anderson
• Visiting Peter Brady’s garden
• Preview of Society bus trip to Northland
• Growing tips for Tillandsia roots
February 2020
VOL 60 NO 2
2 3
Bromeliad Journal – February 2020 issue
CONTENTS
‘Bromeliad Surprise’ – Diane Timmins
President’s Page – Diane Timmins
Society officers, subs and Journal directory
Bromeliad Society January meeting news – Dave Anderson
Notice of Society Annual Meeting
January ‘Plant of the Month’ – Diane Timmins
Peter Brady garden photos – Dave Anderson
Preview of our Northland bus trip gardens – Diane Timmins
Registration of Billbergia ‘Tallegalla Kipalaujah’
‘New from New Zealand’ – Graeme Barclay
Group News
Tillandsia growing techniques – Jim Georgusis
Bromeliad Society of New Zealand Inc
The opinions expressed in articles or letters in this Journal are the contributors’ own views and
do not necessarily express the views or the policy of the Bromeliad Society of New Zealand.
COMING EVENTS
Please see the Group News section starting on page 15 for details of Group meeting
times and venues.
MARCH
7th South Auckland Group Annual
Sales and Display day
8th Tillandsia Group Auckland meeting
11th Bay of Plenty Group meeting
15th Society bus trip to Northland – see
page 11 for details
18th Bay of Plenty Group garden visits
24th Society AGM at Greyfriar’s Hall,
corner of Mt Eden and Windmill roads
at 7.30pm Our ‘Monthly Choice’
competition is Andrew Maloy hybrids.
Andrew Maloy will also be giving us a
talk about hybridising.
FEBRUARY
22nd – 23rd FIESTA’ competition,
display and plant sale at Mt Eden War
Memorial Hall, 489 Dominion Road,
Balmoral, Auckland.
23rd Northland Group meeting and trip
to ‘Fiesta’
25th Society monthly meeting at
Greyfriar’s Hall, corner of Mt Eden and
Windmill roads at 7.30pm Our ‘Monthly
Choice’ competition is Aechmea
orlandiana and its hybrids. PowerPoint
presentation by renowned bromeliad
grower, Nigel Thomson from Australia.
A
short stay by Graeme and
Jeanene Barclay recently at
the Marriott Hotel in Surfer’s
Paradise on the Gold Coast, provided a
nice surprise in the restaurant / buffet.
In large glass vases set above the fruit
bar, four freshly cut inflorescences of
By Diane Timmins
Alcantarea geniculata were positioned
– and they completely stole the show!
There must be too many alcantareas
blooming in Australia at present –
perhaps the recent bush fires have
triggered them into flower?
PHOTO GRAEME BARCLAY
Front cover: When you attend our ‘Fiesta’ this month you qualify for a free visit to
Peter Brady’s iconic inner-city garden, which is rarely open to view. Dave Anderson
took our cover photo of the Brady garden and you can see more photos on page 10.
4 5
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
W
ell, what a summer!
It’s all very well to say
bromeliads like it warm and wet, but
keeping up the wet at the moment
has been a huge task! To compound
things, as I write this column, the
weather forecast for the next 10 days
is predicting more intense heat and no
relieving rain. However, don’t give up
and don’t let up. At our last meeting a
member commented that they felt that
water is as good as fertiliser for the
growth of our broms. They will flourish
with the day and night warmth we have
at present, if they can get enough to
drink. I imagine though, many of you
may be like me – there is definitely
some bleaching and fading and even
burning (from water reflection in the
cups at times) in the incessant summer
sun.
On the pleasure side, many of our
shy to flower plants have sent up an
inflorescence this season. Triggered by
some element in the weather pattern
we’ve been subjected to, there are
a number of alcantareas displaying
their magnificent flowering blooms.
So delightful for the eye, it almost
makes up for the eventual end of the
flowering plant.
I’m sure we will have a lot of eye
candy at our ‘Fiesta’ the weekend
before the meeting – 22nd and 23rd
February. Fabulous competition plants,
enchanting display, and thousands
of wonderful plants for sale. Straight
from the collectors and growers, many
of the plants for sale aren’t available
anywhere else. This ‘Fiesta’ has a
‘People’s Choice’ competition, be sure
to cast your vote. As a bonus to those
that come, people who have attended
the ‘Fiesta’ are able to visit the local
iconic garden of Peter Brady for free on
the Saturday or Sunday of the ‘Fiesta’
weekend. Peter has a flamboyant
garden around an Art Deco bungalow,
not far from the ‘Fiesta’ site.
Don’t forget to renew your BSNZ
membership. There’s a $5 discount
if you pay early – as this is your first
reminder, you’ll receive the discount if
you pay before the March meeting.
We have Nigel Thomson from Australia
giving us a PowerPoint presentation
at our February meeting – no doubt
more highly desirable Aussie plants
to drool over! In March, prior our
normal monthly meeting, we will have
our Society Annual General Meeting.
Please consider becoming part of our
committee. No particular experience
or expertise is required – just common
sense and a love of broms! Our
committee meets briefly once a month
and more helping hands would be
much appreciated. Please talk to me or
to our secretary, Dave Anderson, and
we will be happy to explain how you
could help us in more detail.
I’m looking forward to our bus trip
north in March – see info page 11.
Please book your spot now – pay
online or bring along your payment to
the February meeting. See you there!
Diane
President: Diane Timmins 09-415 9066
Vice Presidents: Jocelyn Coyle 09-416 8272
Graeme Barclay 09-817 4153
Secretary: Dave Anderson 09-638 8671
Membership Secretary | Scientific Officer:
Peter Waters 09-534 5616
Treasurer: Pas Southon 09-535 3544
Librarian: Bev Ching 09-576 4595
Committee: Lester Ching 09-576 4595
Alan Cliffe 09-479 1451
David Cowie 09-630 8220
Lucy Timmins 021-078 1102
Editor: Murray Mathieson 09-418 0366
Life Members: Dave Anderson, Patricia Perratt,
Peter Waters
OFFICERS
MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION
BROMELIAD JOURNAL
Editorial Committee
Dave Anderson
Murray Mathieson
Peter Waters
Production
Murray Mathieson
Distribution
Dave Anderson
All enquiries and contributions welcome,
please contact any member of the editorial
committee or send to Peter Waters, 22 Half Moon
Rise, Half Moon Bay, Auckland 2012 or email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Deadline
For all editorial and advertising, the first
Tuesday of publication month
Display Advertising
Rates are:
Full Page $60.00
Half Page $30.00
Quarter Page $15.00
‘Buy & Swap’
Listings in ‘Buy & Swap’ are FREE for members
of the Society (max. 30 words).
For advertising enquiries and material, please
contact Murray Mathieson ph (09) 418 0366
or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New Zealand
Ordinary membership NZ $45.00 ($5.00 discount
if paid before the end of February).
Dual membership (same household) NZ $55.00
($5.00 discount applies as above).
Overseas
NZD $45.00. Send all payments to the Membership
Secretary, Peter Waters, 22 Half Moon Rise, Half
Moon Bay, Auckland 2012.
Paying electronically
Paying via internet banking: Bromeliad Society
account: 03-0227-0071516-00. Please include your
name as reference. Re full contact information for
new members / changes for existing members,
please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Correspondence
All general correspondence should be sent to the
Secretary, Bromeliad Society of New Zealand,
P.O. Box 108-168, Symonds Street, Auckland,
New Zealand. The opinions expressed in letters
or articles in the Journal are the contributors’ own
views and do not necessarily express the views or
policy of the Bromeliad Society of New Zealand
Inc.
Society Website
www.bsnz.org – For past Journal archive –
growing tips – articles – sales information
Diane Timmins chaired the
meeting and welcomed all
members and visitors. The
‘Fiesta’ Show and Sale this year is
on the weekend of February 22nd
and 23rd, so better hurry any last
minute preparations for plants for the
competition. Only a month later in
March is our AGM so please consider
standing for the committee. The annual
subscriptions are due at the end of
February with a $5 discount applying
to those who pay before the end of
the month. The society has a garden
visit to Whangarei on Sunday the
15th of March. If you are interested in
travelling on the bus please contact a
committee member. The ‘Kiwi Broms’
conference to be held in Auckland
in 2021 already has many overseas
people registered – from Australia,
South Africa and the USA.
Peter Waters once again took us through
the ‘Show and Tell’ plants. First up for
display was the beautiful Aechmea
nallyi in full flower. This species is
endemic to the Loreto region of Peru
where the year-round temperatures
Bromeliad Society
January Meeting News
– Notes by Dave Anderson and photos by Lucy Timmins
stay a pretty constant 30ºC max. and
20ºC min., approximately, and total
rainfall of 3.28 metres. Hence it is
quite a challenge to grow in the much
cooler climate of Auckland.
Lastly for naming was the species
Billbergia nutans – that has narrow
green leaves. This plant has fallen out
of favour over recent years because of
the availability of more colourful and
wider leafed plants in the same genera.
Following the ‘Show and Tell’, Diane
Timmins gave an interesting talk on
removing pups and potting them up.
The door prizes went to Ed Foot, Dave
Dawson and John Blanch.
COMPETITIONS
• Open Flowering: First equal
were Peter Coyle with Aechmea
fasciata ‘Kiwi’ and John Muddiman
with Canistrum auratum ‘Vania
Leme’. Also in the competition were
Billbergia ‘Domingos Martins’ x
vittata; Nidularium fulgens; Pitcairnia
species and Vriesea rubyae.
• Open Foliage: Peter Coyle was first
More photos on P8
SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of The Bromeliad Society of
New Zealand Inc will be held on Tuesday March 24th at 7.30pm
at Greyfriar’s Hall, corner of Mt Eden and Windmill roads, Auckland.
The Annual Meeting meeting will be followed by our normal Society
monthly meeting.
with a Vriesea ‘White Cloud’. Second
was Judy Graham with xCanmea
‘Wild Leopard’ F2.
• Tillandsia: Peter Coyle was
first with Tillandsia fasciata x
xerographica. Second was Dave
Anderson with Tillandsia capitata x
xerographica. There were also on the
table Tillandsia capitata (orange) and
Tillandsia capitata (peach).
• Neoregelia: Peter Coyle was first
with the Neoregelia ‘Julia’ that was
also voted plant of the month. Second
Peter Coyle with Neoregelia ‘Downs
Paint’. In the competition were
Neoregelia ‘Chili Verde’, lilliputiana x
‘Felix’ and ‘Regalia’ x lilliputiana.
• Named Monthly Plant
(Stoloniferous bromeliads): First
was Lynette Nash with Tillandsia
espinosae followed by Peter Coyle
with Aechmea orlandiana. In the
competition were Aechmea nudicaulis
var. aequalis; Neoregelia pauciflora
(small), Neoregelia pauciflora (large)
and Neoregelia ‘Superball’.
The Plant of the month went to Peter
Coyle with the Neoregelia ‘Julia’.
Congratulations to all the winners.
NEXT MEETING: Tues 25th Feb.
First equal in Open Flowering:
Aechmea fasciata ‘Kiwi’ – Peter Coyle
First equal in Open Flowering:
Canistrum auratum ‘Vania Leme’ – John Muddiman
8 9
Cont’d from P7 – Bromeliad Society Meeting News
First in Tillandsia:
Tillandsia fasciata x xerographica
– Peter Coyle
Peter first saw this eye-catching
plant in Australia, and
immediately thought ‘I have to
have it!’
The seed parent is Neoregelia carolinae
(variegated) x carolinae (red form),
and the pollen parent is Neoregelia
carcharadon (rubra). It must have
been a pleasant surprise to see this
large beauty come from a relatively
small mother. These plants are known
to grow half a metre across, and have
leaves up to 9cm wide. The leaves
curve down draping the pot offering a
highly attractive form.
Neoregelia ‘Julia’
– grown by Peter Coyle
So far Peter keeps it in his green house
while he builds up numbers. This
is proving tricky, as it tends to have
unstable variegation – throwing pups
that do not always have good even red/
pink central lines that tint the green
edges of the leaves when grown in
high light.
This particular specimen however
turned out to be a winner – its great
presence deservedly winning Plant of
the Month at our January meeting.
First in Open Foliage:
Vriesea ‘White Cloud’ – Peter Coyle
First in Named Monthly Plant
(Stoloniferous bromeliads):
Tillandsia espinosae – Lynette Nash
Second in Tillandsia:
Tillandsia capitata x xerographica
– Dave Anderson
PHOTO LUCY TIMMINS
Cont’d P12 11
All attendees at ‘Fiesta’ 2020
will have the opportunity to
visit Peter Brady’s garden
on either the Saturday or Sunday of
‘Fiesta’ – 22nd / 23rd February. This
garden is only rarely open to visitors.
A garden full of surprises and exotic
touches, set around an art deco style
bungalow in the heart of Auckland.
56 Marsden Avenue, Epsom – not far
from the ‘Fiesta’ venue.
Come to ‘Fiesta’ 2020 and you can
visit the nearby iconic and flamboyant
garden of Peter Brady… for FREE!
Views of Peter Brady’s garden
– photos by Dave Anderson
We have arranged a bus trip
to the Whangarei area
for Society members. An
exciting itinerary containing two
private gardens and the renowned
Whangarei Quarry Gardens. The cost
per person for members (subsidised
by BSNZ) $40. This includes – garden
entry, refreshments of tea, coffee,
scone, muffin, and savoury along the
way at Tee Café Waipu.
• We will visit Colin and Iris
Symonds, who have been Quarry
Garden volunteer workers for years.
Living at Kamo, they have a beautiful
suburban bromeliad and an orchid
collector’s all season garden.
• Then we will visit Bev and Brian
Hutchings who are also in Kamo.
They bought their section around 50
years ago because of the beautiful
Please join us on our garden
visit up north in March!
Sunday March 15th
– Diane Timmins
trees, and have since developed an
immaculate garden with tasteful art
and pathways leading the eye to many
creative and unique features.
• Next, on to the Quarry Gardens.
Starting as an abandoned quarry site
over 25 years ago, volunteers have
worked in conjunction with local body
and sponsor’s support, to develop
a beautiful garden set in 24 acres,
nestled within the slopes of Coronation
Reserve. The Northland Bromeliad
Group members are the dedicated
carers of the extensive bromeliad
area we will enjoy. There are mobility
scooters available to hire at a nominal
fee. Please let me know if you would
like one booked (Diane Timmins Ph
Ak 415 9066), and there is a café there
for tasty refreshments and you can buy
lunch if required.
Symonds garden Hutchings garden
12 13
Please pay online or at the’Fiesta’,
or at the February meeting for your
place on the bus. When paying online
be sure to put your name, and ‘Bus
Trip’ in the details part of the bank
information. We are filling up fast, but
anticipate some spare seats. We will
welcome non-members joining us on
Tentative itinerary: Sunday 15th March
7.30 am Pick up Mt Eden War Memorial Hall, Balmoral, Auckland
8.30 am Pick up Silverdale, North Shore, Auckland
10.30 am Tee Café Waipu
11.15 am Leave Tee Café Waipu
11.45 am Colin and Iris Symonds
12.30 pm Leave the Symonds
12.45 pm Bev and Brian Hutchings
1.30 pm Leave the Hutchings
1.45 pm Whangarei Quarry Garden
3.00 pm Leave Quarry Garden
5.30 pm Drop off Silverdale, North Shore, Auckland
6.30 pm Drop off Mt Eden War Memorial Hall, Balmoral, Auckland
the bus at $45 per head if (providing
there are seats still available after our
February monthly meeting. Please let
me know if you would like to put a
non-members name down on the list
now as it will be ‘first in first served’.
I’m sure it will be a great day!
Cont’d from P11 – Garden visit up north in March
S
unshine Coast hybridiser Doug
Cross has come up with an
interesting new hybrid, which
has just been registered on the BSI
Cultivar Register.
The cross is between Billbergia
‘Hallelujah’ and Billbergia ‘Kip’.
Billbergia ‘Kip’ is one of Grace
Goode’s 1974 hybrids which she
named after one of her lovely dogs.
With Grace’s passing in late 2019 it
is a fitting time to proceed with the
registration.
An interesting recent plant
registration from Queensland’s
Sunshine Coast…
Billbergia ‘Tallegalla Kipalaujah’
Doug Cross presents the late Grace
Goode with the plant at her 100th birthday
celebration.
Billbergia ‘Tallegalla Kipalaujah’
Quarry garden
14 Cont’d P16 15
Neoregelia ‘Tara Jackpot’
Diana Holt – 2015 (Reg: Feb 2020)
New from New Zealand
– By Graeme Barclay
Our new Kiwi plant this month is another brand new midi neoregelia only
registered this month.
M
ature rosette to 16cm
diameter x 13cm high. In
strong light, relatively wide
flared lime yellow leaves from a thick
base with punctated dark red cross-
banding.
The parents are Neoregelia ‘Tara
Sunset’ and Neoregelia ‘Unraveled’.
This new midi (only just above mini
size) is one of three new registrations
this month from Diana using Chester
Skotak’s well-known variegated
mini Neoregelia ‘Unraveled’ as a
parent. When used as a pollen donor,
variegated plants generally do not pass
on any variegation to their offspring,
as seen here. However, they will pass
on other traits such as form, colour and
leaf markings. Looking at the ancestry
of the parent plants in this cross, there
are no less than five classic species in
the family tree that are well proven for
producing great hybrids – Neoregelia
ampullacea, N. tigrina, N. carolinae,
N. chlorosticta and N. carcharodon.
Not all features of these species
will be clearly evident in Neo. ‘Tara
Jackpot’, but Diana has certainly hit
the jackpot in terms of how
the traits have combined.
A reverse of this cross,
Neo. ‘Tara Radiation’, that
has a slightly taller form,
has also been registered
this month by Diana.
As we can see, the result
is a very attractive shape
with vibrant, golden leaves
that accentuate the crimson
zonations. Most of Diana’s
neo creations prefer high,
consistent light with
minimal careful feeding to
allow the rosettes to develop
and colours to always be at
their brightest.
Northland Bromeliad Group
– Nancy Peters
We had picked a beautiful hot January
day to be at the home of Bev and Roger
Alchin in George Point Road, Onerahi. 32
members were present with 4 apologies
and 5 visitors. Adona thanked the Alchins
for having us to their home and beautiful
garden and she welcomed everyone to
the meeting (including the neighbours!).
Please check our Northland Bromeliad
Group and Facebook pages for photos.
Show and Tell Competition:
1st Diana Smithyman – unnamed
neoregelia, 2nd Beverly Baxter –
Neoregelia ‘Canefire Pink’, 3rd =Lynsie
McMahon – unnamed nidularium and
Lyn White – Tillandsia leiboldiana.
A reminder of our rule ‘that a bromeliad
must have been in the possession of
the presenter to the Show and Tell
competition for a minimum of 6 months
prior to entry.’
Next meeting: Members subsidised bus
trip to the BSNZ ‘Fiesta’ in Auckland.
Date: Sunday 23rd February
Time: 7.00am assembly PROMPT at
Kensington Stadium North car park.
(Please don’t forget your name badge).
Travel to the ‘Fiesta’ at Mt Eden War
Memorial Hall.
11.45am – to Peter Brady’s garden at 56
Marsden Avenue, Mt Eden Road
12.45pm – to Auckland Domain Winter
gardens where we can have lunch (either
buy our lunch or take our own).
3.00pm – leave gardens, arriving back in
Whangarei at around 5.45pm to 6.00pm.
What a great start to the year!
Group News
Eastern Bay of Plenty Bromeliad and
Orchid Group – Jenny Briggs
Our final December 2019 event was
a lively Christmas lunch held at the
Ohope Golf Club, hosted by organisers
Robyn Julian and Annabelle Norton.
A large group, including visitors, attended
and were entertained by the hosts and
their jokes plus the annual Christmas
‘Brom in a Bag’ gift exchange, delicious
lunch and the announcement of the
overall competition winners.
Our group thanks Robyn and Annabelle
plus those who made contributions for the
day. Thanks also to the whole committee
and helpers for their various contributions
throughout the year.
End of Year Competition Results:
• Plant of the Month: 1st Alison
Iremonger, 2nd Ross Fergusson, 3rd Gail
Anderson.
• Foliage: 1st Ross Fergusson, 2nd Alison
Iremonger, 3rd Maureen Moffatt.
• Flowering: 1st Ross Fergusson, 2nd
Alison Iremonger, 3rd Gail Anderson.
• Tillandsia: 1st Sue Laurent, 2nd Alison
Iremonger, 3rd Ross Fergusson.
• Orchids: 1st Pam & Trevor Signal, 2nd
equal Alison Iremonger & Olene Ross.
• Overall Winner with the Most Points:
Alison Iremonger.
Next meeting: Sunday 16th February
at Ross Fergusson’s garden. Please
arrive for 1.00pm start. For further
information contact Ross Fergusson
07-312 5487 or Maureen Moffatt
07-322 2276.
16 Cont’d P18 17
Bay of Plenty Bromeliad Group
– Lynley Breeze
On a beautiful day in December we had
our annual Christmas luncheon at the
home of Diana and Cam Durrant, on the
Minden, with views from the Coromandel
to the Eastern Bay of Plenty. The garden
has evolved many times since we started
visiting and it was looking better than
ever in spite of Diana’s shoulder injury.
We shared some lovely plants via the
continuous raffle and our group kindly
made a thank you presentation to Lynley
Breeze for her role as president.
Many members generously brought along
some plants for Carolina Pagnanelli-
Coghlan as some recompense for having
all her bromeliads and orchids stolen
from her garden in November. Carolina
was working that day, but passed on her
gratitude to everyone who donated plants
to help her start again.
We did not have the usual competition or
display plants.
Next meeting: Wednesday 11th March,
12.30pm – 2.30 pm at the Yacht Club
Sulphur Point. This will be our AGM
and will be followed by a demonstration
of cutting off pups and then a general
discussion on potting up pups. Plant of
the month – aechmeas, all types.
Garden Visits: Wednesday 18th March,
10.00 am. Diane Vucich – 27 Bridgewater
Way, The Lakes, Maisy Kokshoorn – 21
Bridgewater Way, The Lakes, Margot and
Vic Sterling – 14 Bathurst Crescent, The
Lakes.
South Auckland Bromeliad Group
– Hawi Winter and Margaret Flanagan
We started our 2020 garden tours
with a visit to Ayrlies Gardens in
Whitford. Although the gardens were
suffering under the drought conditions,
they were spectacular. We received
a map (most necessary) to point us
in the direction of attractions to find.
24 members were heading into the park
and immediately finding shady trees to
make the visit more enjoyable. The trees
are amazing to see, so many on such a
grand scale. Finding a historic photo-
diary in a shelter called ‘The Gallery’
explained the size of development and
the contributing people. The property
was purchased in 1964, so there has been
a long time in landscaping and planting
the park. Down at the cypress pond there
were flowering water-lilies, and at the
side of the pond there were lots of aerial
roots of the swamp cypresses next to
the pond. The roots have got to a large
size, and look ‘out-of-this-world’ type of
growths. Continuing to explore the large
property we came upon some bromeliads!
They were a pleasant surprise.
Next meeting: Saturday March 7th at
the Drury School Hall – our Annual
Sales and Display day. Young
Crescent, Drury, opens 10:00am till
2:30 pm. Open to the public. Free
entry Free Parking. EFTPOS available.
The sales day replaces our normal
monthly meeting for March.
Our April meeting will be a random
garden ramble in South Auckland, visiting
four of our members’ gardens (visiting in
any order).
Tillandsia Group – Auckland
– Isla McGowan
Our first meeting for 2020 is on Sunday
March 8 at Dave Dawson’s, 77 Millen
Avenue, Pakuranga at 1.30pm. Please
bring a chair and a mug. Our topic will
be grass-like tillandsias (there are lots of
similar plants) – please bring them along
for identification by our experts!
Cont’d from P15 – Group News
M
any tillandsia species and
hybrids are grown mounted
on various surfaces, such as
tree fern slabs, poles, sea shells, coral,
driftwood, cholla wood, and cork in
many forms from wine corks to large
fishing corks. Some are grown with
no media or attachment at all, simply
hanging on aluminum coils or wire, or
lying on benches or wire mesh structures.
Others are best grown in pots and
baskets in media such as peat mixes that
may have bark fines, orchid bark, perlite
or vermiculite added. These plants are
usually grown in clay, plastic, and even
styro-foam pots with ample drainage.
Some growers, due to their local rainfall
and weather conditions, also grow their
tillandsias in plastic net pots without any
media, or they just place the plants in
a PVC pipe cross section that has three
holes drilled to receive either coated
wire or monofilament fishing line, that
enables plants to be hung at various
levels wherever they are growing.
There are a few species and hybrids that
are reluctant, or very poor at producing
roots. My experience here in south
Louisiana is that if you can expose the
base of these plants - (after some of the
small basal leaves have been carefully
removed) - and apply a powder or liquid
rooting hormone, you can get roots to
initiate. Growing media components
varies from grower to grower. This
is dependent on the availability of
materials in their geographical location.
Some ingredients are either not available
or much too costly to import. Bark bi-
Cultivation: Putting those
Tillandsia roots to work!
– Article and photos byJim Georgusis.
Reprinted from the BSI Journal, July-September issue, 2017.
products such as composted pine bark,
pine bark soil conditioner and cypress
mulch, are usually available in the south-
eastern quadrant of the US. Redwood and
pumice are usually associated with the
west coast. All have been successfully
used in various combinations in growing
tillandsias and other bromeliad genera.
I have had very good success with
growing most hard, stiff and soft-leaved
tillandsias that are potted. The growth
rate and size is very different to mounted
or hanging plants that are not grown in
any media. You can expect larger, longer
leaves, as well as the leaf count being
generally much higher than say mounted
or air-grown plants positioned on open
slatted benches or wire. Mounted
tillandsias may have roots, but they are
normally few in number. They may be
active but of minimal contribution to the
plant, or inactive due to low humidity
and an inability to access water and
nutrients. Once a tillandsia root system is
established in most types of media, you
can grow your plants much faster and the
numbers of offsets obtained is normally
higher than plants not grown in media.
Using liquid, as well as time-release
fertiliser, is the best way to put on size,
maturity and overall plant development.
Inflorescences will usually be larger,
taller and multi-branched, lasting much
longer in colour. I use Osmocote 18-5-
12 (N-P-K ratio), 5 to 6 month formula
which has a complete minors and trace
element package. One teaspoon per 6
inch pot and 1/4 teaspoon per 4 inch
pot is applied to the top of the media
18 19
and always watered in throroughly after
application. Avoid applying fertilizer
too late in the cool/winter season, which
can cause leaf elongation and color
loss. Bloomed-out mother plants are
the exception to this – if you want more
offsets to be produced, continue feeding.
For seedlings and small species in 4 inch
pots and below, using Osmocote 19-6-
10 ‘Mini prills, which is a 3-4 month
formula is ideal. Follow recommended
rates and avoid over doing it! Always
pot your plants with re-moistened media,
packed tight, staked to stabilize, and
watered in until it drains through to the
bottom.
The volume of root system you can
develop with a regular feeding program
will be reflected in the size and output
of the plant. It’s all relative! I received
a large, un-bloomed specimen of
Tillandsia xerographica, a tight 10-12
inches in diameter this past April. It
had previously been grown – (as most
xerographicas are) – on a wire bench
with no media. It was stem-less with
very few, short roots, so I dipped it in
a 10 percent solution of ‘Dip ‘N Grow’
rooting hormone and placed it in a 6 inch
hanging basket filled with a peat/perlite/
bark mix that was augmented with 25
percent fine tree-fern fiber and time-
release fertiliser. I used bamboo skewers
pushed down into the pre-moistened
media, to stabilize the plant until the
roots had developed, holding it firm. It
was placed in open air 30 percent shade
and has doubled in size in four months.
During our hot humid summer it got
watered daily and holds about a quart
of water in the leaf axils. It is still curly
and quite silver. On low humidity days,
it tends to have a tighter curl, as does
Tillandsia streptophylla, that I also grow
using the same method. I liquid feed the
foliage as well as the media occasionally.
I also top-dress (re-apply time release
fertiliser) to the media when it expires.
I have had much the same success with
all my Tillandsia capitata varieties, with
yields of as many as 8 to 10 offsets prior
to the bloomed out mother plant dying.
I grow as many of my grey-leaved
tillandsias as I can in at least half sun
and some in full sun. My greenhouses
are small and they can hold to only 45
degrees Fahrenheit (7.2 Celcius) during
cold winter nights. I try to have all of my
offsets that are big enough to remove,
potted and rooted before the cool nights
begin. In most instances, tillandsias
root better with a hot to warm soil
temperature with ample watering. Time-
release fertiliser is incorporated into the
media or top-dressed at the same time an
offset is potted. Most offsets are braced
with the bamboo skewers so the newly
emerging roots are not broken due to the
impact of hose watering.
Some of the soft-leaved tillandsias are
attractive to mites, often causing terrible
stunting and damage to the plants, which
can also spread to others. This occurs
usually under hot and still conditions
in greenhouses. Air movement is most
important to tillandsias for optimal
growth and good health. During hot days,
a cool, thorough wetting of the leaves
is very beneficial to growth and mite
control, especially between 11.00am
and 4.00pm. Wet nights and watering
in the dark, grey days of winter are to
be avoided. If you must water, have it
completed by noon so you have a drying
off period before dark. If you are heating
a lot in winter and find the environment
too dry, wet the floor and under benches.
If you find excess moisture in your
greenhouse, open doors or vents during
mild and sunny days for air
exchange and be sure to close up
before 3:00pm in order to capture
some solar heat before going into
colder nights. This is what works
well for me in my given situation.
Success in growing tillandsias (as
in cooking) is always based on a
recipe that works for you in your
given situation.
There are some plants that require
special attention. High elevation,
cool growing species can be
difficult to maintain in the hot
day and night temperatures of
the south. These can be grown
here with special treatment. I
was given a beautiful Tillandsia
complanata which was seed
grown in Shreveport, La, by a
very successful senior grower,
who also grows cool-growing
guzmanias that he hybridises. It
has spent the entire summer in
a 40 gallon aquarium under 10-
12 hours of fluorescent light in a
large south-facing window. It gets
misted almost daily, has three
inflorescences and seems quite
happy. It receives very little liquid
fertilising. I am also fortunate to
own Tillandsia turquinensis, a
beautiful Cuban species. It will
come in for the winter into the
aquarium, as it does not do well
with temperatures below 50
degrees. I think the T. complanata
will do fine in the greenhouse
during the winter months and
early spring.
Hopefully this article will be
helpful to some of the newer
fanciers of the tillandsia group.
Cont’d from P17– Cultivation: Putting those Tillandsia roots to work!
Tillandsia brachycaulos ‘Costa Rica Select’ – a
potted specimen at over 40cm diameter and 15cm
high, around 20-30 percent larger than a non-
potted plant grown in Louisiana conditions.
Tillandsia caput-medusae – a blooming plant
around 25-30cm high and 40cm diameter.
20
Putting those
Tillandsia roots
to work…
Tillandsia beutelspacheri – at least five
new offsets emerging from a well-fed,
blooming plant.
Tillandsia streptophylla (red form) – potted
up and growing strongly just coming into
bloom, at around 40cm high and wide.
Tillandsia ‘El Rancho’ (a Guatemalan
natural hybrid, possibly T. xerographica
x T. capitata) – showing extensive potted
root system and six new offsets emerging
from the expiring mother plant.
- Details
- Written by BSNZ Admin
Neoregelia ‘Dream Streak’.
Droplets caught in spider’s
web after evening watering.
Photo Andrew Devonshire.
March 2020
VOL 60 NO 3
Inside: All the colour of ‘Fiesta’ 2020… results and photos
Bromeliad Journal – March 2020 issue
CONTENTS
‘Fiesta’ magic – Graeme Barclay
President’s Page – Diane Timmins
Bromeliad Society of New Zealand – notice of AGM
Bromeliad Society February meeting news – Dave Anderson
February ‘Plant of the Month’ – Diane Timmins
‘Fiesta’ 2020 - trophy and class winners
‘Fiesta’ 2020 – judge’s comment and lots of photos
Ayrlie’s Plant Fair
‘Kiwi Broms’ 2021 conference update – Graeme Barclay
Society officers, subs and Journal directory
Group News
‘Dear Doctor Brom’ – Diane Timmins
‘New from New Zealand’ – Graeme Barclay
Bromeliad Society of New Zealand Inc
The opinions expressed in articles or letters in this Journal are the contributors’ own views and
do not necessarily express the views or the policy of the Bromeliad Society of New Zealand.
COMING EVENTS
Please see the Group News section starting on page 17 for details of Group meeting
times and venues.
APRIL
5th South Auckland Group meeting and
garden ramble.
8th Bay of Plenty Group meeting
28th Society monthly meeting at
Greyfriar’s Hall, corner of Mt Eden
and Windmill roads at 7.30pm. Our
‘Monthly Choice’ competition is New
Zealand hybrids – minis and midis.
Andrew Devonshire will be our speaker.
MARCH
22nd Northland Group AGM and normal
meeting
24th Society AGM at Greyfriar’s Hall,
corner of Mt Eden and Windmill roads
at 7.30pm. Our ‘Monthly Choice’
competition is Andrew Maloy’s hybrids
and Andrew will also be giving us a talk
about hybridising.
Front cover: Andrew Devonshire is noted for creating and capturing unusual and
memorable photographic images. The front cover photo is a fine example – Neoregelia
‘Dream Streak’ after evening watering with droplets caught in a convenient spider’s
web.
WOW! The spectacular entrance
display at ‘Fiesta’ 2020
– Photo by Graeme Barclay
4 Cont’d P6 5
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
The last month or so has certainly
been full of action. We have
recovered from our fabulous
‘Fiesta’, a very successful event with
fabulous competition plants and
display, excellent sales, and lots of new
members joining – welcome to you all!
In mid-March we are travelling up
north to two private gardens, and the
Whangarei Quarry Gardens. It’s bound
to be a wonderful bus trip and will be
enjoyed by many. We will feature the
outstanding gardens we see in future
journals.
It was wonderful to hear some words of
wisdom at the February meeting from
Nigel Thomson of Australia with his
PowerPoint presentation on fertilising.
This month we have the formality of
our AGM (don’t forget it’s time to pay
your subs if you haven’t already!). We
will present the trophies from the show
competition at the ‘Fiesta’, followed
by the monthly general meeting.
Then we have Andrew Maloy with
his PowerPoint presentation on his
journey to Africa (there will be a few
bromeliads scattered through as well).
Should be exciting viewing.
There’s an online auction coming
up from April 19th to April 26th on
facebook to raise money for the 2021
Australasian conference. A great place
to get plants that are very hard to find
elsewhere.
I imagine that, like myself, those of
you in the dry parts of the country have
been very happy to see the smattering
of rain as early autumn starts to set
us free from the relentless summer
drought. I hope your precious plants
have survived, even if they do have the
odd singe mark.
This will be my last time in the
president’s seat. I have done the full
term, and it is time for another to step
in. I enjoy being part of our Bromeliad
Society, and greatly appreciate all
the hard work put in by those on
the committee, and other members
who kindly offer their assistance
and expertise in so many ways. It all
adds up to making being part of the
Bromeliad Society of New Zealand a
pleasure.
Bye and take care.
Diane Timmins
SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of The Bromeliad Society of
New Zealand Inc will be held on Tuesday March 24th at 7.30pm
at Greyfriar’s Hall, corner of Mt Eden and Windmill roads, Auckland.
The Annual General Meeting will be followed by our normal Society
monthly meeting.
D
iane Timmins chaired the
meeting and welcomed
members and visitors,
including those new members who
had joined at the ‘Fiesta’. Diane
said that the ‘Fiesta’ was the most
successful since 2016. She thanked
all those members who had worked
there. The overall quality of the show
plants this year was superb. The trophy
presentations will be held at our March
meeting.
The AGM this year will be held on
March 24th at 7.30pm, followed by the
normal monthly meeting.
Graeme Barclay took us through the
‘Show and Tell’ plants. First up was a
plant wanting a name that he identified
as Goudaea ospinae var ospinae with
its patterned leaves and yellow flower
spike. Graeme then had for display
three very attractive tillandsias –
Tillandsia bermejoensis, a small grey
leafed plant that has a red flower
spike with white flowers; Tillandsia
buchlohii with its big stiff leaves that
go red in bright light and lastly a very
deep purple form of the attractive
species Tillandsia straminea. I am sure
these plants will go on many peoples
‘wish list’.
After the Show and Tell, our guest
speaker from Queensland, Nigel
Thomson, gave a very interesting
and informative talk on fertilising
bromeliads.
Bromeliad Society
February Meeting News
– Notes by Dave Anderson
First in Open Flowering:
Peter Coyle – Aechmea ‘Samurai’
PHOTO LUCY TIMMINS
First in Open Foliage:
Don Brown – Neoregelia ‘Tawa Tiger’
PHOTO LUCY TIMMINS
The special raffles were won by Glen
Harris, Don Brown and Bom Ross.
The door prizes went to Jill Porter,
Francis Hamilton and Fleur Phillips.
6 7
Cont’d from P5 – Bromeliad Society Meeting News
T
he winner of the Neoregelia
section of our monthly
competition and also voted
‘Plant of the Month’. I asked Graeme
to describe the background to his
outstanding plant:
This is a large albomarginate bred
by Chester Skotak in Costa Rica
around 1994 and subsequently named
and registered by Peter Tristram in
Australia. It is essentially a Neoregelia
‘Yang’ (Neo. carolinae x Neo. gigas)
that has been crossed once again with a
red form of Neoregelia gigas, which has
increased the size of the plant- and that
became Neoregelia ‘Big Bang’. Back
when Chester made these crosses, the
pollen parent was incorrectly known
in Florida as Neoregelia carcharodon
(rubra). Nowadays, it is identified as
Neoregelia ‘Big Bang’
– grown by Graeme Barclay
a form of Neoregelia gigas, another
large toothy species that grows much
further north in Brazil than Neoregelia
carcharodon.
This stunning plant with green-mottled
leaves can grow to well over a metre
wide, with a tall, stacked rosette and
the white margins flushing pink in
high light. I grow it in my warmer
greenhouse, as unfortunately it is not
really a year-round outdoor plant for
us in New Zealand. This is due to the
dominating Neoregelia gigas genes (a
warmer loving species) meaning the
lower leaves and white margins can
suffer some cold-spotting in winter if
allowed to get chilled. But it sure is a
spectacular sight when growing well in
the warmer months.
PHOTO LUCY TIMMINS
COMPETITIONS
• Open Flowering: First was Peter
Coyle with Aechmea ‘Samurai’.
Peter was also second with Guzmania
monostachia. Also in the competition
were Aechmea fasciata, ‘Fascicaulis’;
Catopsis subulata; Guzmania
sanguinea, Guzmania ‘Theresa’ and
Nidularium fulgens.
• Open Foliage: Don Brown was first
with his Neoregelia ‘Tawa Tiger’. Judy
Graham was second with Billbergia
‘Hallelujah’. In the competition were
Goudaea ‘Tiger Tim’; Hohenbergia
lemei; Quesnelia alvimii; Neoregelia
‘Curmudgeon’ F2, ‘Totara Red
Leopard’ and Vriesea ‘Jewel’ hybrid.
• Tillandsia: Dave Anderson was
first with Tillandsia xerographica x
capitata. Second was Peter Coyle with
Tillandsia ‘Phoenix’. Also on the table
was Tillandsia xerographica.
• Neoregelia: Graeme Barclay was
first with Neoregelia ‘Big Bang’ that
was also voted plant of the month.
Peter Coyle was second with a
Neoregelia ‘David & Sherlette’. In the
competition were Neoregelia ‘Chubby
Cat’, ‘Gizmo’, tigrina x ampullacea,
‘Tara Jackpot’ and ‘Tara Pygmy’.
• Named Monthly Plant Aechmea
orlandiana and its hybrids): First was
David Goss with Aechmea orlandiana
(dark form). Second was Peter Coyle
with Aechmea orlandiana ‘Black
Beauty’.
The Plant of the month went to Graeme
Barclay with Neoregelia ‘Big Bang’.
Congratulations to all the winners.
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday 24th
March.
First in Tillandsia: Dave Anderson –
Tillandsia xerographica x capitata
PHOTO LUCY TIMMINS
First in Named Monthly Plant (Aechmea
orlandiana and its hybrids): David Goss –
Aechmea orlandiana (dark form)
PHOTO PETER COYLE
8 9
Best Aechmea Graeme Barclay – Aechmea ‘Black Beauty’
Best Billbergia Peter Coyle – Billbergia ‘Hallelujah’
Best Guzmania Petear Coyle – Guzmania monostachia
Best Neoregelia Graeme Barclay – Neoregelia ‘Chester’
Best Tillandsia Peter Coyle – Tillandsia xerographica
Best Vriesea Graeme Barclay – Vriesea ‘Ruby Dusk’
Best N. Z. Hybrid Peter Coyle – Neoregelia ‘Totara Red Leopard’
Best Miniature Bromeliad Peter Coyle – Neoregelia ‘Gizmo’
Best Bromeliad species Graeme Barclay – Neoregelia gigas (red form)
Best Bromeliad Arrangement Lynette Nash
Best Artistic Arrangement Betty Goss
Most Points of the Show Graeme Barclay
Champion of the Show Graeme Barclay – Neoregelia ‘Chester’
2020 ANNUAL SHOW CLASS WINNERS
Class 1 – Aechmea
1st Graeme Barclay Aechmea ‘Black Beauty’
2nd Peter Coyle Aechmea ‘Black Zombie’
3rd Peter Waters Aechmea ‘Pali Ridge’
Class 3 – Billbergia
1st Peter Coyle Billbergia ‘Hallelujah’
2nd Peter Waters Billbergia ‘Hallelujah’ F2 #3
3rd Peter Coyle Billbergia ‘Totara Natasha’
Class 4 – Cryptanthus & Orthophytum
1st Dot Leaning Cryptanthus ‘Zebrina’
2nd Bill Lee Cryptanthus ‘Black Knight’
3rd Bill Lee Cryptanthus ‘Rainbow Star’
Class 5 – Guzmania
1st Peter Coyle Guzmania monostachia
2nd David Goss Guzmania sanguinea
3rd David Goss Guzmania wittmackii
Class 6 – Bromeliad Species
1st Graeme Barclay Neoregelia gigas
(red form)
2nd Graeme Barclay Quesnelia alvimii
3rd Peter Waters Nidularium espirito-
santense
Class 7 – Neoregelia
1st Graeme Barclay Neoregelia ‘Chester’
2nd Graeme Barclay Neoregelia ‘Big Bang’
3rd Peter Coyle Neoregelia ‘David &
Sherlette’
Class 8 – Neoregelia midi size
1st Diana Holt Neoregelia ‘Tara Jackpot’
2nd Graeme Barclay Neoregelia ‘Minibah’
3rd Jocelyn Coyle Neoregelia ‘Alley Cat’ x
‘Curmudgeon’
2020 BROMELIAD 2020 ANNUAL SHOW
TROPHY WINNERS
Class 9 – Nidularioides
1st Robbie Burns Nidularium
mangaratibense
2nd Graeme Barclay Nidularium catarinense
3rd Peter Waters Nidularium organense
Class 10 – Tillandsia Small Blooming
1st Graeme Barclay Tillandsia funckiana
2nd Dave Dawson Tillandsia mallemontii
3rd Peter Coyle Tillandsia kammii
Class 11 – Tillandsia Small Foliage
1st Peter Coyle Tillandsia ‘Sweet Isabel’
2nd Peter Coyle Tillandsia scaposa x
velutina
3rd Lynette Nash Tillandsia glabrior
Class 12 – Tillandsia Colony
1st Lynette Nash Tillandsia tectorum
2nd Lynette Nash Tillandsia xrectifolia
3rd Pas Southon Tillandsia caerulea
Class 13 – Tillandsioideae
1st Peter Coyle Catopsis subulata
2nd Alex Chin Tillandsia cyanea
(variegated)
3rd David Goss Tillandsia ‘Tiger Tim’
Class 14 – Tillandsia Large Blooming
1st Peter Coyle Tillandsia fasciculata x
xerographica
2nd Peter Coyle Tillandsia jalisco-
monticola
3rd Lynette Nash Tillandsia capitata
(yellow)
Class 15 – Tillandsia Large Foliage
1st Peter Coyle Tillandsia xerographica
2nd Lynette Nash Tillandsia duratii var
saxatilis
3rd Lynette Nash Tillandsia chapeuensis
Class 16 – Vriesea Blooming
1st Graeme Barclay Vriesea arachnoidea
2nd David Goss Vriesea racinae
3rd Peter Waters Vriesea correia-araujoi
Class 17 – Vriesea Foliage
1st Graeme Barclay Vriesea ‘Ruby Dusk’
2nd Graeme Barclay Vriesea ‘White Cloud’
3rd David Goss Vriesea ‘Jewel’ hybrid
Class 18 – Bigeneric or other unlisted genus
1st Graeme Barclay xVriesgoudaea ‘Jags
Hunua Autumn’
2nd Andrew Devonshire xCanmea ‘Hunua
Serpent’ x Canistrum
‘Vania Leme’
3rd Peter Waters xQuesmea ‘Nifty Nev’
Class 19 – Miniature bromeliad
1st Peter Coyle Neoregelia ‘Gizmo’
2nd Andrew Devonshire Neoregelia ‘Golden
Pheasant’
3rd Diana Holt Neoregelia ‘Tara Little
Prince’
Class 20 – Variegated bromeliad
1st Peter Coyle Neoregelia ‘Bullis’s
Margaret’
2nd Peter Coyle Neoregelia ‘Stellar Blast’
3rd Peter Waters Neoregelia ‘Groucho’
Class 21 – Pitcairnioideae
1st Alex Chin Dyckia ‘Te Ariki’
2nd Andrew Devonshire Dyckia delicata hybrid
Class 23 – Dish or tray garden or novelty
planting
1st Lynette Nash
2nd Pas Southon
3rd Lynette Nash
Class 24 – Bromeliad arrangement
1st Lynette Nash
2nd Lynette Nash
3rd David Goss
Class 25 – Artistic or floral arrangement
1st Betty Goss
2nd Lynette Nash
3rd Lynette Nash
Class 26 – Decorative container
1st Graeme Barclay Catopsis subulata
2nd Lynette Nash Orthophytum gurkenii
3rd Graeme Barclay Neoregelia bahiana
Class 27 – Hanging container
1st Andrew Devonshire Neoregelia ‘Life Candy’
2nd Graeme Barclay Neoregelia rosea
3rd Graeme Barclay Neoregelia ‘Shamrock’
Class 28 – New Zealand Hybrid
1st Peter Coyle Neoregelia ‘Totara Red
Leopard’ (P Coyle)
2nd Graeme Barclay xNeorockia ‘Superb’
(G Barclay)
3rd Graeme Barclay xNiduregelia ‘Piranha’
(G Barclay)
Class 29 – Original Bromeliad Artwork
1st Andrew Devonshire
2nd Andrew Devonshire
Class 30 – Educational Display
1st David Goss
10 More photos on P12 11
2020 BROMELIAD
PHOTOS BY
ANDREW DEVONSHIRE
A quick note re the judging at the competitive
show… ‘FIESTA’ 2020 – Dave Anderson
BEST NEOREGELIA AND CHAMPION OF THE SHOW:
Graeme Barclay – Neoregelia ‘Chester’
BEST BILLBERGIA: Peter Coyle
– Billbergia ‘Hallelujah’
BEST AECHMEA:
Graeme Barclay
– Aechmea ‘Black Beauty’
BEST GUZMANIA:
Peter Coyle – Guzmania monostachia
BEST VRIESEA:
Graeme Barclay – Vriesea ‘Ruby Dusk’
As
one entered the hall, one’s attention was drawn to the amazing colour and
size of so many plants entered into most of the classes of the competition.
So much beauty and well done to everyone who helped to make it such a
spectacular event!
For all classes – and particularly for the neoregelias, where there are always a large
number of entries – judging was painstaking and the thorough assessments, plant
by plant, took a long period of time.
On the whole, the entries were in good condition and cleanly presented.
I wish members all the best for growing their plants for next year’s competitions.
BEST N. Z. HYBRID: Peter Coyle –
Neoregelia ‘Totara Red Leopard’
BEST BROMELIAD SPECIES:
Graeme Barclay – Neoregelia gigas (red form)
BEST ARTISTIC ARRANGEMENT: Betty Goss
12 13
F
eaturing top quality plants from
over twenty specialist plant
growers throughout New Zealand.
An event not to miss for all keen
gardeners and avid green thumbs.
Admission $10.00 cash per visitor
includes entry to Ayrlies Garden and
Wetlands. There will be a pop-up and
live music. Due to health and safety,
unfortunately no children under 12 or
Ayrlies Plant Fair Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th April
9.00am to 3.00pm
125 Potts Road Whitford
dogs permitted. All proceeds go towards
the continued upkeep of this garden.
The 12 acres of rolling terrain ranges
from subtropical plantings, including
many bromeliads, through to large
lawns, ponds and waterways, past vast
plantings of trees, down to the wetlands.
The wetlands link the garden to the
waters of the Hauraki Gulf.
2020 BROMELIAD
BEST TILLANDSIA:
Peter Coyle – Tillandsia xerographica
BEST MINIATURE
BROMELIAD: Peter Coyle
– Neoregelia ‘Gizmo’
MORE PHOTOS BY
ANDREW DEVONSHIRE
BEST BROMELIAD ARRANGEMENT:
Lynette Nash
FIRST IN CRYPTANTHUS &
ORTHOPHYTUM: Dot Leaning –
Cryptanthus ‘Zebrina’
FIRST IN PITCAIRNIOIDEAE:
Alex Chin – Dyckia ‘Te Ariki’
FIRST IN HANGING CONTAINER:
Andrew Devonshire – Neoregelia ‘Life Candy’
FIRST IN NIDULARIOIDES:
Robbie Burns – Nidularium mangaratibense
FIRST IN NEOREGELIA MIDI SIZE:
Diana Holt – Neoregelia ‘Tara Jackpot’
14 15
President: Diane Timmins 09-415 9066
Vice Presidents: Jocelyn Coyle 09-416 8272
Graeme Barclay 09-817 4153
Secretary: Dave Anderson 09-638 8671
Membership Secretary | Scientific Officer:
Peter Waters 09-534 5616
Treasurer: Pas Southon 09-535 3544
Librarian: Bev Ching 09-576 4595
Committee: Lester Ching 09-576 4595
Alan Cliffe 09-479 1451
David Cowie 09-630 8220
Lucy Timmins 021-078 1102
Editor: Murray Mathieson 09-418 0366
Life Members: Dave Anderson, Patricia Perratt,
Peter Waters
OFFICERS
MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION
BROMELIAD JOURNAL
Editorial Committee
Dave Anderson
Murray Mathieson
Peter Waters
Production
Murray Mathieson
Distribution
Dave Anderson
All enquiries and contributions welcome,
please contact any member of the editorial
committee or send to Peter Waters, 22 Half Moon
Rise, Half Moon Bay, Auckland 2012 or email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Deadline
For all editorial and advertising, the first
Tuesday of publication month
Display Advertising
Rates are:
Full Page $60.00
Half Page $30.00
Quarter Page $15.00
‘Buy & Swap’
Listings in ‘Buy & Swap’ are FREE for members
of the Society (max. 30 words).
For advertising enquiries and material, please
contact Murray Mathieson ph (09) 418 0366
or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New Zealand
Ordinary membership NZ $45.00 ($5.00 discount
if paid before the end of February).
Dual membership (same household) NZ $55.00
($5.00 discount applies as above).
Overseas
NZD $45.00. Send all payments to the Membership
Secretary, Peter Waters, 22 Half Moon Rise, Half
Moon Bay, Auckland 2012.
Paying electronically
Paying via internet banking: Bromeliad Society
account: 03-0227-0071516-00. Please include your
name as reference. Re full contact information for
new members / changes for existing members,
please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Correspondence
All general correspondence should be sent to the
Secretary, Bromeliad Society of New Zealand,
P.O. Box 108-168, Symonds Street, Auckland,
New Zealand. The opinions expressed in letters
or articles in the Journal are the contributors’ own
views and do not necessarily express the views or
policy of the Bromeliad Society of New Zealand
Inc.
Society Website
www.bsnz.org – For past Journal archive –
growing tips – articles – sales information
Conference Corner – April 2021
– Graeme Barclay
Fundraising and
donations
Our recent ‘Fiesta’ Show and Sale
last month was a great success all
round and we collected $545 from
the conference plant sales. Thank you
once again to all those who brought
along donated plants for sale – it is
greatly appreciated, with 100% of the
proceeds going to ‘Kiwi Broms’.
As ‘Kiwi Broms’ is the 21st Australasian
Conference, we have also received two
wonderful donations to our conference
from Australia last month. The
Bromeliad Society of South Australia
donated AU$250 and the Gold Coast
Succulent and Bromeliad Society (who
hosted the last conference, ‘Golden
Broms’, in 2019), donated AU$2,000.
A huge thanks to these societies for
their support – it will help us create a
high quality event for all to enjoy.
‘Kiwi Broms’
registrations
We now have around 70 full
registrations including our speakers,
with half from NZ and half from
overseas – a great start! Do not delay
booking your accommodation at
Waipuna Hotel if you are intending
staying there as rooms are filling fast.
The registration fee is now NZ$325
until the end of 2020. All information
for registering and booking at Waipuna
can be found on our website at www.
bsnz.org.
Online Rare Plant
Auction – coming soon!
Once again we are running our ‘Kiwi
Broms’ fundraising online auction
on the ‘Kiwi Trade a Bromeliad’
Facebook Group page next month
between April 19th and 26th. The
full week gives everyone plenty of
time to view and bid on plants at
any time, with all auctions finishing
progressively from 7.00pm on the 26th.
Save the date and time to participate in
the live action!
Any BSNZ member can donate unique
or rare plants to the auction and any
local NZ member of the Facebook
Group can bid and pay the seller
directly. Either email me your photos
to upload, or feel free to upload them
yourself in the format you will see on
the page. If you are not yet a member
of this Facebook Group, simply
search ‘Kiwi Trade a Bromeliad’ in
Facebook, click ‘Join Group” and you
will be approved access immediately
to join the other 330 members we have.
Full details of how the auction runs
will be posted on this Facebook page
and also the ‘Kiwi Bromeliad Group’
page in mid April. See you there!
Graeme Barclay
Conference Convenor
16 Cont’d P18 17
Northland Bromeliad Group
– Nancy Peters
Notes from our February Bus Trip to
the ‘Fiesta’ on 23rd February
By 7.00am 23 members and guests of
our group were on the bus which took
us via various pick-ups on the way, to
the BSNZ ‘Fiesta’ in Auckland. While
there we watched enviously as storm
clouds brewed and down came the rain
which we desperately need in Northland.
Our members also pounced with glee
on the beautiful bromeliads to buy and
marvelled at the ones which had won
prizes. Thank you Society members
for the warm welcome and the lovely
morning tea. Next – by bus to Peter
Brady’s home around the corner where,
over the past 35 years, he has collected
and maintained an amazing array of
sculptures and plants. We were also
entertained by his rainbow lorikeet who
really enjoyed a little girl’s raisins which
she had shared with him.
We then travelled to the Auckland
Domain Winter Gardens where we had
free time to explore the exotic hot houses
and admire the ancient trees and/or have
lunch before heading north again. Please
check our Northland Bromeliad Group
and Facebook pages for photos.
Next meeting: Annual General Meeting
and normal meeting is on Sunday 22nd
March at 1.30 pm at Lyn and Barry
Ferguson’s property, 211 Whau Valley
Road, Whangarei.
A reminder that all our positions of
officers are yearly appointments, so
please don’t hesitate to nominate.
A person nominated must have agreed to
Group News
the position prior to it being submitted
and have signed the election slip. Diana
Smithyman will be standing down as
Vice President.
‘Show and Tell’ competition winners
will be announced.
Eastern Bay of Plenty Bromeliad and
Orchid Group – Jenny Briggs
President Ross Fergusson welcomed the
large group of members and visitors to
his superb garden which features vast
tapestries of bromeliads with harbour
views.
Some announcements were made:
• Guest speakers coming – Graeme
Barclay from Auckland in May and
September brings Kevin Pritchard from
Tauranga.
• Garden rambles locally in March
and April. The November ramble is to
Thames.
• A reminder that April 8th to 11th,
2021 will see the 21st ‘Kiwi Broms’
Australasian Bromeliad Conference
being held in Auckland. It will be a
fantastic international event.
• Our extra special Alcantarea ‘Grace’
raffle is currently running with half of
the tickets sold.
• Ohope market sales are going well.
• Stewart Sutton contributed a portable
sound system which can be utilised at
our meetings.
Guest Speaker: Dean Morman
of ‘Garden Masters Landscaping’,
Papamoa. Dean spoke about vrieseas –
his favourite bromeliad genus. He gave
a demonstration on how to promote
growth and the on-going management of
‘pups’, including their careful removal
from the ‘mother’ plant and potting on.
Lots of helpful tips and advice. Dean
also profiled dyckias, in particular, two
of Andrew Devonshire’s hybrids; Dyckia
‘Taniwha’ and ‘Kina’ and they wowed
us with their striking form and colour
combinations. The plants were quickly
snapped up on the sales table.
‘Show and Tell’:
• Stuart Sutton, following Andrew
Devonshire’s tip, put his pups into the
leaf gap next to the main brom cup
in order to promote root growth, with
100% success. It was concluded that this
method is likely to be more successful
outdoors during the warmer months.
• Barbara Rogers with x3 stems of her
perennial stunningly colourful Asiatic/
Oriental lilies for the raffle table.
• Ross Fergusson with a mature Vriesea
philippo-coburgii left to its own devices
and growing from a very small horizontal
pot into a large vertical plant.
Competition Results:
• Plant of the Month – Mounted
Broms: 1st Ross Fergusson with
Aechmea ‘By Golly’ on a large ponga
piece, 2nd Dean Morman with Tillandsia
tricolor on driftwood embellished with
false gold nuggets.
• Flowering: 1st Dean Morman with
Guzmania ‘M’ a rescued plant, 2nd Ross
Fergusson with Canistrum triangulare
and 3rd Stewart Sutton with Aechmea
fasciata.
• Foliage: 1st Dean Morman with Vriesea
‘Pixie Razzel’, 2nd Stewart Sutton with
Vriesea fosteriana ‘Perfection’ 3rd Ross
Fergusson with Neoregelia ‘Yellow
King’.
• Tillandsia: 1st Dean Morman
with tectorum, 2nd Janette Mant with
streptophylla and 3rd equal Gail
Anderson’s lorentziana and Ross
Fergusson’s secunda.
• Orchids: One entry from Peter
Banstead – the smaller leaved native
orchid, Earina autumnalis – which is
commonly known as Easter Orchid, and
by its maori name Ruapeka.
Next meeting: Sunday March 15th,
meeting at 1.00pm for an Opotiki Garden
Ramble. Enquires to Ross Fergusson 07-
312 5487 or Maureen Moffatt 07-322
2276.
Bay of Plenty Group
– Lynley Breeze
Our February meeting was our usual
open day to the public where we offer a
display of bromeliads and run multiple
sales tables. We also offer spot prizes
donated by members and there are
sufficient so that all the visitors go home
with a spot prize drawn when plants
sales finish. It is very popular and there
are many happy shoppers who acquire
bromeliads not available in garden
centres and many pleased growers who
can make room in the garden for some
more plants. Once again it was very
successful, and the members of the
public have come to anticipate their
spot prizes as a reward for attending. It
also attracts a number of new members.
Furthermore we get to display lovely
summer bromeliads at their peak.
On the second Wednesday of the month
we had a delightful garden visit to Di
Pinkerton’s garden up in Ohauiti. Di
has only been there three years and with
dedicated hard work and multiple truck
loads of plants brought with her from
Auckland, she has created a fabulous
garden. We were delighted with her
18 19
Cont’d from P17 – Group News
Dear
Doctor Brom…
Dear Doctor Brom…
Q: Some of my plants have become
more erect and tubular and their
leaves seem to be curling inwards.
Diagnosis: Too dry.
This summer has been an exceptionally
dry, hot summer in some parts. This
means that our normally relatively
drought tolerant bromeliads have
been pushed to the extreme of their
survival ability. The dryness of the
air exaggerates the effect of lack of
moisture, and with the cups and leaf
axils completely drying out in some
cases, permanent damage can occur.
Initially plants may curl inwards,
and begin to lose their lower leaves,
sacrificing them in the name of water
conservation as a survival technique,
but prolonged dryness can eventually
kill your plants.
Prescription: If they have not yet
been revived by natural rainfall, give
them a good watering. Plants near
walls or under cover may be especially
vulnerable. In severe cases dunk the
entire plant in a bucket of water. They
can stay submerged overnight if they
are very dehydrated. If you have a ‘bromeliad problem’ that
needs answering, please send your
question, (hopefully with a photo or two),
to ‘Doctor Brom’ c/- Diane Timmins at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
collections of bromeliads of course, but
also her carnivorous plants and some
very rare spectacular succulents.
We did not have the usual competition
plants or plant of the month.
Next meeting: 8th April, 12.30pm –
2.30pm at the Yacht Club.
Gordon Nairn will discuss the gardener’s
friends, bees. Plant of the month: Green
leaved tillandsias. There will be no
garden visits because of Easter.
South Auckland Bromeliad Group
– Hawi Winter
Our March meeting was replaced by
our Annual Sale on March 7th. A great
number of people had gathered and
waited patiently for the official opening
at 10.00 am, and it was very pleasing to
see numerous collectors from north, west
and east Auckland amongst the crowd.
There were a couple of new things
that were tried out and were positively
commented upon – namely, the looping
slide show with more than 600 bromeliad
slides and macro shots of bromeliad
flowers that was running in a loop fashion
on the stage of the school hall. Then
the hourly silent auctions of specially
selected plants. These silent auctions
generated quite a bit of excitement
towards the end of each auction cycle.
We had used all sorts of ways of
advertising our sale. Ads in the NZ
Gardener, the local papers, local radio
and last but not least social media. 14
Facebook groups were used to reach
about 30,000 people interested in plants.
All that paid off. The vendors were all
very happy – one completely sold out
all of his superb plants. The event also
recruited some new members. A big
THANK YOU to all those who attended
and made it a memorable event.
Next meeting: Our April 5th meeting will
be a garden ramble in South Auckland,
visiting four members’ gardens in
random order: Helen Sammons, Jill
Marshall, Kathleen Carter and Win
Shorrock. The gardens will be open
from 1:30 pm onwards, addresses in our
local newsletter. No plant sales on this
occasion; we will save that for our AGM
on 3rd May 2020.
Tillandsia Group – Auckland
– Isla McGowan
Our first meeting for the year was held
at Dave and Isabel Dawson’s in early
March. It was a beautiful day and a
far cry from our last scheduled day at
their home last November when we
had to change venue at the last minute
due to heavy rain. This time we really
appreciated the shade covering from the
sun. Thank you both for hosting 25 of
us. Dave’s glass houses certainly can’t
fit in any more plants. We welcomed two
new people to our group plus two from
Whangarei who made the trip down
for the day. Our topic was grass-like
tillandsias and thanks to Peter Waters
we were given a list of them including
the ones that are available in NZ. Thank
you Peter. That was a really good idea
and very well received. T bartramii, T.
hammeri, T. juncea and T. remota were
our more common examples with T.
alvareziae that is not as common.
Next meeting: Please note there has
been a date change. It is now the 24th
May at Graeme and Jeanene Barclay’s in
Titirangi. Topic to be confirmed. More
details will be in the next Journal.
20
xNiduregelia ‘Piranha’
Graeme Barclay – 2013 (Reg: March 2020)
New from New Zealand
– By Graeme Barclay
A brand new ‘sharky’ bigeneric hybrid I have had cooking away for a few
years has finally decided to do its thing.
M
ature, funnel-form, upright,
rosette to 60cm. diameter x
40cm. high. In strong light,
lime green leaves, slightly mottled in
darker green with burnished orange-
red blades, black fingernail leaf tips
and pure white flowers. Named for
the very sharp, rigid, blood-red spines
that resemble the teeth of the Piranha
fish from Brazil, where the two parent
species originate.
The parents are Nidularium fulgens
and Neoregelia ‘Skotak’s Tiger’.
As the description above mentions,
these are two of my favourite species
due to their toothy leaves and nice
form, so I thought they would be a
very interesting cross to make. I didn’t
have many seedlings germinate back
in 2013 (which is often the norm
in many bigeneric crosses) and I
eventually culled those seedlings that
didn’t show good form and features,
leaving this plant and a couple of
others. Also common in bigeneric
crosses is the muting of some features
of the parents, or poor flower structure
and growth habits. We can see here
the pollen parent Neoregelia ‘Skotak’s
Tiger’ has completely removed any
red colouration of the primary bracts
in the inflorescence that would come
from the Nidularium fulgens seed
mother. Of course, I was hoping for
some colour, but it seems the
Neoregelia flower structure
is very dominant in most
xNiduregelia registered crosses
to date. The unique outcomes
are the shape, leaf colour and of
course the red teeth, which are
very sharp and piranha-like. This
plant should be a good grower in
the garden for us in New Zealand
in medium to high light positions.
I look forward to growing pups
outside now it is registered and
also hopefully releasing some
at the ‘Kiwi Broms’ Conference
next year.
xNiduregelia ‘Piranha’
- Details
- Written by BSNZ Admin
Tui enjoying Vriesea philippo-coburgii.
Photo by John and Agatha Lambert.
May 2020
VOL 60 NO 5
• ‘Bromeliad Bubbles’… stories from the ‘lock-down’
• Spectacular Northland garden: Colin and Iris Symonds
Bromeliad Journal – May 2020 issue
CONTENTS
‘Kiwi Broms’ 2021 Conference Corner – Graeme Barclay
President’s Page – Diane Timmins
‘Bromeliad Bubbles’ – lock-down stories from members
The Northland garden of Colin and Iris Symonds – Diane Timmins
Nutrients and Tillandsia seed – Andrew Flower / Diane Timmins
Society officers, subs and Journal directory
‘Bromeliad Surprise’ – Diane Timmins
‘New from New Zealand’ – Graeme Barclay
Bromeliad Society of New Zealand Inc
The opinions expressed in articles or letters in this Journal are the contributors’ own views and
do not necessarily express the views or the policy of the Bromeliad Society of New Zealand.
Front cover: Lock-down will have been a good time to take stock and maybe
reflect on how lucky we are to live in a beautiful island nation like New Zealand.
Our noisy native tuis are always delightful and John and Agatha Lambert have
given us some exceptional close-up photos of this beautiful Whangaparaoa
specimen feasting on their Vriesea philippo-coburgii. More photos and words
on page 5.
Conference Corner – April 2021
– Graeme Barclay
Our printer, PDQ, is operating again and we’re back in business with our
printed ‘Journal’. Members are also receiving a printed copy of the April
Journal.
With no Society or group meetings being held in April, and none able to be
scheduled just yet, we are still running ‘light’ on news, with the ‘Journal’
being reduced in size.
We hope you enjoy our new ‘Bromeliad Bubbles’ section and special thanks
to Andrew Devonshire for creating the stunning ‘bubbles’ heading. You can
read how he did it on page 6.
• Online Rare Plant Auction
The ‘Kiwi Broms’ fundraising online
auction held on the ‘Kiwi Trade a
Bromeliad’ Facebook Group page
a month ago was once again a huge
success. We had a total of 35 wonderful
plants donated for the week-long event,
with auctions finishing every five minutes
between 6.45pm and 9.35pm on the
Sunday night. With the Level 4 Covid-19
Lockdown into the fourth week, we were
encouraged to see a good number of folks
online spending money and enjoying
the entertainment, including quite a
number of new faces. I am delighted
to announce we raised a further $6,465
for our Conference Fund, which will
help towards subsidising some of the
events in the conference programme.
A huge thank you to the donors of the
auction plants – Peter and Jocelyn Coyle,
John Mitchell, Andrew Devonshire,
Pas Southon, Ross Fergusson, Robert
and Margaret Flanagan and myself –
without your generosity we would not
be able to run these auctions and benefit
the conference so positively. Thanks
also to all those that placed bids and
congratulations to everyone that won the
plants.
• Conference Donation
Last month we also received a
wonderful $1,000 donation from the
Bromeliad Society of Queensland.
A huge thanks to everyone in
Queensland for your generous support
and also to John Olsen for organising
the money transfer on behalf of their
society. As with all our contributors,
we look forward to your participation
and camaraderie with your members
when ‘Kiwi Broms’ finally arrives.
• ‘Kiwi Broms’ Plant Sale
The Plant Sale we have planned at ‘Kiwi
Broms’ is shaping up to be a fantastic
sale, with many exciting new releases
and NZ hybrids being made widely
available from our wonderful group of
Kiwi hybridists and plant importers.
I have had some questions regarding
‘Day Registrations’ (which will be made
available in the coming months) and
whether a day registration to attend only
the Thursday night BBQ dinner and Plant
Sale opening is possible. Unfortunately,
due to the very restricted size of the
sales room and the numbers of delegates
expected to attend, we are unable to offer
this option. Hence, only full registrants
for the Conference will be eligible to
attend the opening night Plant Sale.
However, the Plant Sale will also
be open on Friday evening (entry
included in the single day registration
fee) and also on Saturday Morning
(9am-12 noon) when it will be open to
the general public before breakdown.
Graeme Barclay
Conference Convenor
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4 5
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
H
ave you managed to tidy up
an area, or start a new project?
While I wonder if everyone
else’s gardens are looking immaculate,
I have to confess the ideas I formed in
the lockdown evenings didn’t always
translate to reality in the new light of day,
but that’s ok. We’ve had our challenges.
Our bromeliads have certainly shown
us their resilience by quickly cheering
up after each of the infrequent dousings
of heavy rainfall we have encountered
between long dry spells in many drought-
stricken areas of New Zealand. But here
we are, we’ve come out the other side.
I hope you and your family are keeping
safe and well.
The current government ruling at the
time of writing this at Covid-19 Alert
Level 2 states that we are not allowed to
have public gatherings of more than 10
people. Therefore we are unable to hold
our general meeting, or AGM, in May.
THE GENERAL MEETING AND
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING IS
CANCELLED FOR MAY 26th
We are still in the process of confirming
the possibility of holding a general
meeting (and Annual General Meeting)
in June in a hall for all members to
attend. This will involve checking the
availability of a venue, speaker and such,
and will depend on what stage Level 2
we are in, as this will dictate how many
people are allowed at a gathering. We
will shortly be able to hold a committee
meeting to discuss procedures to ensure
the safety of all our members and the
viability of proxy voting on AGM
matters.
We certainly hope for good news in
June when, perhaps, we may be able to
hold a general meeting and the AGM
formalities we have to (won’t take
too long). But more importantly, we
are looking forward to being able to
celebrate the joy we all have with our
darling bromeliads and the social benefit
we all get from being able to safely come
and share our plants, our knowledge, and
our experiences.
The BSNZ is keeping active behind the
scenes. Graeme Barclay orchestrated
another outstanding online auction
achieving an amazing fundraising result
for our ‘Kiwi Broms’ Australasian
Bromeliad Conference here in New
Zealand. Well patronised, and comprising
an incredible range of desirable plants.
In this month’s Journal we’ve gathered
some contributions from member’s
‘bubbles’ during lock-down, along with
another garden from our bus trip North
(more to follow!). Our electronic Journal
from April is available for anyone to
read online at our BSNZ website.
Keep your eye on the weather –
remember to protect your plants from the
approaching cold of winter.
We are still in the midst of a very strange
time in history, so keep in mind the quote
by Audrey Hepburn:
‘To plant a garden is to believe in
tomorrow’
Stay safe.
Diane Timmins
O
ur Vriesea philippo-coburgii
was mounted (wired) in our
kowhai tree via an 8m high
ladder about twelve years ago. Every
year at least two or three plants will
flower, attracting the birds.
We enjoy the ‘feasting’ from the
various deck levels of our home.
The kowhai tree is about ten metres
away and on day 33 of ‘lock-down’
these tui images were created, using
a telephoto lens. It’s amazing just
how beautifully coloured these birds
are up close and how their feathers
shimmer in favourable light. We
love the way they end up getting
covered in pollen and, by accident,
they then pollinate all the flowers.
There’s always an explosion of seed
in the spring!
Day 33 of ‘lock-down’ and
this hungry tui is ‘having a ball’…
– Thanks to John and Agatha Lambert of Whangaparaoa
Spring flowers on John and
Agatha’s kowhai. Photo from the
cover of our October 2012 Journal.
6 7
PHOTO LUCY TIMMINS
D
ew drop refraction is a
fascinating area of macro
photography… it is not a
Photoshop trick.
The story behind the image:
A few years ago, I became interested
in macro (close-up) photography and
I was often on the hunt for new subjects.
I came across images of tiny flowers
reflected in dew drops. and I wanted to
find out how they were created.
Each ‘dew-drop’ is only around 2mm
in diameter and each acts like a tiny
lens to capture the image that sits in
the background. I decided to give it a
go and I chose one of my own hybrids,
Neoregelia ‘Golden Pheasant’ as the
subject.
I set up a stage on our kitchen bench.
Neoregelia ‘Golden Pheasant’ was
Editor’s note: Many members will be wondering how Andrew Devonshire was able
to create the stunning photographic image that heads up this column.
Read on… and thanks Andrew. Outstanding!
placed in the background and the
lighting was provided by a portable
builder’s light. The green ‘branch’ was
a stalk of chives, chosen for its waxy
coating which helps to hold the dew
drops in place. It was held up by two
little wire frames. Water drops were
created by using a mix of water and
glycerine which helps form bigger dew
drops than normal. This mix was then
sprayed over the chive stalk.
Once set up, I proceeded to take
hundreds of photos! The focus margin
is so fine and the challenge was to
get all the dew drops and the image
of the bromeliad in focus at the same
time. This process took so long that
my portable builders light heated up
to the point where it actually burnt my
bromeliad! Fortunately, I had managed
to capture a few suitable images. They
were then adjusted slightly for colour
before the final version was selected.
Getting the bromeliads
‘into the bubbles’…
– Andrew Devonshire
P
as reports that their three cats
– Gus, Brownie and Abby
are also a great help in the
garden as they love to hunt wetas
and crickets.
Pas and Jim Southon’s furry friends
enjoy ‘lock-down’ in their beautiful
garden…
Gus checks out the Tillandsia bergeri
Abby on patrol atop the Tillandsia
usneoides
Brownie takes a break and blends in
8 Cont’d P10 9
T
his plant is one of my early hybrids bred
in 2014. I have not done many variegated
hybrids as I find they take a long time to
stabilise, however this is a first off the line cross
between Neoregelia ‘Stargazer’ from the late Gerry
Stansfield and a plant I imported from Australia
many years ago called Neoregelia ‘Apricot Nectar’
which is the creation of Australian Shane Zaghini.
I was so lucky with this grex of seedlings.
I have already named one after my daughter –
Neoregelia ‘Totara Tracey’ so I guess this one will
be named Neoregelia ‘Totara Hayley’ after my other
daughter.
The plant is looking at its best right now and I would
definitely recommend our members consider giving
breeding (hybridising) a serious shot. It is a long
haul but well worth the excitement all along the way.
Neoregelia ‘Totara Hayley’ is now being submitted
for registration with the BSI.
The joys of hybridising – Peter Coyle
Neoregelia ‘Totara Hayley’
A
bout two weeks into ‘lock-
down’ I was a bit shocked,
but pleasantly surprised,
when our 30 year-old son, who has
been in our ‘bubble’, phoned up and
asked me if I’d like him to come
over in the weekend to help in the
garden. It must be all of 15 years
since he last helped in our garden!
In recent times he has borrowed
various tools to help with his own
tiny townhouse garden but that’s
been the extent of his gardening
interest.
There’s always an upside…
– Murray Mathieson
It was great – he helped me for most
of one day and together we tackled
an overgrown garden path at the back
of our property, which backs on to
a bush reserve. We removed heaps
of wild ferns and ‘nasties’, trimmed
and weeded and rediscovered the
pebble path. He worked hard…
we achieved a really good clean-
up and an added bonus was there
were no electronic interruptions and
we actually managed some decent
conversation!
A
garden full of
interest from a
thriving vegetable
garden to flower beds and
trees, unusual shrubs, and
of course their collections
of bromeliads and orchids.
I heard comments of what a
varied and inspiring garden
it was to view – something
for everyone.
Being a classic quarter acre
section, over the fifty years
Iris and Colin have been
there, trees have grown,
and garden beds have
filled the area, so they have
adapted some ingenious
ways of utilising the space:
• A covered patio on the
upper storey by the front
door provides the perfect
environment for the lovely
tillandsia collection.
• Ponga posts along the
neighbour’s fence line are
topped with broms.
• A row of large bamboo
poles side by side are
adorned with all kinds of
neoregelias, tillandsias
and aechmeas. Working as
a partition, it gives a focal
point to an upper corner,
while it entices you to
From our Society Bus trip to Northland gardens – March 2020:
Visiting Colin and Iris Symonds.
An ‘inspiring garden – something
for everyone’
– Diane Timmins
10 11
Cont’d from P9 – Symonds garden…
see what is behind, like dividing the
garden into rooms.
• Wooden fence posts have pottery
orchid pots attached that hold small
clumps of Vriesea guttata – no doubt
an attractive display in their shady
position when they send out their
cheerful bouquets of pendulous pastel
pink flower spikes in cold winter
months.
There is an impressive display of
blooming crucifix orchids, their
tall narrow form and bright flowers
breaking the expanse of brick on the
north facing wall of the house. Of
course pongas and trees are laden with
bromeliads and orchids.
Some time ago an Australian company
made various units from galvanised
steel mesh – for many and varied
uses – from pig enclosures to plant
shade houses. This was recognised
by someone in Tauranga as ideal for
growing orchids. A number were
imported for local orchid enthusiasts,
until the freight cost became
exorbitant at which time they were
no longer brought in. Unfortunately
these quality structures appear to be no
longer available, but Iris and Colin still
have their orchids and precious plants
housed in them.
Their interest started in orchids some
years ago when Iris spotted a lovely
frilly orchid at a Hammer Hardware
shop in Kawakawa. The bromeliads
were a natural follow-on – Maureen
Green has been an important source
for much of their beautiful bromeliad
collection. Colin and Iris have been
actively involved in the maintenance
of the bromeliad area at the Whangarei
Quarry Gardens since it was developed over
20 years ago! A lot of hard work has gone
into the establishment and the progression of
the beautiful bromeliad displays we enjoyed
at the Quarry Gardens on our visit.
Asked if she had any words of wisdom on
how to make the best of your garden, Iris
stated that it is important to get the right
plant for the right place. For example, she
has noticed that generally vrieseas tend to do
better in her garden than for instance in Bev
and Brian Hutchings more expansive, open
garden which is full of thriving neoregelias.
Thank you Iris and Colin for sharing your
time and garden with us when we visited on
our March bus trip north.
12 13
Effect of nutrient availability on
Tillandsia seed development
– From the files of Andrew Flower. Notes by Diane Timmins
So, to get to the point:
Year 1 – first batch of seed germinated
in Northland.
Year 3 – first batch of seed moved to
Pukerua Bay growing-on house.
Year 5 – enhanced nutrition started in
Pukerua Bay.
Year 6 – second batch of seed
germinated in Pukerua Bay incubator,
with 12 hour day lengths.
Year 7 – second batch of seed moved
to Pukerua Bay growing-on house.
After a couple of years, Andrew noticed
that the second batch of seedlings were
about the same size as the first batch,
despite them being 5 years older! From
then on the second batch kept growing
faster than the first batch – even though
they were now growing side-by-side.
The conclusion he came to was that
the seedlings develop a metabolic rate
during their early year(s) that is related
to the richness of their environment.
The growth rate does not accelerate as
quickly when they move into a richer
environment as do seedlings that
started life in the richer environment.
In other words, nutrient availability
in the initial development of a
seedling is critical to its ongoing
growth rate.
The first batch of seed just kept falling
further and further behind the second
batch, even when they got to be grown
in the same environment.
A
ndrew Flower of Anwyl
Bromeliads has an extensive
collection of tillandsias, and
has been successfully growing species
and hybrids from seed for many
decades. Based on nutrient trials with
species seedlings, and element analysis
of dessicated plant leaves, he has
documented experimental procedures
in a controlled environment, and
reached some interesting conclusions.
One incidental observation was the
effect of nutrient availability on
Tillandsia seed development.
Andrew had batches of seedlings
grown from the same species at
different times.
In one species the first batch was sown
in the Northland greenhouse, in the
days when he did not fertilise much.
They received only local day lengths
– no artificial light. A couple of years
later, they were transferred to Pukerua
Bay, and eventually moved into the
new growing-on house.
Over the next couple of years Andrew
experimented with different nutrient
solutions (you can refer to his article in
the BSI Journal 57(1) 2006. It is also on
the Anwyl Bromeliads website (www.
anwyl.com) under Information tab,
articles, ‘Sources of Nitrogen’). He
started an upgraded nutrition regime
for the seedlings. He also started
germinating seed under lights in an
incubator, and giving them 12 hour
day lengths under fluorescent lights.
Tillandsia seed development
Stage 1 germinate on shadecloth mesh Stage 2 community sticks
Stage 2 community sticks
Stage 3 individually mounted on pine
14 15
President: Diane Timmins 09-415 9066
Vice Presidents: Jocelyn Coyle 09-416 8272
Graeme Barclay 09-817 4153
Secretary: Dave Anderson 09-638 8671
Membership Secretary | Scientific Officer:
Peter Waters 09-534 5616
Treasurer: Pas Southon 09-535 3544
Librarian: Bev Ching 09-576 4595
Committee: Lester Ching 09-576 4595
Alan Cliffe 09-479 1451
David Cowie 09-630 8220
Lucy Timmins 021-078 1102
Editor: Murray Mathieson 09-418 0366
Life Members: Dave Anderson, Patricia Perratt,
Peter Waters
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please contact any member of the editorial
committee or send to Peter Waters, 22 Half Moon
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All general correspondence should be sent to the
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P.O. Box 108-168, Symonds Street, Auckland,
New Zealand. The opinions expressed in letters
or articles in the Journal are the contributors’ own
views and do not necessarily express the views or
policy of the Bromeliad Society of New Zealand
Inc.
Society Website
www.bsnz.org – For past Journal archive –
growing tips – articles – sales information
Neoregelia ‘Maggies Pride’
– and lots of determination
By Diane Timmins
Can you see the weird small clump of dirt
hanging below the pot I am holding? (it
has a tiny pup). I was clearing up an area
of Neoregelia ‘Maggies Pride’, when I
pulled out a pot. It was slightly elevated
from a neighbouring pot, and took a bit
of encouragement to come away from
its perch. It took me a moment to realise
why – the old mother from the lower pot
had thrown a pup … and the pup had
grown up through the neighbouring pot –
from the drainage hole. The bare remains
of the lower pot plant came away with
the pot I had picked up. Its pup emerged
as an awkward teenager in the upper pot!
It looks to me that with a little TLC it
has every chance of becoming a happy
healthy plant. (And I think after all the
effort it deserves every chance).
Covid-19 forces a postponement of
the World Bromeliad Conference in
Sarasota, Florida, USA for one year…
The conference, called ‘THE BIG SHOW’ was scheduled to be
held June 10th – 13th 2020. The mayhem created by Covid-19
means a change of dates is necessary – and the BSI confirms the
new conference dates as June 8th – 12th 2021.
Details of booking transfers and refunds etc available on the BSI
website www.bsi.org
16
Neoregelia ‘Mai Snow Storm’
Andrew Devonshire – 2011 (Reg: Dec 2019)
New from New Zealand
– By Graeme Barclay
Our featured new plant this month is being multiplied for release at ‘Kiwi
Broms’, another little gem to savour from the ‘Devo’ stables.
M
ature, open rosette to 18cm
diameter x 16cm high. In
strong light, lime green
leaves marginated white (flushed
pink) and reddish pink inner growth
has partial cross-banding and white
spots, as well as at the foliage reverse
base. Tricolor Group. Grex siblings =
N.’Mai Snow Pheasant’; ‘Mai Tasha
Tiger’.
The parentage: (Neoregelia ‘Tascha’
x ‘Clarice’) x Neoregelia ‘Golden
Pheasant’.
As mentioned above, this wonderful
new ‘midi’ albomarginated hybrid is
a sibling of the now well known Neo.
‘Mai Snow Pheasant’, that we featured
here in June 2017. The variegated seed
mother Neo. ‘Tascha’ x ‘Clarice’ and
pollen parent Neo. ‘Golden Pheasant’
are both Andrew’s own hybrids, which
he has combined as parents in a second
generation cross. Using a striated seed
mother that will transmit variegation
to its seedlings is a must for producing
variegated progeny.
Like Neoregelia ‘Mai Snow Pheasant’,
this seedling also eventually developed
stable albomarginated leaves with
vibrant markings, sometimes this
variegation stabilisation can take
two or three generations of pups
to settle down, which is possibly
why Neoregelia ‘Mai Snow Storm’
appeared around three years after its
earlier sibling. This new midi will
develop a compact, brightly coloured
rosette in very strong light, a perfect
candidate for hanging containers, or
growing in ponga stumps or pots etc.
Neoregelia ‘Mai Snow Storm’
- Details
- Written by BSNZ Admin
April 2020
VOL 60 NO 4
• Covid-19: This month’s Journal goes electronic
• Bromelia binotii… read the fascinating story
of Ross Fergusson’s plant
• Whangarei bus trip photos
Bromelia binotii. SEND US YOUR ‘LOCKDOWN’ STORIES PLEASE!
Photo by Ross Fergusson
2
Bromeliad Journal – April 2020 issue
This issue is available in digital electronic form only. Emailed to members
and it will be available on the Society’s website at www.bsnz.org
CONTENTS
President’s Page – Diane Timmins
Our big bus trip north to Northland – Diane Timmins
Living sculpture in the Quarry Gardens – Diane Timmins
‘Bromeliad Surprise’ – Diane Timmins
‘New from New Zealand’ – Graeme Barclay
Group News
‘Dear Doctor Brom’ – Diane Timmins
‘Beauty from the Beast’ – Graeme Barclay and Ross Fergusson
Society officers, subs and Journal directory
Bromeliad Society of New Zealand Inc
The opinions expressed in articles or letters in this Journal are the contributors’ own views and
do not necessarily express the views or the policy of the Bromeliad Society of New Zealand.
Covid-19: Society and Group news…
Members will appreciate that nothing is ‘normal’ right now. Society and Group
monthly meetings are cancelled until further notice – and the Society’s Annual
General Meeting has been postponed until it’s possible to convene a proper
meeting.
Members of our Bromeliad Groups around the country should stay in touch with
their secretaries and / or committee members for updates on any developing
information on when it may be possible to resume normal activities and events.
PLEASE TAKE CARE AND STAY SAFE
Front cover: Bromelia binotii. From Ross Fergusson of the Eastern Bay of Plenty
Group. You can look at some great photos of how this unusual plant developed
and read the interesting and informative article about it from Graeme Barclay,
starting on page 13.
3
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
H
ello! Yes, it’s still me! That
virus has got in the way of our
AGM and we’ll keep you posted
on plans to proceed on that important
event. Our general meetings have been
cancelled until further notice – again, we
will let you know when we’re able to get
those up and running once more.
We’ve gone electronic for this issue!
Our wonderful printer PDQ also had
to temporarily close its doors so we
are emailing this issue to members and
it will also be available on our BSNZ
website – www.bsnz.org
With no Society monthly meeting to
report on, the Journal is obviously a
bit different this month. But we’ve
still managed to bring you some of our
regular columns and contributions, plus a
report on our great March bus trip north.
We’ll have more articles on a number of
wonderful gardens coming up in coming
issues and overall, we aim to keep the
flow of good brom news coming to all
our members during this difficult period.
Our editor, Murray, is making a special
request below for personalised brom
news from members – we’d love to hear
from you.
Your committee also understands that
many of our members live alone. If
you would like to chat about broms (no
question too small) – or just chat about
anything really – then all you need to do
is contact myself or one of the BSNZ
committee members (see page 17 for our
contact details).
And remember – there is increasing
evidence that exposure to plants
and green space, and particularly to
gardening, is beneficial to mental and
physical health. As any gardener will
tell you, it’s an amazing way of relieving
stress and anxiety – something we could
all do with right now. So, try to make
time to enjoy those bromeliads, their
little smiley faces looking up at you will
warm the cockles of your heart.
Above all… please keep safe.
Diane Timmins
Editor’s note:
We’ll be doing our very best to make our monthly ‘Bromeliad Journal’ interesting
and a source of pleasure and positivity for all our members during these challenging
times. AND YOU CAN HELP!
Now would be a great time for you to write us a few words about how your broms,
and your garden, are helping you get through these tough times. It doesn’t need to
be a full ‘article’ – a few words will be fine, hopefully with a photo or two. Perhaps
you’ve been using the lock down period to remodel part of your garden or to finally
tackle a new garden project you’ve been planning for a long time? We’d love to hear
about it. Please send your contributions to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Take care
Murray Mathieson
4 Cont’d P5
T
he weather gods ignored all the
rainy forecasts leading to our
big day out, and provided us
with sunshine and warmth for what
was a fun-filled day in selected gardens
in the Whangarei area.
After all the pickups, our first stop was
the Tee Café at the Waipu Golf course
(of course!). We enjoyed a spectacular
spread and spectacular views before
we carried on north to two wonderful
private gardens and the Whangarei
Quarry Gardens.
The first garden was Colin and Iris
Symonds. A fascinating show of
garden diversity and kiwi ingenuity.
Worthy of an article on its own in a
later Journal.
Next we went to Bev and Brian
Hutchings. Aesthetic displays in their
own special piece of paradise… again,
this spectacular garden also deserves
its own article in a later Journal.
Our final visit was the subtropical
community oasis of the Whangarei
Quarry Gardens. The Northland
Bromeliad Group voluntarily maintains
all bromeliads on this site and that is
no easy task, with beautiful clusters of
bromeliads scattered throughout the
extensive property.
A golf cart collected 5 passengers
from the bus, who would have found
the venue a little too extensive for
Our bus trip to Whangarei – March 15th
– Diane Timmins
Symonds garden
5
Cont’d from P4 – Our bus trip to Whangarei
walking around. It was driven by
staunch Quarry Gardens volunteer
– Nancy Peters – who gave a guided
tour with commentary (Judging by the
smiling faces I think there must have
been some amusing comments coming
in reply from the cheap seats in the
back). We were given a brief history
of the gardens, and went on our merry
way. The Quail Café at the entrance
provided coffee, tea and sustenance.
Others enjoyed picnic lunches in the
special picnic area. From there we
followed well-formed paths to the at
least 20-something highlights within
the gardens.
As always, the bromeliad area looked
stunning and natural nestled into its
sloping hillside, with the bromeliads
starring all over the place.
We explored some interesting features.
One was the arid garden area where a
north facing rocky outcrop high up on
a sheer cliff face suffers constant daily
temperatures of over 40ºC during hot
summers. Signs were in place to warn
of the dangers, as the steep climb and
searing heat would not suit the faint
hearted. It is proof of the diversity of
our beloved bromeliads that, within
this ‘furnace area’, there is a healthy
clump of Dyckia growing along with
the tough guys.
A recent additon to the gardens is
the Te Wai U O Te Atakura – Vader
V living fungi sculpture (see article
on page 7). It is attractively accented
with bromeliads, the Vriesea philippo-
coburgii in full glorious bloom. Hutchings garden
Cont’d P6
6
Over an hour flew past with so much
to see. And so the enjoyable excursion
came to a close. Time to board our bus,
Cont’d from P5 – Our bus trip to Whangarei
journey back home and reflect on an
altogether great day out. Many thanks
to all our gracious Northland hosts.
Whangarei Quarry Gardens
7
T
here are many works of art
within the gardens, but taking
centre stage in the Cascade Dell
is ‘Te Wai U O Atakura’, a sculpture
by renowned Northland artist – Chris
Booth. ‘Te Wai U O Atakura’ when
translated from Maori to English
means milk from the breast of Te
Atakura.
Living Sculpture in the
Whangarei Quarry Gardens – Diane Timmins
Te Atakura is the goddess present at
sunrise – she rises from the world of
the ancient and dark, into the world
of the light and life, like the birth of
a child. The sculpture was completed
by Chris Booth and Rata Kapa in April
2018, and unveiled by Te Parawhau
hapu kaumatua Pari Walker, Fred Tito
and Johnny Nathan. It is the fifth in the
global series of Vardar
living sculptures. Vardar
is an old Nordic word for
‘cairn’.
Chris Booth says, ‘The
main living aspect of
the sculpture is fungi,
the greatest recycler
on the earth and a vital
organism for the health
of the majority of
plants and animals. In
these living sculptures I
collaborate with fungi.
The fungi consume the
organic material causing
the boulder to ever so
slowly descend to the
ground. Depending on
the wood, it could take
70 years or more’.
From the pathway she is
accentuated by a planting
of bromeliads where
native New Zealand
forest meets the exotic
subtropical garden.
‘Te Wai U O Atakura’. PHOTO DIANE TIMMINS
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By Diane Timmins
I
fell behind with cleaning up some
outside neoregelias, and found
pohutukawas growing in the old
plants! There are two huge trees next
door and unfortunately the seeds
LOVE orchid mix. I’m forever pulling
seedlings out of pots, but not usually
out of plants.
From Ginny Rastall – March 2020
Pohutukawa seedlings growing in
bromeliads!
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Tillandsia ‘Len Trotman’
(T. vicentina x T. erubescens)
Andrew Flower – 1996 (Reg: Aug 2016)
Mature rosette to 30cm diameter x
20cm high. Pliant, narrow, grey-green
scurfed pendant leaves, tapering to
a point. Pendulous spikes of scurfed
coral pink scape bracts and tubular off-
white flowers. Offsets can have either
compound or simple inflorescences.
Named in honour of the late Len
Trotman, pioneer bromeliad grower,
long-time supporter and life member of
the BSNZ.
Tillandsia ‘Percy’
(T. alfredo-laui x T. erubescens)
Andrew Flower – 2002 (Reg: Aug 2016)
Mature rosette to 30cm diameter x 30cm
high. Scurfed, grey-green, chanelled,
spidery leaves. Pendant, shell pink-
bracted spike with chartreuse green
flowers.
New from New Zealand
– By Graeme Barclay
As flagged in our July 2019 Journal, we are delighted to be able to feature a
number of recently named tillandsia hybrids from Andrew Flower in Wellington.
As
you can see, these two hybrids below were made some years ago, so growers
may have these plants under the formulas listed below in black, so be sure to
check your collections and update your name tags if you do. In July we saw
two hybrids with Tillandsia erubescens used as the seed mother, whereas below we
have two others with T. erubescens as the pollen parent. These crosses have created
another set of fantastic results from the obvious harmonious combination of these
Mexican species, producing colourful, pendant blooms and reasonably cold-hardy
plants due to their higher altitude natural habitats around 2000m and above.
Tillandsia ‘Percy’
PHOTO ANDREW FLOWER
Tillandsia ‘Len Trotman’
PHOTO ANDREW FLOWER
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Group News
Eastern Bay of Plenty Bromeliad and
Orchid Group – Jenny Briggs
For our March meeting, we gathered at
the Pouwhenua carvings (Totem Poles)
Waiotahi, where we were welcomed
by our garden ramble organiser, Gail
Anderson.
The 28 members and visitors, including
four from Tauranga, began the ramble
across the road and up the drive to
the garden of Kate and Peter Pasloe.
At the sheltered elevated house level
there’s a spring feeding a pond and
creek. The complementary plants in
this area are a mixture of natives and
exotics, including gunnera and a fruit-
bearing ‘banana tree’. Moving around
this spacious garden we discovered an
edible hibiscus, bromeliads in sun and
shade settings, a cottage garden and a
fire pit area overlooking the expansive
coastline. One of the pathways led us
on up to a vantage point with a ‘Hobbit
style’ beach hut and a stunning view.
Another area of native trees and shrubs
provided shady tracks and plantings
with a large, lush drift of the black-
stemmed Colocasia esculenta, taro
plant. Garden art, some created by the
couple, added to the enjoyment.
Nearby, Leora Ansell and Rod Williams
welcomed us to their three-year-old
garden. Beyond the perimeter wall and
situated on a level cliff edge bordered by
magnificent mature pohutukawas, we
discovered a tapestry of underplantings.
These included native and exotic shrubs,
succulents, huge Agave attenuata and
a variety of flowering perennials and
ground covers. Sea and coastal vistas
wowed again. Various potted plants,
bromeliads and the placement of
Leora’s garden art delighted us. Barbed
wire globes were a repeating feature
that illuminated at night. An impressive
rustic entertaining and plant area with
a ‘horse stable’ theme followed by the
produce gardens of vegetables and fruit
completed our tour.. An unusual variety
of passionfruit, bearing large green fruit
was of particular interest.
Our third garden in Woodlands was
created by Janette Baker. This long-
established smaller garden welcomed
us with a colourful combo of red
alstroemeria (Peruvian lily), matched
with yellow and orange marigolds.
Of note was the newer Hydrangea
‘Limelight’, Sedum ‘Spectabile’,
Acacia ‘Fettuccini’, a variegated
ligularia and the Cornus ‘Wedding
Cake’ tree. There were fish ponds, a
refreshing green native plant area, with
many tall tree pongas and even a little
waterfall.
Our final garden east of Opotiki,
nestled behind tall shelterbelts with
an expanse of garden lawn, bordered
with beautiful mature trees and
underplanted with drifts of bromeliads
in mature established clumps and also
as epiphytes on the trees. Japanese
maples, young nikaus, clivia, ligularia,
cordylines and many other plants filled
the garden. Garden art, stately urns,
pots and pops of red seating enhanced
the plantings. Hosts Joanne and Kevin
Ashford provided a leisurely afternoon
tea which was a most welcome
opportunity to mingle or just sit back on
the terrace or under the trees and enjoy
the whole tranquil atmosphere.
Cont’d P11
11
Many thanks to these keen wonderful
gardeners for sharing their special
places and thanks to Gail for organising
the day.
Our future meetings are on hold for
the time being but, meanwhile, we can
make the most of our isolation time
pottering or just sitting back enjoying
our bubble gardens. For enquiries
call Ross Fergusson 07 -312 5487 or
Maureen Moffatt 07-322 2276.
Bay of Plenty Bromeliad Group
– Lynley Breeze
After our AGM meeting, Kevin Pritchard
gave a demonstration cutting pups off
some very difficult vrieseas. He showed
the many sharp implements he uses for
cutting off pups – the most favoured
being a pointed serrated kitchen knife.
He carefully removed most of the
external leaves below the area where
the pups were growing to give a good
clearance and cut downwards towards
the base of the plant so as to include
the growing point for the root system.
He recommended allowing the pups to
dry off for a few days before potting up.
Roger Allen said that he finds the use of
rooting hormone on bromeliads helps
them to establish more quickly. While
it is not recommended to cut pups off
after April, and before September,
experienced growers still remove
some pups over the winter months but
always keep these ones in a glasshouse
or warmer area. Kevin always cuts off
the flowering heads of vrieseas as soon
as they appear to ensure the energy
goes into pup production rather than
flowering. Potting mixes must be free
draining, and some bromeliads will
survive months without soil if they are
sitting upright with water in the cups.
We discussed whether to have a
bromeliad display at the racecourse
as part of the Garden and Art festival
in November and agreed if sufficient
members were available to help we
would support this.
Competition Results:
• Plant of the month – Aechmea:
1st Dean Morman with a beautiful
plant of Aechmea ‘Sangria,’ 2nd Dean
Morman with Aechmea ‘Strawberry
Ensign’, 3rd Phillipa Lendrum with
Aechmea ‘Silver Streak’ also on
the table, Aechmea ‘Aztec Gold’,
Aechmea nudicaulis (red) and Aechmea
orlandiana.
• Open Flowering: 1st Neila
Fairweather with a magnificent plant of
Aechmea fasciata. 2nd Di Pinkerton with
Nidularium fulgens, 3rd Dean Morman
tabled Vriesea ‘Kent’s Sunset’.
• Foliage Plant: 1st Dean Morman
with Dyckia ‘Kina’ 2nd Dean Morman
with Vriesea ‘Snowman’ and 3rd Di
Pinkerton with Vriesea fenestralis
• Tillandsia Competition: 1st Dean
Morman with a display of Tillandsia
tricolor, 2nd Jo Elder with a Tillandsia
tectorum and 3rd Audrey Hewson with
Tillandsia gardneri, also tabled a
beautiful clump of Tillandsia bergeri
hybrid.
Next Meeting: 13th May 12.30 at the
Yacht Club. Committee meeting at
11.30 am. Topic: Preparing plants for
winter and bigeneric bromeliads. Plant
of the month – bigeneric bromeliads.
NOTE: This notice was posted before
the Covid-19 emergency. Please check
with Lynley Breeze for current updates
on future meetings and group activities.
Cont’d from P10 – Group News
12
Dear
Doctor Brom…
Dear Doctor Brom…
Q: Will eating fresh pineapple or
pineapple derivatives be good for
my health?
Analysis: Ananas comosus (based
purely on opinion).
If you have a ‘bromeliad problem’ that
needs answering, please send your
question, (hopefully with a photo or two),
to ‘Doctor Brom’ c/- Diane Timmins at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Pineapples, their fibrous leaves have
been used in textiles, and their flesh
contains bromelain, an enzyme called
protease that breaks down protein.
Bromelain has been used in scientific
laboratory applications, and is what
makes your mouth and lips tingle
when you eat fresh pineapple… you
are being dissolved by the enzyme in
the fruit!
Pineapples… Ananas comosus… come
from South America and eating them
is sometimes believed to provide real
health benefits. Some of these beliefs
are based on reasonable facts, others
are based more on folk medicine lore,
originating over the centuries.
Although a pineapple is loaded with
nutrients, and does contain disease-
fighting antioxidants, it is yet to be
proven that it therefore may help
reduce the risk of cancer, or that its
enzymes can ease digestion.
Perhaps it may boost immunity
and suppress inflammation, and so
may ease symptoms of arthritis and
may speed recovery after surgery or
strenuous exercise. Some claim it may
ease coughs and congestion, but no
studies as yet have proved its efficacy.
Ultimately, the consensus seems to
lean on the side of the pineapple: it
is going to be beneficial to include in
your diet… in moderation.
Ananas comosus (variegated)
PHOTO JOHN LAMBERT
13
B
romelia is not a widely
cultivated genus in bromeliad
collections and gardens due
their imposing and heavily spined
rosettes that can take up a lot of space.
They also have a habit of propagating
pups on long, spiky rhizomes that
often extend some distance away from
the mother plant underground before
emerging, making for some nasty
surprises if stepped on without shoes!
There are only four or five of the 70
Bromelia species known to have ever
been grown in New Zealand. Like the
Andean genus Puya, for those lucky
enough to have plenty of garden space
growing these thorny giants can be a
rewarding experience, providing a
The birth of ‘Beauty from the Beast’…
Bromelia binotii
– By Graeme Barclay. Photos from Ross Fergusson
Cont’d P14
Top view – 1 month
spectacular, long-lasting show when
they finally burst into bloom.
Ross Fergusson is one such lucky
grower, with his wonderful rambling
bromeliad gardens at his farmlet on a
few hilly acres near Whakatane in the
Eastern Bay of Plenty. Ross obtained
some seed pods in 2006 from a plant
that was thought at the time to possibly
be Bromelia pinguin. This seed
came from a visit to Austen’s Exotic
Gardens, operated by brothers George
and Laurie Austen near Kaitaia in the
Far North. Further investigations with
George revealed they managed to prize
a pup (with great difficulty!) in the
1960s or 70s from Mr. Charles Allan,
Full rosette – 3 months
14
an early pioneering BSNZ member and
grower in Auckland. Charles passed
away long ago, so we are unfortunately
unable to verify exactly where or when
he obtained either his original plant or
seed of his Bromelia. He was known to
import a lot of seed and was also active
in hybridising bromeliads, as well as
other tropicals such as anthuriums.
Ross grew some seedlings on and
planted them in his ‘wild garden’
area where they have matured, with
Cont’d from P13 – The birth of ‘Beauty from the Beast’… Bromelia binotii
Cont’d P15
Inflorescence Close up – 3 months
this featured specimen being the first
seedling to bloom. It has developed
a rosette of around 1.5m diameter
with the inflorescence around 80cm
to 1 metre high. From the onset of
blooming to fruiting, where it formed
elliptical shaped yellow seed pods,
took around five months. Ross reports
the flesh of the fruit is very sweet and
stringy, but numerous seeds within the
pulp are still yet to appear. A number
of Bromelia species have their large
fruits harvested in the wild by locals to
Flower detail
15
eat, or use in cooking. The plants are
also propagated and positioned to use
as livestock fencing, due to their large
size and prickly leaves.
After Ross’ plant began to develop
an inflorescence, he posted photos on
Facebook and we became uncertain
of the correct identification, thinking
it was maybe a variant of Bromelia
pinguin or Bromelia antiacantha. Or,
perhaps it could even be a hybrid,
as we found out Charles Allan also
Cont’d from P14 – The birth of ‘Beauty from the Beast’… Bromelia binotii
Cont’d P16
Fruit formation – 4 months
believed and had told the Austens.
However, Ross was recently able to
supply me with some detailed photos
of the flowers and inflorescence.
Checking the floral features against the
botanical literature, it became obvious
this particular plant was definitely not
B. pinguin, or B. antiacantha (both
of which are reportedly also in New
Zealand), because the inflorescence
is not heavily scurfed in white and
the flowers and petals are a different
colour and shape. Charles
may have thought it was a
hybrid because the other
bromelias around at the
time looked very different to
this plant and there were no
books to identify what had
bloomed for him.
So, what could it be?
Looking through the
Bromelia photo archives
I came upon Bromelia
binotii as a very likely
suspect. Further checking
of the details of the sparse
description made by Morren
and Mez in 1891, and
comparing them to the floral
parts and sizes, concluded
we were indeed most likely
looking at a true Bromelia
binotii. Interestingly, this
species appears to be rare in
cultivation around the world,
with the only known small
photographs appearing in
Elton Leme’s first book in
16
REFERENCE: Bromeliads in the
Brazilian Wilderness – Leme,
E.M.C & Marigo L.C, 1993
1993. It has never featured in
the Journal of the Bromeliad
Society International in 70
years of publications, so it
is possibly not cultivated in
the United States. It certainly
remains a mystery how it ended
up in New Zealand, far from its
natural habitat of Espirito Santo
State in Eastern Brazil. Perhaps
Charles Allan was dead right
when he was reluctant to
part with a pup, saying to
the Austens at the time; “It’s
extremely rare you know!”
On behalf of Ross, we
hope you enjoy the visual
transformational journey of this
spectacular species – the birth
of ‘Beauty from the Beast’.
Cont’d from P15 – The birth of ‘Beauty from the Beast’… Bromelia binotii
Fruit ripen – 5 months
Fruit opened
17
President: Diane Timmins 09-415 9066
Vice Presidents: Jocelyn Coyle 09-416 8272
Graeme Barclay 09-817 4153
Secretary: Dave Anderson 09-638 8671
Membership Secretary | Scientific Officer:
Peter Waters 09-534 5616
Treasurer: Pas Southon 09-535 3544
Librarian: Bev Ching 09-576 4595
Committee: Lester Ching 09-576 4595
Alan Cliffe 09-479 1451
David Cowie 09-630 8220
Lucy Timmins 021-078 1102
Editor: Murray Mathieson 09-418 0366
Life Members: Dave Anderson, Patricia Perratt,
Peter Waters
OFFICERS
MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION
BROMELIAD JOURNAL
Editorial Committee
Dave Anderson
Murray Mathieson
Peter Waters
Production
Murray Mathieson
Distribution
Dave Anderson
All enquiries and contributions welcome,
please contact any member of the editorial
committee or send to Peter Waters, 22 Half Moon
Rise, Half Moon Bay, Auckland 2012 or email:
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Deadline
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Tuesday of publication month
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Rates are:
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For advertising enquiries and material, please
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New Zealand
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if paid before the end of February).
Dual membership (same household) NZ $55.00
($5.00 discount applies as above).
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Secretary, Peter Waters, 22 Half Moon Rise, Half
Moon Bay, Auckland 2012.
Paying electronically
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Correspondence
All general correspondence should be sent to the
Secretary, Bromeliad Society of New Zealand,
P.O. Box 108-168, Symonds Street, Auckland,
New Zealand. The opinions expressed in letters
or articles in the Journal are the contributors’ own
views and do not necessarily express the views or
policy of the Bromeliad Society of New Zealand
Inc.
Society Website
www.bsnz.org – For past Journal archive –
growing tips – articles – sales information
- Details
- Written by BSNZ Admin
June 2020
VOL 60 NO 6
• Our BSNZ June meeting is on!
• ‘Kiwi Broms’ conference postponed until 2022
Tillandsia zacapanensis
Photo by Graeme Barclay
Bromeliad Journal – June 2020 issue
CONTENTS
‘Kiwi Broms’ conference postponement – Graeme Barclay
President’s Page – Diane Timmins
Tillandsia zacapanensis… a rarity blooms – Graeme Barclay
‘A touch of paradise’ in Northland – Diane Timmins
‘Air-layering’ with Puya venusta – Andrew Devonshire
Society officers, subs and Journal directory
‘Bromeliad Surprise’ – Diane Timmins
‘New from New Zealand’ – Graeme Barclay
Bromeliad Society of New Zealand Inc
The opinions expressed in articles or letters in this Journal are the contributors’ own views and
do not necessarily express the views or the policy of the Bromeliad Society of New Zealand.
Front cover: Tillandsia zacapanensis has only been reported from one location.
It is not found in many plant collections and to be able to present one in bloom is
an absolute rarity. Thanks to Graeme Barclay for the photo and for the thorough
research on the plant. See more on pages 5 and 6.
GREAT NEWS…
• We can meet again… AND WE’RE BACK IN STYLE!
• Our Bromeliad Society Annual General Meeting will be held at
7.30pm on Tuesday June 23rd at our usual venue – Greyfriar’s Hall,
corner of Mt Eden and Windmill roads. Our AGM will be followed by
our normal monthly meeting.
• We will have our (delayed) ‘Fiesta’ prize giving.
• We will be having a discussion about taking care of your plants in
winter
• The ‘Monthly Choice’ competition will be HANGING BASKETS.
• Our evening will conclude with our winter supper – please assist by
bringing a plate to share. Thank you… we hope to see a great
attendance of members!
Hi Everyone,
Unfortunately, our ‘Kiwi Broms’
Conference scheduled for April 2021 has
been postponed to April 7th-10th 2022.
After the Covid-19 restrictions eased
in New Zealand recently, the BSNZ
Committee met in early June to consider
our position and whether ‘Kiwi Broms’
could proceed as planned in April 2021.
While we have managed to get on top
of Covid-19 locally, our border remains
under strict control and is likely to
remain closed until a vaccine becomes
widely available, or the rest of the world
also beats the virus. I’m sure you are
aware that it seems a border relaxation
with the wider world may not happen
until well into 2021, all going to plan.
Obviously, this did not help five of our
guest speakers and the many delegates
we had coming from other countries.
With these things outside our control,
the uncertain possibility of a second
wave of virus in the next few months
and the financial risks involved, we were
left with no choice but to postpone the
conference. This early decision will allay
uncertainty and give everyone plenty of
time to plan ahead.
The Waipuna Hotel has been very
cooperative, moving our booking to
exactly a year later without any penalties
or major cost increases. This means we
will still able to host a fantastic and well
attended conference with the same top
speakers presenting, as advertised, in
2022.
The www.bsnz.org ‘Kiwi’ Broms’
website and registration information has
now been updated to reflect the change
and we can accept registrations as usual.
The current registration fee of $325, due
to expire at the end of 2020, will now
continue until the end of 2021.
Waipuna accommodation and
conference refunds
Any hotel rooms booked up until now
have been automatically transferred to
the same days of the week in 2022 to
save hassles. These bookings can be
cancelled or amended at any time by
registrants – please contact Waipuna
Reservations at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
to do so.
We realise this postponement may also
mean some registrants can no longer
attend the conference. If so, you are able
to ask for a full refund – please email me
at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to arrange it.
Otherwise, thank you for your
understanding and continued support –
and we look forward to seeing you in
Auckland in April 2022!
Graeme Barclay
Conference Convenor
CONFERENCE POSTPONED
to April 7th–10th 2022
Conference Corner
– Graeme Barclay
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
Here we are in the middle of the
year, our meeting scheduled
just on the better side of the
shortest day of the year. Is it just me,
or have others had a rather large empty
area on what may have been the worst
purchase of the year – a wall planner.
I imagine many of you are just as
excited as I that community clubs
and groups are now able to have their
usual gatherings without restrictions in
place.
23rd JUNE – BSNZ AGM AND
GENERAL MEETING WILL GO
AHEAD IN ALERT LEVEL 1
We will be having our BSNZ meeting
on the 23rd June at our usual Mt Eden
venue, and I hope to see you then.
We will have our delayed AGM,
prior to our General Meeting, the
latter will include our ‘Fiesta’ prize
giving, and a brief discussion by a
few of our experienced growers on
how they deal with protecting their
bromeliads over winter. Many growers
have different techniques to handle
the threat of long wet spells and also
how to cope with frost. Please feel
free to ask any questions – one of the
functions of our meetings is to pass on
useful tips and help your knowledge
and understanding of the fascinating
world of bromeliads and their culture
requirements here in NZ.
There will be a lovely opportunity for
us to enjoy the wonderful competition
plants that members bring in. The
various competition tables always
laden with mouth-watering specimens
from rarities to familiar plants at their
peak. Bring along your favourite
‘hanging container’ for our named
monthly plant table. There’ll be our
usual sales plants, raffle and sales
table. Then the fun part – we will enjoy
a shared supper (please bring a plate
of food to share!). Our fundraising
auction will be in July this year, and for
future meetings in the year, we have a
great line-up of speakers planned. We
are very fortunate that both Andrew
Devonshire, and Andrew Maloy – both
internationally renowned hybridists
from our very own NZ – are able to
provide presentations.
We are also extremely pleased that,
even though the unfortunate pandemic
has meant we have had to delay our
‘Kiwi Broms’ Australasian Conference
12 months (refer page 2), we are still
able to retain the outstanding cast of
international speakers that we had
lined up. Each has been approached
and has accepted our invitation to what
will now be a 2022 event.
We also look forward to holding our
usual ‘Spring Sale’ event in October,
once the winter here has passed.
I hope you are keeping safe and well,
and I look forward to catching up with
many of you at our bromeliad events in
the near future.
Diane Timmins
T
illandsia zacapanensis grows
at 600-900 metres elevation in
the department of Zacapa in
Guatemala, near the eastern border
with Honduras. It grows saxicolously
on rocks, on steep, limestone hillsides
in a dry, forested area. It has only been
reported from this single location, where
it reputedly covers an area the size of two
soccer fields with hundreds of plants on
the rocks amid the thorny vegetation.
The species was finally described in 2010
after being discovered there in the 1990s.
It has been compared to the much higher
altitude Mexican ephiphyte Tillandsia
carlsoniae, but it differs basically with a
larger rosette, longer leaves and a much
more elongated and robust inflorescence.
There are at least two distinct clones of
Tillandsia zacapanensis in cultivation,
both of which made their way back to
Germany where they eventually became
available to collectors. One can get quite
large in size when well grown, reaching
50-70cm wide, with silvery-white, wide
leaves. The other is smaller, has thinner
leaves and is more greyish in colour.
They enjoy a warm, brightly lit location
year-round and should be kept on the
dry side in winter, as per Tillandsia
xerographica that grows in similar
habitats. Potting them in an orchid bark/
pumice mix and feeding with slow release
A rarity in bloom –
Tillandsia zacapanensis
– Article and photos by Graeme Barclay
Tillandsia zacapanensis rosette
6 7
Cont’d from P5 – A rarity in bloom – Tillandsia zacapanensis
fertiliser seems to increase their growth
rates and allows larger sizes and
blooms to be attained. The specimen
photographed here (which is the larger
whiter clone) seems to have bloomed a
little prematurely, possibly due to the
winter chills triggering it, or a shock
from over-feeding due to repotting.
For more photos, information and
often detailed grower discussions on
other tillandsia species, the Bromeliad
Society of Australia website at www.
bromeliad.org.au is an excellent
resource. Click on ‘Photo Index’ in the
left hand menu and click on the genus
and species you are after – check out
Tillandsia zacapanensis.
Tillandsia zacapanensis –
inflorescence
Tillandsia zacapanensis –
flower detail
From our Society Bus trip to Northland gardens – March 2020:
Visiting the garden of Bev and Brian
Hutchings… a touch of paradise
– Diane Timmins
Bev and Brian both went to
Kamo Primary School when
they were youngsters, and
back then (a wee while ago
now) the place where their
house now stands was a horse
paddock. Some 46 years ago
this July when the place came
up for sale they bought the
property. The character of
the land appealed to them,
the way it was gently sloping
down to the road, a stone
wall, and beautiful mature
taraire trees at the top.
Two years later they moved in
after the house was built, and
now they have a wonderful
property with tastefully laid
out gardens, accented with
intriguing points of interest
around every corner.
The fascination of the
garden is made even more
enchanting by the addition
of wonderful pieces of art,
strategically placed to bring a
smile. ‘Ben’ sits on a bench
seat beneath a puka tree. He
wouldn’t look up and smile
when I tried to get a photo
of him – too engrossed in
the news he was reading, ‘Ben’
Cont’d from P7 – Hutchings garden…
something we can all relate to in
this turmoil our world is currently
facing. He was spotted by Brian at the
Ellerslie Flower Show. Brian followed
up with the owner of the piece, who
sourced him one from Taiwan. ‘Ben’
was shipped out, and arrived right on
schedule from his three-month journey,
showing up during the course of one of
the Garden Discovery weekend events
that their garden was involved in, early
November, 2005. It took 5 people to
carry Ben up to the garden from the
boot of the car he arrived in, a bit of
entertainment for those visiting the
garden that day.
They have created a number of their
own artistic masterpieces. A fabulous
piece with a copper pipe formed into
a tap with what looks like a constant
stream of water down a glass pipe,
adorned by a cheeky elf made by
another artistic local, was conceived
by Brian and put together in a garden
that boasts a stunning mirror feature.
Elsewhere a swinging clown, quality
pottery, classic statues and bright
handmade flowers are amongst the
garden features.
Bev and Brian got the bromeliad bug
over 15 years ago, and joined the
Northland Bromeliad Group. A visit
to Peter and Jocelyn Coyle’s ‘Totara
Gardens’ sealed their fate as bromeliad
addicts. Their garden is full of eye-
catching specimens of bright colour,
enhanced by the hot dry sun-drenched
summer we have just endured.
Swathes of spreading red neoregelias
and beautiful large specimens of
various alcantareas draw the eye, while
blushing variegated neoregelias and
giant banded Vriesea ‘Dark Knight’
and vriesea hybrids brighten the shady
pathways beneath the canopy of the old
taraire trees at the top of their garden.
A variety of plantings on their property
include a large Aloe bansii that keeps
on growing near the top of the path.
Brian is just pleased it hasn’t pushed
the old stone wall out of the way.
Specimens of agave have enjoyed
Cont’d from P9 – Hutchings garden…
our hot summer amongst
the large rocks in the lower
garden, while flowers bring
freshness to the rest of the
garden plantings.
Bev and Brian’s green fingers
meant many of us were able
to take home a bromeliad (or
other) souvenir from plants
Bev had available for sale.
Thank you Bev and Brian for
allowing us to come to your
immaculate garden when we
had our bus trip north mid-
March. Sorry you couldn’t
be there with us Brian - still
in hospital following a hip
replacement (back home and
healing well now) – but we
all thoroughly enjoyed your
little piece of paradise!
Apparently there are some 226
species that make up the sub-
family Puyoideae. Within
this sub-family is actually the largest
species of bromeliad, being Puya
raimondii. It grows to some 3 metres
tall and, when flowering, produces a
flower spike that will reach to 9 metres
to 10metres tall!
Puya are terrestrial plants, native to the
Andes Mountains of South America
and southern Central America. They
are well known as spikey plants, with
very sharp spines. In fact, the name
My puya propagation project…
‘air-layering’
– Article and photos by Andrew Devonshire
puya is actually derived from the
Mapuche Indian word meaning ‘point’.
Puya venusta is a sought after plant
within this sub-family. It is a stunning,
large bromeliad with eye-catching
silver foliage. About 10 years ago
I was able to add an established plant
of Puya venusta to my collection. The
plant initially had 4 heads, it grew
very well in its new location, almost
too well, as within 7 years the clump
had increased to 27 heads and it was
starting to smother other plants in the
garden.
Cont’d from P11 – Puya propagation project… ‘air-layering’
I could not bring myself to prune the
plant and throw away the offcuts…
so I decided to try and propagate it.
At the time I had heard that cuttings
from puya had a very low chance of
success, so I decided to try and air-
layer a section.
Air-layering is a propagation method
for woody plants that allows you
to root branches while they are still
attached to the parent plant. It is useful
for plants that are hard to propagate
from cuttings or if you want your new
plant to be a larger size than a cutting
would typically produce.
Fortunately for me, one side of my
plant had branched off the main trunk
forming a horizontal section…so this
is the area I decided to try and expose
and prepare for air-layering. I got to
work, cutting away all the leaves to
gain access to the horizontal section
of trunk...this was not easy, as each
leaf is full of fish hook like spines…
but I eventually got right down to
expose the trunk and to my surprise,
I discovered a few roots already there!
(PHOTOS 1 AND 2).
A large pot was filled with a peat–
pumice mix and wedged into position
so that the surface of the mix was in
contact with the now exposed section
of the puya trunk. (PHOTO 3). This set
up was then left undisturbed, I just
made sure the mix was kept damp.
Some 8 months later I noticed new
roots spreading out over the mix
(PHOTO 4) and I even noticed a few
roots starting to emerge from the
bottom of the pot. After waiting all this
time, I did not want to rush the final
stage, so instead of just cutting off this
now rooted section, I decided to make
a ‘V’ shaped cut in the trunk and this
was treated with “Flowers of Sulphur”.
(PHOTO 5).
After waiting for another 3 months
I decided it was time to make the final
cut.
The section I planned to remove had
grown so well that it now had 11 heads,
far too big and too heavy to manage.
So, I cut off 3 sections, reducing the
rooted section to a more manageable
size. (PHOTO 6). (These off cuts did not
go to waste… they became the subject
of another experiment to try and root
them as cuttings… but that’s another
story).
I carefully removed the pot and was
pleased to see a very good root ball
had formed (PHOTO 7). This section
was then planted into the garden and
went on to grow very well. (PHOTO 8).
So, the experiment was a total success,
I guess the whole process could be
achieved within a shorter period of
time, but as this was my first attempt
at air-layering, the slow and steady
approach worked well.
15
President: Diane Timmins 09-415 9066
Vice Presidents: Jocelyn Coyle 09-416 8272
Graeme Barclay 09-817 4153
Secretary: Dave Anderson 09-638 8671
Membership Secretary | Scientific Officer:
Peter Waters 09-534 5616
Treasurer: Pas Southon 09-535 3544
Librarian: Bev Ching 09-576 4595
Committee: Lester Ching 09-576 4595
Alan Cliffe 09-479 1451
David Cowie 09-630 8220
Lucy Timmins 021-078 1102
Editor: Murray Mathieson 09-418 0366
Life Members: Dave Anderson, Patricia Perratt,
Peter Waters
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please contact any member of the editorial
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Inc.
Society Website
www.bsnz.org – For past Journal archive –
growing tips – articles – sales information
Aechmea pectinata…
ultra pink death throes
By Diane Timmins
In
an obscure corner in my
nursery (actually there are
a few… it is a fairly large
property, and I have many nooks
and crannies laden with broms)
but I digress…
I found a large clump of Aechmea
pectinata. A large hardy aechmea,
that upon flowering, sends up its
pineapple shaped inflorescence,
not a memorable feature on
its own. However, there is a
spectacular show of large shocking
pink blotches on its leaves as the
flower spike emerges. It looks as
though someone has splattered
pink paint at random onto its
leaves. A startling sight that does
eventually fade. I removed part
of the clump – a flowered mother
plant, and she had 3 lovely pups.
So I (sorry ‘mum brom’) cut her
away from her babies, to obtain a
lovely trio of thriving young plants
attached at a root base. The mother
was left abandoned at the site of
the caesarean procedure. Some
weeks later, upon returning to the
site, I saw that every part of the
mother leaves had, in the throes of
death, blossomed into a glorious
final show of ultra pink!
Aechmea pectinata clump
Aechmea pectinata dead leaves
16
xVriesgoudaea ‘Jags Hunua Heatwave’
John Lambert – 2010 | Reg: February 2020
New from New Zealand
– By Graeme Barclay
This is the seventh and latest plant registered from this outstanding
groundbreaking cross, bought to us by ‘the two Johns’.
M
ature open, large rosette
to 75cm. diameter x 40cm.
high. Arching, broad, glossy
magenta leaves with partial olive
green, scarified cross-banding. Erect,
narrowly-branched inflorescence to
1.1 metres tall with up to 9 elongated,
ovoid, bronzed orange/yellow-bracted
paddles and yellow flowers. Grex
siblings = xVriesgoudaea ‘Jags Hunua
Fire’, ‘Gloss’, ‘Fountain’, ‘Rouge’,
‘Tropicana’ and ‘Autumn’.
The parents are Goudaea ospinae var.
gruberi and Vriesea ‘Angela’.
The cross was made by John Lambert
(‘Jags’ = John and Agatha’s), the seed
was grown and plants were selected
by John Mitchell (‘Hunua’), hence the
combination name. Compared to its
siblings, the outstanding features of this
plant are the magenta coloured centre
leaf portions and the very tall golden-
bracted inflorescence. With the olive-
green outer leaves blending subtly
into the centre, the rosette really does
resemble a radiating heatwave. As you
can see from John’s photo, growing it
in high filtered light ensures the intense
magenta colour is maximized. As with
the others registered from this cross
to date, it should also be a reasonably
hardy outdoor plant. Experimenting
with positioning for light and regular
feeding is a must to ensure great colour
and an optimum size of rosette and
xVriesgoudaea ‘Jags Hunua Heatwave’ bloom.
