hey i got some bromeliads a while ago, and forgot what they were... they are supposed to be hardy, but i have so many microclimates, that i need to know pretty specific hardiness to know where to put them. i don't need cultivar names, just genus, and meaybe, if you can species
side view
another plant
side
black spines!!!!!
another plant... the tips of the new leaves are pink
the side
sorry it was sideways
this one bloomed this year... hot pink things, then green flowers with blue only at the tips, not down the sides
this is how it pups
another
if you look at the top of the pic, you can see my fingers, holding up a leaf to show how long it is
a pup
aechmea???
another view
its got polkadots
Wow. The last one looks like a Cryptanthus, probly, C. bivatattus
The first two pics look like an orthophytum, but its very hard to tell when the plant is not doing anything special
The next three, (one with spines) look like an Aechmea but once again, too hard without other identifying features, and the one after could be Neoregelia "painted nails"
I know how it is to want to know what you've got, but if you put a label in the pot with a number on it, photograph it and catalogue it in a book, then when it does something (like flower) you can get it ID'd and put the name in the catalogue, and you have the label in the pot already to write the name on!
The one with "hot pink things, then green flowers with blue only at the tips, not down the sides"
might be a Bilbergia
other than that I can't help, but the joy is in the watching and waiting I reckon! Make sure you keep us posted with pics of them as they develop!
ok thanks... i researche a bit last tight, and i think some are billbergias, and aechmeas thanks
Actually, I think that the 2nd pic looks like dykia brevifolia.
Johanna
Hi Johanna, you could be right! I've not had much experience with dyckias to know the difference.
I think die hards best options are to pot them up in free draining mix and place them under shade to see what develops.
I hate to rain on parades, but identification is quite difficult without the plants in bloom. Certain genera (like the Dyckia above) are fairly distinctive, but specie id is tough. WW is probably right on the Aechmeas and the Neo. I'd take a wild guess on the "sideways" picture as Neoregelia spectabilis (that wants more sun). The foliage and leaf tips are my clue, but it's just a guess. "Polka dots" is probably a Billbergia hybrid. Good advice also from WW - start them in the shade. If the leaves get long and narrow, gradually move them into more light.
As far as hardiness, very few Bromeliads will take much of a freeze. (Did you mean sun/shade?) The only notable exceptions are the high-altitude Andean Puyas.
Dave
ok thanks. these have sun from morning to 1230 or 1, and bright shade the rest of the day. what i meant by hardiness was being able to take temps in the mid 20's at night with highs ranging from 50-65 in the day, usually. i am planning on providing some protection(blankets on top) on real cold nights (below 28 or 29 degrees), and they already have some protection from frost with pine trees above them
