Florida 2019 Plant Tour Day 3

Hello Bromeliad fans. Its about time i started to share my adventures in Florida and California in early 2020. The idea of the trip, two weeks in Florida and two weeks in California, was to meet and network with Bromeliad growers, and to visit Bromeliad nurseries and Botanic gardens. 

On my first full day in Florida (day 2) I met up with a friend who I had met on social media. Joe Libertucci. Joe and his partner Betty were so welcoming and helpful and they really made my trip in Florida. Joe and Betty had lots of energy and wanted to show me around Botanic gardens, friends rare plant collections and gardens and all the best nurseries. We even went 'Swamping' In the Everglades looking for rare plants, Bromeliads, Orchids etc. Whilst keeping an eye out for Alligators and poisonous snakes! On this day we visited Fairchild Botanic garden, Jose's garden (a friend of Joe's) and did some general Florida plant spotting but sadly i accidentally deleted all the images i took on this day due to computer issues.

 So on day three, first off we visited Joe's friend Mark. Mark is an ex Fireman and had plenty of stories to tell. He also had a very interesting garden with lots of palms and rare plants.

Marks garden was the kind that would stop any plants person in their tracks. Here by the sidewalk of his property, a nice clump of Aechmea blanchetiana, a very popular landscaping plant. And below a nice Vriesea in bud.

 Above is an image of yours truly in Marks garden holding a specimen of what i think is Tillandsia novakii.  And below an image of (no id) 

Above, again, no id as yet. I would guess a Guzmania of some sort. I will have to ask Joe for some id's. And below a rare palm with an interesting leaf.

Above an image of Aechmea orlandiana cultivar, possibly 'White Knight'. And below Tillandsia gardneri i think var. rupicola.

Above image. These little tree frogs were very happy to be in the leaf bases of some of these Bromeliads. And below an example of vivipary, (pups along the old flower stem) This can happen in several species of Tillandsia such as T. intermedia and secunda. 

And last off we have Tillandsia ('i think) subteres.

The four of us, myself Joe, Betty and Mark then went for lunch. And after that we went to see my first Wild Tillandsia!  

I hope enjoy the journey. Stay tuned folks, i will add many more images soon.