San Diego Bromeliad Society
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    • Past: February 2023
    • Past: January 2023
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    • Past: Sept. 2022
    • June Show & Sale Balboa Park
    • Past: May 2022
    • World Brom Conference 2022
    • Past: April 2022
    • Past: March 2022
    • Past: Feb 2022
    • Past: Dec. 2021 Plant Sale
    • Past: Dec 2021
    • Past: Nov 2021
    • Past: Expo at SD Botanic Garden
    • Past: August 2021
    • Past: July 2021
    • Past June 2021
    • Past: May 2021
    • Past: April '21
    • past: March '21
    • past: February '21
    • past: January '21
    • Past: December
    • Past: November
    • Past: October
    • Past: September
    • Past: August
    • August Coffee in the Brom Garden
  • Past Newsletters
  • Videos
  • Join/About Us
    • 2019 Exhibition & Sale
    • WBC San Diego 2018
    • A Look Back: '17 Show & Sale
  • Bromeliad Genera
    • Alcantarea - Brazilian giants
    • Spotlight on Vriesea
    • Behold Billbergia
    • Spotlight on Neoregelia
  • Links
    • SDBS Facebook page
    • ZOONOOZ Beautiful Bromeliads [great article]
    • Bromeliad Society International
    • Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies
    • Queenlsand
    • East London
  • Growing Tips
    • Growing in San Diego
    • Water & Fertilzer
    • Potting & Soil
    • How Much Light?
    • Blog

Welcome to the
​San Diego Bromeliad Society !

Save the Date.

Our May meeting will be a field trip to Rain Forest Flora in Bonsall and Hula Tropicals in Bonsall

This will be in place of the regular meeting location in Balboa Park.

​Members are encouraged to car share. A lunch location (TBD) will happen between nurseries.


Details will be discussed at the April meeting and by email.


March Meeting
It was a well-attended meeting in
​Balboa Park
​(between rain showers)!

We enjoyed presentations from 3 speakers on 3 bromeliad genera.

…
three short talks on Dyckias, Vrieseas and Hohenbergias. They are not the most commonly grown bromeliads but you will occasionally see them on the plant table or on the auction block.

Robert Kopfstein entertained us with his knowledge and tales of encounters with Dyckias

Scott Sandel, our erstwhile champion of Neoregelia, showed and discussed his successes with the Vriesea clan.

Andrew Wilson, aided and abetted by Dan Kinnard and Eloise Lau, introduced us to the Hohenbergia crowd and to the styles of living they expect whether sunning on the beach, hiding out in the forest or getting by in the hard places.

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Dyckia 'Naked Lady' (pronounced ‘dick ee ah’)
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Vriesea 'Uncle Bob' (pronounced ‘vreeze ee ah’)
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Hohenbergia correia-araujei (pronounced ‘hoe hen burg ee ah core ay ee ah are ah oo gee eye’)

February 11th meeting 
It was fun getting together.

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January 2023 

Our speaker for January, Pam Koide-Hyatt, gave a fun and educational talk on the Tillandsia tectorum complex. 
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The raffle was a good mix of various genera, including Tillandsias.  For the auction, we had a wonderful donation of two very large and impressive Tillandsia latifolia.

Highlights from 2022...

This years holiday party was well-attended, and the food was marvelous.
Photos courtesy of Maria Thompson

November 2022

Our speakers in November were all our own members – Guillermo Marrujo, Ronee Kozlowski, and Todd Johnson. Each provided us with a brief description of their own garden. The gardens are situated in different parts of the county from near the coast to the foothills. So we learned what does well in each microclimate.
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The October meeting in Balboa Park was on Brazil.
Thanks for coming out!

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Rodrigo Freitas program
A journey through the highlands of Rio de Janeiro State
​
Rodrigo Freitas is a Biology student and park ranger in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the last 8 years he’s has been documenting the flora in the mountains of Serra do Mar. His work area covers the ecological corridor formed by 3 connected conservation areas - Organ Mountains National Park, Three Peaks State Park and Desengano State Park. Together they protect 425 square miles of the highly endangered Atlantic forest in an area larger than the City of San Diego.

His presentation focused on bromeliads that occur at altitudes between 1700 meters (5,600 ft) and 2360 meters (7,700 ft), the upper ranges of the Atlantic forest biome where winter night temperatures dip to the low 30s F (close to 0 Celsius). 


Back in September ...
​
some parts of the county got some much-appreciated rain. The meeting in Balboa Park on September 10th was well-attended. Scott presented a slide show report on this year's World Bromeliad Conference.

There was a raffle table with mesic Ecuadorian imports, augmented with a range of easy to grow yet interesting plants.

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September Raffle Plants

Back in August…

​Instead of our typical meeting at Balboa Park, we had our annual SDBS member picnic at Birdrock Tropicals for members and their guests.
​
Thank you Pam and crew from Bird Rock Tropicals for hosting us!


And now ... a summer brom video!


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Our annual June Show & Sale in
Balboa Park, was a huge success!

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Check out these photos below of our Del Mar Fair exhibit this year!

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Back in May:

At our meeting in May, we had fabulous turn-out! We had a lively presentation, and the food was great. (Thanks for the anniversary pineapple cake, Kerry!!!) Some nice Neoregelias were placed in a silent auction (new) format. Top-shelf Vrieseas were won in the well-participated live auction! Congratulations, winners of raffle plants. Next year, bring them in to Show & Tell!

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​Morlane, who showed us spotted and pink-toned plants from her collection. Scott showed some Neoregelias.

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Want to
follow-up
on your

membership?
​Email membership at:
sandiegobromeliad+membership@gmail.com

See our events tab for the June World Bromeliad Conference.
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Our January meeting in Balboa Park was fun.
We enjoyed a demonstration by member Robert Kopfstein on terrestrial bromeliads. Robert shared tips on potting, cultivation, and propagation.

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December Plant Sale was a Success!

The holiday season plant sale in Balboa Park was a success by all counts.
It was great seeing folks. Our treasurer, Al Evans, reported financial success. We are a well-oiled machine, with members coming together to set-up the space, work the sales stations, and break-down at the end. Thanks to everyone who participated, especially to our treasurer, Al -- and to Morlane, who organized it.
Some of the plants that were on offer!

Our November meeting in Balboa Park was great!
​Thanks to our speaker, Jeff Moore, ​and to our Presentation/Speaker Committee
.

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Our October meeting in Balboa Park was also fun!
​Look at the beauties below from the auction.

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Fantastic, colorful foliage Vriesea bromeliads at October’s meeting
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President Morlane, kicking off the October meeting in Balboa Park


The summer picnic was a blast.

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Thank you Eloise and others for organizing and participating in the picnic at the San Dieguito County Park on September 11, 2021.


We had fun socializing and playing the bromeliad musical chairs game.


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Puya tunarensis

July Meeting
​Recap
​
Roadside Bolivia
We enjoyed Carl’s photo-tour through the highlands and lowlands of Bolivia.

Carl Carter Bolivia Presentation

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Thanks for participating In the June meeting.
​Gabriel Scholtz’s
“The Bromeliad Kingdom”.

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We have a sizeable library of bromeliad-focused videos for viewing on our Videos page. Check them out.

Click here to jump to our Videos page.

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Our May meeting presentation was
Growing Broms in the Bush
Thanks to Graeme Barclay​ for a great presentation!

Go to our Videos page.

Check out some of the Show & Tell plants from May, below.
[ Click to enlarge and view captions. ]

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Pam’s program on Werner Rau in April was engaging.
Who doesn’t love seeing the bromeliads from Peru?!

Go to our Videos page.
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Tillandsia reuteri, northern Peru

January Bromeliads from the
​San Diego Facebook Group


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Thank you for participating in our
December Show & Tell Meeting

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from Eloise Lau
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from Andrew Wilson
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At our October Meeting, we enjoyed a conversation about Alcantareas.

​The noted author and professor of botany Leonardo Versieux of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte in Natal, Brazil was our speaker in October.
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August Member Show & Tell Plants
Thanks everyone for sharing!
​[
Click on images for slideshow.]


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Tillandscia 'El Rancho', T. capitata x xerographica, is now T. riohondoensis
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Tillandsia capitata 'Marron'

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Vriesea 'Huana Fireburst'
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Vriesea Tasman #2

Remember last year's picnic?
Here we are gathered around to hear how the garden at Pam's place came to be.
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Remember ... our ​June 2019 Exhibition & Sale in Balboa Park?

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It was a team effort, headed by Morlane (sales) and Juliana (exhibit). So many pitched in to volunteer, and it was inspiring — from sales to security! And so many folks brought in plants...

Check out the photos below, and check out the page here.

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 Bromeliads 
pronounced broh-MEE-le-ads

. . . flowering plants belonging to the plant family Bromeliaceae.
There are more than 3,000 species and hundreds of hybrids.
Join the SDBS: click here & download the membership form.

In a Nutshell: 

Bromeliads are members of a plant family known as Bromeliaceae (bro-meh-lee-AH-say-eye). The family contains over 3000 described species in approximately 56 genera. The most well known bromeliad is the pineapple. The family contains a wide range of plants including some very un-pineapple like members such as Spanish Moss (which is neither Spanish nor a moss). Other members resemble aloes or yuccas while still others look like green, leafy grasses.
In general they are inexpensive, easy to grow, require very little care, and reward the grower with brilliant, long lasting blooms and ornamental foliage. They come in a wide range of sizes from tiny miniatures to giants. They can be grown indoors in cooler climates and can also be used outdoors where temperatures stay above freezing.
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Nico Nelson, Rod Waddington, Carine06, mezuni
  • Home
  • Join us! Membership
  • Meetings/Events
    • Past: February 2023
    • Past: January 2023
    • Past: Oct. 2022
    • Past: Sept. 2022
    • June Show & Sale Balboa Park
    • Past: May 2022
    • World Brom Conference 2022
    • Past: April 2022
    • Past: March 2022
    • Past: Feb 2022
    • Past: Dec. 2021 Plant Sale
    • Past: Dec 2021
    • Past: Nov 2021
    • Past: Expo at SD Botanic Garden
    • Past: August 2021
    • Past: July 2021
    • Past June 2021
    • Past: May 2021
    • Past: April '21
    • past: March '21
    • past: February '21
    • past: January '21
    • Past: December
    • Past: November
    • Past: October
    • Past: September
    • Past: August
    • August Coffee in the Brom Garden
  • Past Newsletters
  • Videos
  • Join/About Us
    • 2019 Exhibition & Sale
    • WBC San Diego 2018
    • A Look Back: '17 Show & Sale
  • Bromeliad Genera
    • Alcantarea - Brazilian giants
    • Spotlight on Vriesea
    • Behold Billbergia
    • Spotlight on Neoregelia
  • Links
    • SDBS Facebook page
    • ZOONOOZ Beautiful Bromeliads [great article]
    • Bromeliad Society International
    • Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies
    • Queenlsand
    • East London
  • Growing Tips
    • Growing in San Diego
    • Water & Fertilzer
    • Potting & Soil
    • How Much Light?
    • Blog