Spring in black and white

 

  Ranunculus this spring are not having a great time as they have succumbed to powdery mildew from the showery weather.

Aeonium arboreum 'Schwartzkopf' is at its best in late winter and early spring as the foliage turns a glossy black.

Ipheion uniflorum, white spring star flower forms a carpet of little white stars amongst grassy leaves.

Euphorbia ammak 'Variegata' hails from Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Local hero Commersonia fraseri (Brush Kurrajong) in full flower now along Mullet Creek

A burst of fresh new leaves from my stock of Phalaris arundinacea var Picta

Keeping it simple: a palm tree mosaic

Wedding Iris, Dietes robinsoniana, has been in flower for weeks and I am hoping for a good crop of seed

Tillandsia Fancier

 At the Bromeliad show I gravitate towards the Tillandsia or Air plants on display. I always end up buying some as well from the sale table to add to my growing collection.The ones I bought this year are pictured below (with a blue background) though they are still a bit small to look much different from one another.

 Tillandsia Tea time 'Cup-Cake Style'

 T. tenuifolia

 T. ixiodes x recurvifolia

 T. simulata

 T. caerulea

 T. aeranthos

 T. bergeri

 T. olmosana var. pachamana

T. fasiculata x tricolor

Local Bromeliad Show

 Yesterday all the best Bromeliads from local enthusiasts were on display at Corrimal.
It is the time of year for dividing up crowded clumps if you have them in the garden or are growing them in pots. I like to grow them in a mix of part potting mix and part Orchid bark. In pots I put big chunks of broken up Styrofoam boxes around each plant to give them a secure footing while the new roots start to grow.