Monday, August 26, 2019

Queens Tears Billbergia nutans

Whoops!  That should be Billbergia nutans, left out an "l"
This is the perfect time of year to plant this incredibly easy to grow bromeliad.  They need little or no care out in the garden if planted in the ground, or even a large pot.  Like "air plants" they can even survive a long time just sitting in a large empty pot as long as you often mist them a bit just like they'd get up in the tall trees of the jungles most epiphytes come from.  Epiphytes are plants that grow on tree trunks or even large rocks, like many ferns, bromeliads, and orchids.

But these are as tough as pineapples, which are a bromeliad too!  And grown out in the full sun by the acre.  And the deer do not eat them!

You can also grow them indoors as houseplants if you make sure they get enough sunlight.

Why do you need to plant them right now?  Because they bloom as early as February in mild climates like the zones 9 and above.  And to do that, they need to have been planted and given a chance to root first.  It is so much fun to see all of these hot pink spikes grow out of the clumps and then suddenly drop out these blue and yellow flowers i.e "the queens tears."

I have plenty for you!  Just visit my Etsy shop or my EBay shop.  I have bare shoots and I have rooted shoots.  From six inches to two foot shoots.  And I only offer shoots that have not bloomed yet!  After a shoot blooms, it puts out at least one or two new shoots that will bloom the following year.



Wednesday, August 7, 2019

What Do 50 Medium Orchid Pink Lavender Filled Wands Look Like?

Like this!  Just finished this custom batch for a new customer who I am hoping will become a regular customer, as I have a feeling this order is for one of their clients.  I have never actually counted how many wands I can make with one 100 yard reel of double-sided satin ribbon because I am usually switching sizes and colors too often in each batch of lavender I cut, to do that.
But it was interesting to discover that making these 50 medium wands took one whole reel.
Time to order more Orchid Pink ribbon!