Bromeliad Envy

 

While I’m working on my new center island project in the back yard, I visited a bromeliad grower/collector’s garden so I can get inspired and maybe purchase something that would add a nice accent to the various plantings I had in mind for this new bed.

 

 

Now this is not just a bromeliad garden, its one of the most unusual and exotic varieties carried by this grower/exporter. He has an extensive collection that any avid collector would drool over.

 

Needless to say, I was in awe of all the amazing specimens not to mention at a lost for the correct names that he was mentioning left and right and totally not registering in my brain. All I can say was this was an amazing collection that kept me oooohing and aaaaahing at every corner of his garden.

 

 

This one had me at hello, its my first purchase and the only one he had, say hello to my new friend which the grower grew from seed and is now about a foot in girth, there was no identification of this species available unfortunately.

 

The grower had some great varieties of Tillandsias to see, this one was over a foot large which I thought was huge for these plants and the color was an intense orange, of course it wasn’t for sale.

 

 

This gorgeous white growing on a coconut tree was not for sell either :(

 

 

He even stuck a lot of the tillandsias in the ixora bushes which I thought was original.

 

 

 

Well hello you hot fuschia beauty, your stunning – wanna live in my garden?

 

And you are just waaaaay over the top…..I have to just take you home with me now!

 

 

 

The sculptural details on this one was just sublime….

 

 

 

The green, red and yellow of this guzmania just stopped me on my walk because it was in a dark shady green area, but it just popped!

 

 

 

 

This grower breeds unusual varieties like this huge purple aechmea, this specimen was over four feet in its width – gigantic!

 

 

I loved this plant, I’m not sure what it is, maybe some type of caladium? I thought the leaves were huge and so colorful with their black veins contrasting with an orange red interior.

 

 

 

I had to take a picture of this bloom, it was just beckoning me to come over and say hello.

 

Well the friend that came with me, nabbed this gorgeous neoregalia beauty first….lets just say I was not happy and we didn’t talk on the car ride back!

 

 

But I found another neoregalia that looked just as stunning, wouldn’t you agree?

 

 

 

Here’s a last photo of a corner of his beautiful garden…wasn’t this just a fun tour? It really felt like being a kid in the candy store and finding something exciting….