Lovely broms. Love solar Flare.
I have been busy repotting broms today.

Kristan,

I like your log pot holders.
Does the green banded Neo in your mixed photo have a name?

Thanks,

Rick

Nice selection Kristan!

Rick I am guessing that is Colour Parade.

Hi Kristan,

It looks like you're now well and truly hooked, just like the rest of us.

It's great to see your photographic progress report, please keep the pic's coming as you expand.

Thanks for sharing with us, all the best, Nev.

Hi Kristan,your Solar Flare looks nice. Just wondering if your 'log pots' are gum tree origin?

Han

cheers folks

yes, the log planters are of Red Gum origin. A tree came down on a friend's property w hile ago so was able to get these - unfortunately my mate with the chainsaw isn't in town anymore but I'll definitely be trying to get more - they set the plants off and are much more attractive to gain height than sitting on top of another pot.

Thank goodness its not quite as hot here today as it has been so I'm cleaning up a few more bits in the yard to make some new brom habitat - yep Nev, well and truely addicted! haha. I'll definitely add some pics as I get it down. Actually its a good experience taking pics as since the camera highlights colours (particularly the reds) it is a more accurate way to compare my plants with others I see online.

Rick - I think you mean this one?
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I have it tagged as Black Forrest but as I get to know the different individualities of each brom Ill need to have a serious look at the names of many of my plants (both those with names and those that are currently untagged) as there may be a couple that need adjusting.

Kristan

Oh maybe its Bob and Grace???

Kristan,

Thanks mate that was the one.

Dennis,

You have a better eye for plants than me, Black Forest and Color Parade are both Oeser hybrids so they could possibly be the same plants.

Cheers,

Rick

Kristan

I love your solar flare too. One of our gardening friends, uses mahogany tree stumps to prop up her broms as well.
She got them from the streetscape people when they pruned the trees behind her house.

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Hi Kristan ,your ' Black Forest' looks more like 'Fancy Pants ' to me , as ' Black Forest ' is spotted all over without the banding ,
Jack

Goes to show Rick-always stick with your first guess!!!

Lyndi-looks like your friend has ALL the Grant G hybrids available...but they make a gorgeous show!

I agree with Jack - another vote for 'Fancy Pants'.

Lovely display by your friend, Lyndi. I like those mahogany totems.

Kristan - yes indeed. Looks like you've got "the brombles" real bad. Lucky we have this support group! I also like the log planters. Thanks for sharing, and please keep us updated.

K

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I just want to remind everyone that many marmorated Neos will develop green bands under certain climatic conditions (and not under others), so that is not to be considered a stable characteristic for ID purposes. If you got your plant from a reliable source, Kristan, don't change your tags based on markings that come and go. Best to look only at the unbanded portion of the leaf when making a match.

Think of it as kind of like cup color at anthesis; it changes the overall appearance of the plant, but you're not going to rule out a match for lack of it if your plant doen't happen to be blooming at the time.

Thanks for reiterating that valid point, Lisa.
Admittedly, Kristan lives much further south than most Australian brom growers. Her/his(?) conditions outdoors would be dryer, have less strength of sun, and cooler in the winter months. However, there are some marmorated Neos which seem to always/regularly have distinctive banding, within a large range of growing conditions.e.g. Neo. 'Bob and Grace', 'Camelot' and 'Fancy Pants'. Likewise, there are some marmorated Neos which very rarely show any banding under a range of conditions e.g. 'Charm' and 'Royal Burgundy'.

Kristan - It seems that 'Black Knight' and 'Fancy Pants' are often confused here in Oz, depending on from which "neck of the woods" you (or the seller) are.
BUT, I must say I do grow a Neo I purchased as 'Black Forest', which looks very similar to yours - with regular banding to boot, over several generations in my garden.

Neo. 'Black Forest', grown in shady position. NB. 'twould probably scrub up better in brighter light.
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So now that I have confused you and myself further (!), it's probably best you take Lisa's sound advice.

Cheers,
Kerry

Hi Kristan,

Great to see your plants - thanks for sharing them. They're looking good, which I would suspect is quite an achievement in the harsh conditions where you are.

Those sections of hollow tree trunk are a great idea. I had to spend a few $k last year to get some large hollow sections take out of one of the big gums in my front yard - courtesy of a pair of sulphur crested cockatoos that are determined to convert the whole 30m tree into nesting hollows. Gee thanks cockies! So having spent all that money getting all those hollow logs, I was determined to keep them and find a good use for them, but without any clear idea what. Now I know! Thanks. Chainsaw here I come.

Cheers, Paul

Thanks for the replies folks and sorry for my seemingly slackness in reply but I wanted to add another pic and most of my broms have been out of reach this week draped under shadecloth. A week of 40 deg celsius heat and dismantling some old shade area to make a bigger area isn't a good mix. But now thankfully I have more room under shadecloth and can see my broms again!

Lisa - cheers, as always great info. yeah, I havent rushed to change any name tags or put names to unnamed plants yet as I need to learn about their individualities first and as you say - how the react to my environment.

Kerry - male here (though I know not obvious by the name Kristan). Spot on with the dryer and coller winters than most brom growers but a pretty intense sun here. Im in the Nth West of the state so getting into the arid/semi-dessert area - been hovering around the 40 deg mark (had a cple days upto 46 this summer) this week. So plenty shadecloth needed! Thanks for the pick - they do look very similar.

Paul - good one - go hard with the chainsaw! being eucalypt the wood should last for ever and a day without any finish etc. Yep - its a challenge and a learning process - have got a few that are unrecognisabley burnt but at least the pups should be ok so know that I have some shadecloth area out the back will now be a matter of learning which plants do best in which light.

I have another "Black Forrest" from the same seller which is also showing the banding. Also from the same seller is the plant below tagged as "Fancy Pants" which while not the best pic shows the green being more dominant tan in the ones I have named as "Black Forest"

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