Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Bromeliad Walk



Bromeliads in Spring










The Bromeliads
have responded to nurturing
and care










The children
called pups 
were removed
from last season's parents
when flowering finished
and after recovering
from their separation
have branched out
thrust themselves into life
and flowered








 




bringing vibrant spring colour
and joy
to my deck


Bromeliads like this one above
store water in their tanks
made from the tight fitting overlapping
of their base leaves










 



along the street
I notice another bromeliad
calling for attention











 



proud of her achievements









 



the woven burgundy
herringbone structure
and
the beautiful green flower
tucked into her pocket














there are many bromeliad varieties
in fact their inflorescence
is regarded as the most diverse
of any plant family









 



There are many colours and shapes
and it is said
they are the most widely patterned
and colourful
of any plant in the world



Originally from
the tropical Americas
the bromeliads belong
to the Pineapple family










 




The Incas
the Aztecs
and the Mayans
all used bromeliads for
food
protection
fibre
and for ceremony









 




The bromeliad
can hold its flowers for months
so is popular
as an indoor plant





Bromeliads are beautiful
 flamboyant extroverts
and one of the signs
of an approaching
sub tropical summer...


















*

38 comments:

  1. O MY GOD!!! They are all so lovely and wonderful!!!!
    I just love blooms and these are amazing. They are picture perfect(as always!)
    And very nice info too.

    Have a lovely, blooming day!

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  2. Hi there deepaz

    its nice to see you again...
    do you grow bromeliads?

    Happy days

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  3. They certainly are extroverts, such bright red they wear...a very good nurse/doctor you are Delwyn. I read your Heavenly Bromeliads post as well.

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  4. wow so many beautiful blooms of Bromeliads.

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  5. Wow Delwyn, I still have to shake my head in wonder when I realise that such exotic plants grow in the garden where you live!

    Love the idea of The Hospital for Bromeliads. You appear to give very good care, judging by the state of your patients.

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  6. Beautiful plant Delwyn, and beautiful shots. The variety with the blue tips seems quite unique. I am trying to think of another flower with those colours (I'm sure there is one) but none comes to mind.

    I discovered a small one in the soil of an orchid I purchased. It must have sureptitiously slipped itself in . . . but it is lasting as long as the orchid and survives on the sparse amount of water I give my orchids.

    The one on your deck almost looks plastic and the spotted leaves on your last shot are lovely.

    Bromeliad Hospital - tell the truth, you are Mother Nature incarnate, aren't you?

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  7. Such great variety of bromeliads. Good information too. I worked in a public tropical greenhouse for awhile and there was a great assortment there. As you say, some of the flowers last for months so the put on a great show. Good work separating the pups! As always, your photos are amazing!

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  8. beautiful pictures and educatational post :)

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  9. What a neat design, having a 'tank' for water under all those leaves. And, I was surprised that the green part was the flower. The deep crimson is so beautiful.

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  10. They are so exotic. I have a few. Only one bloomed this year though.

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  11. Oooh, I have so many questions. Do they have a scent? What do they taste like? What part(s) are edible/tasty? How were they used for protection? Is the fiber used for clothes? Can you send me one?

    Inflorescence is one of my very favorite words.

    Thank you for this beauty.

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  12. I've admired them for ages, but had no idea they are related to pineapples - now I can totally see the family resemblance!

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  13. Did someone say 'spring'?! I'm packing my bags Delwyn, hope you've got a guest room! ;o) Gorgeous plants; fascinating!

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  14. Delwyn,
    I once was given a Bromeliad by my husband and I tried to get it to bloom again. It was not a happy camper and died on me. Maybe too dry in our house?
    Rosey

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  15. These are all such stunning red color, I forgot to add!

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  16. Your bright spring colors are a nice contrast to our fall colors. Such unusual plants to my northern eyes!

    The waves and sunrise are gorgeous on the post below. Hope you spot some whales soon. I love seeing them off the coast of Maine.

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  17. Love the close-ups in this sequence Delwyn.

    Thanks for bringing extra colour to the day.

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  18. Oh Delwyn the bromeliads are beautiful. You did a great job of photographing them!

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  19. Thanks Lizzy

    I have the red ones in pots on my deck and they shout out at me every day...

    Happy days

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  20. Hi Martin

    If you click on the one with the flower in her pocket the pollen on the anthers shows up very well...

    Happy days

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  21. Hi Sarah

    Bromeliads are perhaps one of the most tropical plants we have - loud and bright and diverse...

    I have seen a few whales from a distance and am hopeful of a closeup before the end of the season...which is upon us now...

    thanks for dropping by...

    Happy days

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  22. Hi Rosey

    they probably don't like getting too cool and they only flower from the pup that you have to cut off and replant. The parent doesn't usually flower again...see the link post about the pups...

    Happy days

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  23. Hi Jann

    yes spring rolling straight into summer 26*-30* these days...

    see you soon then...

    Happy days

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  24. Hi GW

    I'm the same as you, a little surprised to learn of that connection...they have a similar growth shape to the pineapple

    Happy days

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  25. Hi Polly...

    No smell

    Other than the pineapple I don't know of other edible ones

    Protection - maybe they used the shafts for palisades or spears...

    Fibre, I imagine for clothing, bags, mats...bedding...

    Happy days

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  26. Hi Ellen

    do you know about cutting off the pups? see the link story...

    Happy days

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  27. Hi KB

    yes they hold that water really well and some can live without ground water if they get the tank refilled...
    I often wonder if the tanks hold the mozzie larvae as well...probably do...thank goodness for the house geckos...

    Happy days

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  28. Hi there pink dogwood

    thanks for the visit...

    Happy days

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  29. Hi Lorac

    I'm glad you appreciate these beautiful characters...I have a couple indoors as well, they are pretty hardy and I like to rotate them around the place...in and outside...
    Like orchids they can be an inexpensive way of having flowers indoors...

    Happy days

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  30. Your showy Bromeliads make we want a few indoor ones to perk up my already chilly landscape. Do they require a lot of water? Because of going back and forth between the mountains and the city, I have trained all my (remaining) indoor plants to strict water conservation.

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  31. Hi Bonnie

    and it is not until you are up close do you see that colour combination so clearly defined.
    I think I have inherited the green thumb genes from my dad...

    Lucky to find one in your orchid pot...I love orchids too and they are just splendid at the moment...

    Happy days

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  32. Hi Titus

    I have a little rehabilitation corner on the deck where the bromeliads keep company with the herbs, the now flowered Christmas cacti and the poinsettia...which just keeps on flowering...and a few tired old orchids that don't want to reflower...but I haven't the heart to chuck out...

    Happy days

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  33. Hello Muhammad and welcome to Australia...

    than you for dropping by to look at the bromeliads. I will pay you a visit later...

    Happy days

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  34. Hi Wanda

    thanks for reminding me to put that link on ...I had it ready and forgot to complete it...now done thanks to you...

    Instead of a red cross I wear a red bromeliad on my little nurse's
    cap...

    Happy days

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  35. delwyn, i'm just so grateful for all of this beauty. i read your blog every day and every day i'm astonished at the incredible beauty of the very small part of this vast planet that you live and walk through. thanks so much for sharing it here. steven

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  36. Oh thanks Steven for that comment

    you know Steven, making these posts has given me a new appreciation for and awe at the great diversity and wonders that are right in my back yard...

    It has made me stop and look and muse and gasp and oogle...and then I just can't wait to share...so I am very lucky to have readers like you...thanks my friend

    Happy days

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  37. what wonderful photos - bromeliads are such wonderful plants. I watched a tv programme recently which showed a species of frog climbing trees to place its tadpoles into the water ponds in the middle of bromeliads..... Amazing...

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  38. Hi I Love your blog :) Can you let me know what is the speck on watering these bromeliad, I have a burgundy long stem, with the green flowers. as seen in your pictures above. The green flowers seem to discolour wilt although rest of plant is healthy, apart from browning of the tips of the lower leaves. the leaves also seem less shiny as it ages.

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