Hi Paul,
Vr Gigantea var seideliana (Nova) has been used very sucessfully here in NZ and everywhwere else as far as I know. We have ours growing outside all year round and dont seem to have any rot problems with the clones here. It s dark here so you will have to wait till tomorrow when I will take a few pics showing some crosses but here's one pic Vr Nova x Red Chestnut. grows to about 1m in diameter

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I have got several crosses in there infancy and seem to be no harder to grow than any other vriesea from seed. Will get the camera into action in the morning.

Paul,
Found some pics I must have loaded on to other posts,

Our Vr Gigantea var seideliana,
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Some of Andrew maloy hybrids a few years back,
Vr 'Nova Pink beauty'
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Vr 'Nova Grace'
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Vr 'Fire Commet' - Nova x PhipoCoburgii
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Sure Jaga,the Vr.gigantea ('Nova')Seideliana,is used very succesfully in many places,but it still creates problems,and yes i have some very large plants of it,including a nice mauve blushed form,for me the main draw back is you only ever get narrow leaf hybrids from it,and i like very broad leaves,but certainly it throws nice colours,and its best used with very vigerous plants,its allways a case of each to there own,see i use Vriesea fenestralis as i find its a great parent but most people dont like it ,it,by the way love the photo of Vr.fire comet ,thats really nice.

Wow Jaga!!! Love ALL of those Vriesia!

Hi everyone,sorry about my belated reply - just managed to get back on the computer!

Jaga, love those pics - some really nice plants. I must admit I went a bit mad on Novas last year and ended up with eight different ones from different sources, biggest around 30cm across. Now they are growing and I'm running rapidly out of space. Guess I'll just have to resume a bit more lawn. Again.

Jack, thanks for sharing your experience on this - it's great that you've decided to join us. I've been rapt in your Vrieseas ever since I started seeing pictures of them and I've been lucky enough to get my hands on three of them so far. In particular I just love the broad rounded leaves of your plants, so I was really interested to see your comments about Nova. I'll follow up in the other thread where you posted the comments. Thanks again, Paul

Yes, I agree with you Jack K. about wide compact leaf form Our favourites have always been the Vr 'Tasman' series here, by our good friends Peter Coyle and Andrew Maloy and by the way some of the Tasman x Tasman have turned out even better, see previous posts. Its also a good oportunity to say we have long admired and drolled over your vriesea creations as they have apeared on the registar.
Paul, we do have serveral more quite good crosses, Nova x whats called for the moment here, Vr platynema varigata and also Nova x Vr fosteriana Rubra.
Ive crossed and have growing Nova x 'Angela', Nova x (Fosteriana x platynema varigata) + some more that I cant recall at the moment, but good luck with trying some.

Hi Jaga, thanks for the extra info and the encouragement. It's all just so tempting. My seed raising exploits so far(just practice runs with some hieroglyphica and Nova seed) have been confined to a few convenient spots in the shadehouse. I suspect that something more will be needed ...lol, Paul

Hi Jaga,yes the tasman series are very beautifull,for every ones information i will clear something up,Vr.Angela was bred by the late Mr.Lou Forrest here in OZ,and its breeding is VR,'Brentwood'x Vr.fosteriana 'Red Chestnut' Vr.Erotica is out of the same cross , i grew a few seeds that Lou gave me wich gave me Vr.Angela No2 smaller but better colour, so please adjust your records AND please stop thinking its a Vr,platynema hybrid wich it is not, Erotica also comes in several look alikes but spikes vary ,this may help anyone that is going to use Angela for breeding ok? Bye Jack

Jack any chance of a picture of both, Vr 'Angela' and your Vr 'Angela' No2 ?? and do you know if anyone from NZ got No2 off you??

Hi Jaga, i still can not post pictures so will do it when i can,sorry and no, i have only let go of 2 pups to date of the No 2 but not one to N.Z when i get to posting pictures you will see ,thanks mate

Is one of your V. 'Angela' no2 up at brindleys? If so i can get a pic tomorrow.
B_A

Damn but your good at ferreting stuff out B.A yes it is but its still not as well coloured as it can be,to many cloudy days the last 6 months,when did you go to Brindleys ? he has not had it that long,and i forgot about that, ok so i've parted with 3 pups then.Jack

Hi Jack and Jaga,yes Jack, I happened to be in the right place at the right time and managed to get a pic of V. 'Angela' #2. It is thriving on minimal care and destined to be a showcase plant in the near future. Its under 70% shade now, so its colour is pretty great considering!
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Is V. 'Maroon Shadow' one of yours too? I absolutely love the colour in this one! My wishlist is soooo long!
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You do great work Jacob
B_A

NO B.A, Vr. Maroon shadow is one of Mr.Arding's hybrids the cross is Vr.Redondo Beach x Fosteriana ; the Redondo Beach is a hybrid of Vr.Brentwood wich is a parent of Angela ,see what i mean when i said that when you cross 'a' and 'b' together you are sleeping with the whole family ? the Angela should be under 50%, thought you guys might like that,thanks for posting it ,you will, have to pay us a visit B. A

Hi Jagga,in case you did'nt follow it up ,B.A has posted a picture ok the Vr,Angela No2 in this thread ,thank 's for posting it B.A , Jack

Hi all, finally looking and thanks for the pic. can certainly see the Vr Brentwood parentage. Jack have used Vr 'Angela' as a seed and polen parent with a few plants including some of the 'fat' leaf Vr Tasmans. All a bit small yet to see how they will turn out. Have you used the Angela No2 for hybridising?.

Hi Jagga ,Yes i have used No2 but to early to tell,used it with Vr,Milky way (wich is fat leaved) they are about 3 inch tall but some stunning colours ,also have it with Vr.Gigantea but to small to tell.Did it with Vr,fosteriana,Tamera grew hers very well (i gave her some )i did not do so well,some of them are almost black at 3 inch tall,can't wait to see how the grow up,would always try to cross anything with the broad leaf types,but sometimes you just can't and so you try to only capture colour and aim for the next generation. best of luck mate but i dont think you can fail with Angela. Jack

Hello everybody,

I'm new to Vriesea and thirsty to learn about them. I think Vriesea has very beautiful and unique foliages that cann't find in others. Neos. are king of foliage brom. and Vriesias are queen, isn't it?

Nice job. everyone, thank for sharing. ;-)

Best Regards
Yong

Hi Jack and Jaga, I have a few things going on at the moment, but, in the near future Jack, when I get a chance, I will get in touch and arrange a visit. I love to see others plants/gardens and nurseries, and to pick brains and ask questions, take notes e.t.c. I have a mind like a spongey sieve, and soak up lots of stuff, but lose it quickly if i don't write it down.
I'm relatively new to collecting, and am too excitable and out of control, but I hope to settle down soon. I have my whole life to collect broms!
They seem to like me, and do well for me, which doesn't help to kerb my enthusiasm.
Thanks for the information on V. 'Maroon Shadow'. I've added it to the photo for future reference.
I can't believe how much information there is to be had on this forum. My heads going to explode

Well B.A and Yong and all the others ,i think most of us are happy to share what we know,knowledge belongs to the world and we can all benefit if its shared,and its happening so much faster in the hybridizing world .compared to what i had to work with 40 years ago its a paradise now for any one that wishes to do some fiddling ,do some research and you can hardly fail now ,i am all for helping anyone ,Jack

I wanted to post these earlier but I didn't because I'm not 100% sure of the parentage, although they definitely have Nova in them. The first 2 pictures are seedlings that I got many years ago from David Shiigi (his culls!). Pretty nice culls in my opinion, but then with crosses like these there often are no "bad" ones. The mother is Pahoa Beauty, but I'm not sure if they are F2s or crossed with something else (or back onto one of the parents). David has a fairly limited number of parents he works with, but their genes seem to combine in unlimited ways! Some of the other grexmates came out much smaller (these are giants) with more of the fosteriana side showing, but these pulled more to the Nova side.

This pinky-white one is my favorite:

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3 different clones here:

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Visible in the back of the second pic is another Nova hybrid. It's not actually Mauna Kea, but has the same parents (Nova and platynema) and the same look. I got these as seedlings from Hawaiian Sunshine.

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I've never noticed any of the weaknesses you mention in any of these, Jack. They are very slow growing, though. I've had them all for probably close to 15 years, and only now am seeing pups and a bloom (on the last one, the others never have). Yes, I was tempted by the flower, but I've sworn off Vrieseas and I'm sticking to it! For now, anyway...... ;-)

Most of my foliage Vrieseas really started taking off about a year and a half ago when I put them into bigger pots and moved them to this shadehouse where they're getting more light that they did in their spot in the old house. Unfortunately everything in here is also getting brown tips too. I haven't quite figured out why or what to do about it yet.

The first clone got introduced to my screwdriver a while back, that's the only reason there are more of them than the others. I think maybe it's about time to break out the screwdriver again and make some more of that one. I don't have the space to propagate them all!

All very nice Lisa, Glad you showed them off, would have them all been mad on vriesea's. 15 years is a long wait!!. Nova + all the crosses do seem slower here as well but usally 5-6 yrs is about it-all down to the conditions again I suspect. Nice colour and nice wide leafs, real stunners. Puts mine to shame at this time of the year here, all have lost colour and hate the wet & cold together.

Hi everyone,

Jack it's interesting what you say about the heritage of Vr. Angela and Vr. Erotica.

I think the reason people have them as both coming from Vr. platynema is that the info. recorded in the FCBS Photo Index states that they are both "C.V's of an unknown platynema hybrid".

If you know this to be incorrect, is it possible to have the records ammended to show the correct parentage?

Does anyone know how we should go about this?

All the best, Nev.

Hi Lisa, very very nice ,the proplems with VR.gigantea seideliana could for us simply be location ,yes it does slow things down for me ,and the plant does give much nicer colours that straight Gigantea does ,you can pick the "nova" in them as they allways get that little upturn on the tip of the leaves, if Pahoe Beauty is in there plants can be quite big,the brown tips ? yes i get that but nearly allways the plant(s) have a dry pot, they like big pots,moist roots and really good light ,but i find they resent very hot conditions, so in areas like Cairns in QLD they become difficult ;thank you for showing them,and yes i have had a couple of crosses and there seem no culls,but some will closely resemble each other,than you have choices to make that can be difficult.I also have a limited range of parents i work with (sometimes do an experiment or two)but its hard to get away from proven factors is it not? but i do love the pink tones in them ,pink is the go at the moment. As for the other query, i will endevour to get FCBS to amend the records on Angela and Erotica; Jack

Nice plants Lisa. I'm glad you gave us a show. I'm a bit partial to foliage broms, more so than those grown for flower, as the foliage gives almost year around interest.
Has anyone found that using a beige coloured cloth, as opposed to a green, even though they have the same percentage of UV block, gives a much better intensity to the colours? Could this be to do with response to the light spectrum? I once heard that blue tones can induce flowering.
Should I start a new topic?
B_A

Well B.A. you can and did, even though the given percentage of the cloth may be 50% , inside your building it will be different , you see its all about light reflection,And green is the biggest offender,green does not reflect light hence a forest is dark ,black is slightly better though you would think not,beige is good for plants as is white,pale grey and cream,the terracotta colour is no good,colours like green also filter out the blue and red light of the spectrum ,and thats what plants use to photosynthethise,opuaqe white is best in Polycarbonate sheeting and Solar weave plastic cloth for colour and growth as ti helps plants utilize the light and the reflection internally is best, so think about the light reflection inside your building ok? pale blue is OK also. best of luck Jack

Hi everyone,

I'm with you B_A, just love the flood of info. Lisa, those monster Nova hybrids of yours are just brilliant, thanks for showing them. Those curly, broad-leaved (fenestralis?) hybrids in the background look really interesting as well.

Jack, that info on Angela was quite unexpected and it has me thinking that I might try something with it as well. Oh dear, where am I going to put them all! And my poor Milky Way - when it flowers I think it will end up looking like a Christmas tree with all the labels hanging off it. Thanks for providing so much anticipation and enjoyment!

Cheers, Paul

Paul, I've never been quite sure if those are straight fenestralis or hybrids. See the discussion in the link below (written when we were still finishing the new shadehouse). Maybe Jack can shed some light on their identity, or respond to some of the other comments in the thread (seeing that his name was being bandied about pretty freely)!

Here is a link that might be useful: Vrieseas

Hi Paul and Lisa, for you Paul, Vr. Milky Way is very fertile and makes lots of top quality seed,and it hardly ever refuses any other pollen,Lisa I once had a couple of Vr.fenestralis that where large and curly leaves like that ,they came from Gulz nursery ex germany, they seemed to have the best of everything but had there own collecters in the early days,what a pity they had to close down and sell the collection.the clone was also very spotted. i would say yours are a straight species,there are a number of forms as you know,i dont grow them big the climate here is not that good for them,to cold in winter you see. Bye . Jack

Hi everyone.

What an interesting topic you've started Paul. The amount of information flooding in is really amazing and just goes to show what a wonderful forum we have.

Of course it wouldn't work nearly as well without our members giving so freely of their knowledge and helpful advice to make it such a great tool for learing about all aspects of bromeliad culture.

Thanks brom_adorer for staring the discussion on the most suitable colour for shade cloth; and thanks Jack for the added bonus of the facts about light reflection, it's just what I needed as I am about to replace some shade cloth on my old shade house.

Thanks everyone, all the best, Nev.

Hi Nev, thanks, but particularly to Jack, Lisa, Jaga and B_A for all the heavy lifting. Your sprinkling of knowledge on my fevered imagination has set all sorts of thoughts in motion. Great fun. Thanks, Paul

I was hoping the fever might pass, but this forum has me burning hotter for longer! he he.
I've used 70% beige on my shade house, and its facing north, with a cream colourbond wall on the south, so the light is really quite good. I space the bright neos where they can get some direct morning or late afternoon sun, the Vriesea are against the cream wall, and the guzzies and nidulariums are on the western wall, which is flanked by a green tank, so very shaded from midday onwards. It seems to be working well, with the odd plant adjustmetn to get the colours brighter. Its way too small now though, so I'm trying to find spots in the garden for the overflow and the not so special ones. I mean, they're still special, just not AS special as some.
One day, when the ground dries out, I will extend to twice the area. Hopefully before summer!
Thanks for verifying that Jack. I'm glad i learned something at Tafe!
B_A

Hi Brom-adorer,

Re. the size of your bush house:

When I grew orchids I was given some advice about shade house construction and I think it applies equally to bromeliads as well.

I was told to work out the size I thought I would need and double it, then work out the amount of plants I wanted to put in it and then halve it.

I did this and found it was still far too small!

The result was due to the unknown factor; "there is always room for one more"

All the best, Nev.

Thanks for that Nev! he he, you're a funny man!
I have two shade houses now, but one was originally for ferns, orchids, that sort of thing. The orchids are still there, but now its recovery central for new pups or old mums giving birth, with the new shade house being a show room of sorts. Now I need something so i can continue on collecting different things, and this forum is not helping, because my wishlist is getting longer by about 10 plants each time I visit!
Thats not a bad thing, its just i thought I had my whole life for collecting, but i don't think its long enough now!
BA

Hi brom_adorer,

Why don't you go "all the way" and try growing a few bromeliads from seed and create something new that nobody else has?

Then you'll really be hooked and find out what a lack of growing space is about; but wow! what an interesting trip to take.

All the best, Nev.

Hi Nev, I've got a few seedlings growing now, but nothing special. I did play with the paintbrush on a couple of Neos, but it will be a long time before I see any results! I'm not expecting anything too exciting, as I had no idea why I was crossing what I crossed, but they'll always have a home here, whatever the outcome.
BA