Here's mine this morning. Not the greatest shot as the sun was hitting it wrong. I did something very, very dumb, I was wondering why some of the leaves were greenish and as I looked closely I noticed the soil was wet. Hmm, that shouldn't be??? I checked and discovered I had potted that plant in a container without drain holes! I was gobsmacked at my stupidity and quickly unpotted it and drilled lots of holes. Somehow that brom has survived outside in a container without drainage for many months - that's one tough plant.

Wow, it's so pretty, well done on the save, Alice! Probably it was saved because you didn't get too much rain over the summer?

We had lots of fun at the sale, Sherri and I got a big pinkish brom with 3 pups for $3 - but I don't know exactly what it is except "probably a billbergia". It's three large babies are coming out of the root ball at odd angles, so I'm thinking surgery is in my future to get this one apart so I can plant it.


Btw, the event at Tropiflora is still going on if you're still in the vicinity - there's always room for a plant or two on top of the fishing gear.

Oooooo .... I wished I lived over there to hit that sale! Nice purchases.

Oooh, Bromeliad (Aechmea 'Perez') is really gorgeous, love the color of those leaves!

Elaine, love that pink, it looks like a really nice Brom and for $3.00??? Wow, what a deal!

That is a neat looking brom Elaine. Looks like it has some evil spines though, be careful when you start cutting that it doesn't cut you.

Alice thanks for posting a pic, what a gorgeous plant, guess it was a good thing I asked so you could notice the pot situation.
Elaine, nice find for three bucks, the color pink will be nice stand out in the garden.

Reading this thread, I've gotten the urge to add some bromeliads. Rock City Nursery is having a 40% off sale, so I went by there over the weekend to see what they have. I found some good deals and also found 2 for an even cheaper price on the Orphan Plant table. Here is what I bought:

Cryptanthus 'Elaine' ($9.60):


Cryptanthus bivittatus 'Ruby' ($3.60):


Neoregelia 'Yellow Devil' ($7.00) Orphan Plant:


Dyckia 'Red Devil' ($1.00) Orphan Plant:


The little Red Devil has babies around it as does the Yellow Devil. The Red Devil looked pretty bad. I pulled out all the dead leaves and cleaned it up and it looks quite nice now. Sometimes you have to see the beauty underneath the sad state of a plant.

I also got some garden art stuff at Busy Bee Nursery clearance table. I was on a roll over the weekend finding so many good buys. I guess this is the right time of year to find Fall bargains!





The black iron basket was a $1.00, the Ladybug Garden Stake was $5.00, and the Watering Can Planter was $4.25.

OOOO, I am a sucker for spikey bromeliads!

Becky, you really were on a roll over the weekend, and what great bargains! I've been seeing the ad in the paper for the 40% off Broms at Rock City Gardens. I've only been to Busy Bee once and II thought about venturing out and heading down that way to stop at BB and then Rock City but I still havent' taken the time to do it. Since we've gotten the puppy it seems like the only time I go out is for a run to Walmart, Home Depot, Winn Dixie or Publix which are all right there in the Roseland-U.S. 1 area.

I love that black iron basket and would have snatched that right away; don't see stuff like that around much anymore, especially for $1.00! That looks like it would be a good container for an orchid. I have a few watering cans that I've collected over the years, not anything expensive and not for use to water plants but rather just for garden decor. A few have disintegrated bottoms but they still sit out in the yard.

I really love both those Cryptanthus and the Neoregelia ... the Dyckia is pretty too but oh my, those thorns!!


With the approach of Hurricane Matthew, I'm wondering if I should spend the day securing all the patio furniture and stuff around the yard. I have so many container plants all around the backyard and side yard and no place to store them but I sure don't want them to become projectiles and causing damage. I guess I'll try to cram them into the garage. I think the patio furniture will wait because we can throw it into the pool to keep it from flying around.

Lin,

I've done no preparation for this hurricane. I have so many containers right now all over my backyard because I am in the process of amending some raised beds. I work full time which is the other problem. I guess tonight when I get home I will start moving containers under my big shrubs. I don't have that much room in garage. I am hoping this storm stays out in the ocean away from the USA. I feel sad about Haiti getting slammed. I sponsored a boy there for 10 years and a praying his family and him are safe. They are so poor.

, I am with you Lin. Way too many pots of this and that around the garden and some way too heavy to move. If I don't start today it won't get done. We have a dear friend and neighbor in the hospital in Charleston and we are praying he won't be released just in time to be evacuated. His wife, my best buddy, is already frazzled so we will be prepping their home too.

Becky, so good of you to sponsor that boy; I admire that.

I'm going to get my husbands hand truck out and start moving all of my pots and containers into the wooded area around the perimeter of the property this afternoon. I think there is enough thick brush and with all the trees, maybe they won't become flying objects. My husband commutes to Daytona Beach on Tuesdays and Thursdays; classes may be cancelled for Thursday but he's teaching today so the really heavy ones will have to wait for him to get home this evening or tomorrow before the weather gets bad. The trash and recycling cans are in a little fenced area alongside the house but we'll probably move them to the garage. We have a very heavy table on the patio and I think we'll just leave it and bring the umbrella indoors and the rest of the lightweight patio furniture can be sunk in the pool. Hubby is going to stop and get gas for the generator on his way home to be prepared in case we are without power for any length of time. The generator will mainly be used for the refrigerator and our 150 gal marine aquarium; the pumps can't stay off for an extended period or the fish and coral will die. We'll fill both of our vehicles later today too, or early tomorrow. I made a grocery store run yesterday and my husband stopped at Sams while he was down Vero Beach way. I decided to make a big pot of chicken noodle soup so I cooked the chicken last night and skinned and deboned it and cut up all my veggies this morning and got the soup going. If we lose power that will be easy enough to plug the microwave into the generator long enough to heat up a bowl of soup.

Well, got things to do so I better get busy ... hope y'all have a great day!

Nice finds Becky, I would have snatched up the Ruby Earth Star for sure. I found some bromeliads half off yesterday at my local Lowe's, they were just marking them down when I walked in. Left is called, "Orange crush, right is "Lila" both have some sunburn spots but seem nice and healthy.

Beauties all, I saw that Cryptanthus 'Elaine' at Tropiflora last weekend and was tempted but it was too expensive. You got a raging deal on that one Becky!

Be really careful where you plant that Dyckia, too - they are SO thorny that if it's anywhere near where you walk you will come indoors with your ankles bleeding. Maybe up on a pedestal or stand of some kind? I had one that looked very similar only silvery. So pretty, but wherever I parked it, it seemed to come out and bite me.

Thanks everyone for confirming what I thought was a good deal for my bromeliads.

Well there will only be a half-day of school tomorrow. They are sending us all home early to prepare for Hurricane Matthew. After work today, I helped my dh and son put up all the storm shutters on our windows. I then spent a few hours moving all my potted plants underneath the thick shrubs and up against the house. Hopefully everything will be ok. I do not have enough room in my garage for everything, so the plants will have to survive outside in their pots. The ground plants and raised bed plants should be fine.

I am just hoping that the category 4 is lowered to a low 3 or even a 2 before it hits us. My son and I have a good hunch that it will likely come right in near Sebastian Inlet because of the gulf stream. Am hoping the winds have been sheared by land and by going over the Bahamas, but there is no guarantee that will happen. I also hope it picks up speed and passes over us quickly. It's been a very slow moving hurricane for 3 days. Most rare behavior for a hurricane. Does have everyone locally on pins and needles. We are all hoping for the best.

The crazy neighbor got up on a ladder and actually used a chain saw to cut that huge branch sitting on top of his home powerline right next to my backyard fence. The line was live, so I feared he would get electrocuted. Fortunately, he did not and got that branch cut. Thank goodness!!! I mentioned to him that the tree needed to go, and he agreed. I hope he gets it cut down sometime in the near future. It is an invasive Brazilian Pepper Tree and causing a problem for both of our home powerlines. What a mess!

Keep those of us in Hurricane Matthew's path in your good thoughts and prayers! I hope the hurricane stays far enough out in the Atlantic Ocean as to prevent severe damage to the east coast of the USA, including Florida.

Here is a photo of the large branch (sitting on his powerline) that the neighbor removed. That was quite dangerous to remove with a chainsaw so close to the live line!!!

that seems like asking for trouble. Thank goodness it went ok.
Our cable modem was hit by lightning yesterday so we've been without a tv. Thank goodness for the internet!!
Oh - staying on topic - I have a pile of surplus Bromeliads by the side of the road.....

My husband put up our shutters yesterday evening and is finishing up this morning. He went out just before 7 this morning to get fuel for the generator and to fill his truck with gas as well. One of our neighbors said that after the last hurricane our neighborhood was without electricity for 3 weeks. I'm really hoping we don't lose power with this storm and if we do, I hope it's not for a lengthy time or I'll end up taking the dogs and staying at my sisters house down the street ... they have a few portable a/c units in case there's an extended power outage!

Stay safe everyone!

Hetty, I wish I lived nearby, I wou k d be picking your trash broms.

We are on the road, no bad traffic yet, there are terrible back ups getting off Hilton Head, poor tourists.

Stay safe everyone.