I thought that there was a society in Jacksonville at one point. I seem to remember somebody saying that they merged with the Gainesville society.

I'm pretty late to the party! But I would be interested. :)

Carol

Hi everyone - It would be great if you can find a Bromeliad Society in your area as you will learn much more by discussing things with other growers and what's most important is the fact that all of this info applies to your local area unlike books you may read which may have been written for conditions often in another country.

I don't know how Bromeliad Societies operate in your country, but here in Australia it's pretty standard.

First, everyone brings a plate with food for afternoon tea (in fact when I first joined I remember commenting that the afternoon tea was worth the cost of membership alone, as the older ladies made it into a bit of a competition between themselves to see who could bake the best cake or some other delicacy)

For one hour before the meeting starts, there are plant sales when members bring in surplus plants for sale and you can buy plants much cheaper than you would at nurseries. The society takes a small commission toward the running of the society.

There is also the Monthly Point Score Competition (like a mini show) where members bring in their best plants for others to see and judge.

Then the business side of the meeting is carried out which follows the standard procedure of all meetings.

This is usually followed by a guest speaker who gives a presentation on some aspect of Bromeliad growing.

Voting for the plants in the Point Score is then carried out by members and when the place winners are announced there is a short discussion on each of the plants benched. Usually two of the more experienced growers will describe the plants and discus and answer any questions about their culture

Members can ask specific questions at this stage about any of the plants and this is where a lot of knowledge is picked up.

There is also the monthly raffle where four different members each month donate plant/s and for a $1 per ticket you have the chance of winning some good plants. (The raffle proceeds again go toward the running of the society)

After the raffle is drawn afternoon tea is served and we mingle and discus all aspects of brom growing with each other.

After this the meeting is formally closed and we finish up by all pitching in and cleaning up the hall.

There are other benefits such as garden and nursery visits three times per year, as well as workshops each three months; and although these are mainly organised for the new growers, anyone is welcome to attend.

Of course the Grand Finale comes each spring time (September here) when we have our annual show which is open to the general public free of charge and as well as providing competition between members, it is chance to promote these wonderful plants to the general public.

I'm sorry if I raved on a bit too long, but I can't sing the praises loud enough of what's to be gained by joining a Bromeliad Society.

All the best, Nev.

This is a pic of part of a main display at one of our past spring shows. These are usually put together by two society members using plants loaned by other members. (Members wishing to sell plants to the public on the Sales Table are asked to also loan at least two or three plants for use in these displays).

Check and see if you have any local garden clubs in your area. Many gardners in Florida grow broms.

I AM INTERESTED and can check with the Gainesville society to see if there are any others in the area. Here's a photo of some bromeliads in my Jacksonville garden.

Jaxtropix, your garden is beautiful! I love all of your broms. In what area of Jax are you located? I am near the intersection of Beach and Kernan.

Carol

I'm all the way over in Orange Park, and this is a community garden that I planted for my apartment complex. It's close to the river, so I have a nice little microclimate. Do you know of any others who might be interested in a Jacksonville chapter? I haven't posted here in a while, so I forget what the rules are concerning posting email addresses.

Boy are they lucky in the Community to have a gardener like you. What a nice thing you did! And yeah, I hear from people close to the river all the time that they are more protected from freezes. I am half way between the river and the beach, so I sometimes get the hard freeze. Had one on Feb 17/18 - went to a low of 25.7 F. Ugh. But I didn't lose a single brom. They were all under the oaks and the magnolia tree.

There may be others in the Florida Gardening forum who would be interested? Also folks over on Dave's Gardening and AllThingsPlants forums?

I have the feeling that you may have a large collection and not need any more broms, but if you would be interested in a trade, I am looking for Billbergia Nutans. I know there have to be hundreds of them in Jacksonville and so I hate to mail order and pay for postage. I would just want one starter plant/offset. I have lots of Neo pups I could offer in return. They are not named but the are bright red, bright pink and deep purple/pink. Some variegated; some not. Let me know if that is anything you would like to do.

Thanks!
Carol

Nev, I meant to thank you for taking the time to post all of that great information about a Society. It sounds like it would be deliciously fun!!!

Carol

Nev, that photo makes me drool. Beautiful display! (What are those red cushions doing in there? Get those out of there, LOL.)

I sure wish I could locate Jaxtropix. No longer active on GW and his/her profile is set so that I cannot message. Maybe will see this post?

Carol in Jacksonville