Stitz, I have no experience with hard winters, so I may not be the best one to give you an answer, but what you describe is normal behavior for most of the foliage Vrieseas. I'll often see 3 pups forming at once after a bloom, and generally they'll all be on the same side of the plant, although once those are taken off they'll pop up elsewhere. I've never found it necessary to "cull" pups, though. The mother plant can support 3 at a time with no problem, although I'm guessing that growth may slow to a standstill during your winter. My instincts are still to leave it alone, though. I don't think a single pup will make it through a cold period any better if the rest are removed, but maybe someone from a similar climate to yours will be able to address that. It is probably not a coincidence that the pup put on more growth when you cut back the flower spike. John Arden has said that he will cut off a bloom as soon as it emerges if he's trying to increase pup production of that plant.

Okay now, by definition a weed is a plant that is happily growing somewhere we DON'T want it. So.... the variegated isn't a weed, right? I too ADORE the variegated version of this plant but am seriously, strenuously, AGGRESSIVELY fighting the other. It's choking hostas, daylilies, shasta daisies, rhododendrons, even after we thought we pulled it all up, under 20 inches of new compost/garden soil and 6 inches of mulch this monster keeps returning. It WON'T pull up and now it's literally coming up in the middle of all my 'new' plants. Ideas anyone? I've put in a pond and so moving all the desired plants and instituting the RoundUp solution isn't going to work.

Did the seed work for anyone, especially after being stored awhile? I failed first few attempts then learned how to get some success, both with Cardiocrium giganteum v giganteum and v yunnanese. My seed looked just like yours with the std variety having lighter colored seed. I recently posted some information on starting seed. Both types bloomed the same year so I could directly compare. Mine were in quite shady locations. The leaf shapes differ and the Yunnan variety is a little smaller. It can get 12', whereas the std variety 14'. In lower light and a tub mine Yunnanese has been 9+' so far. Cardiocrium giganteum v yunnanese Cardiocrium giganteum v giganteum Intenet photo I found below shows the potential of this fine species. Notice the plant location. It's a very sunny location. And there are deciduous leaf plants around it. Notice the leaf shadows. They are above and slightly to the rear towards the Lady. This clever or very lucky gal planted both.this and the second clump on the right on the northeast side of the bush(es I bet). Thus, ot gets morning sun when it is cooler and afternoon shade when the day heats up. If one didn't notice this they would wrongly assume to grow this wonder in full sun to get this ~14' optimal result. You know she must have been really pushing fertilizer too! Cardiocrinun bulbs sprout really early, for me mid Feb. So her clumps got full sun in cool weather. Then it was shaded by leaves as the summer approached. The way the plant is shaped, those upper stalk leaves get full sun and won't risk wind breakage as much as the lower leaf shape and size. So they might be more sun tolerant than the lower leaves. If nothing else the smaller size high location is where better air movement occurs to cool them. With all that extra sun up there, bet those leaves drive the fuller height potential, with the big bulb helping feed energy and nutrients. And I bet those big fat bulbs really warm too when they sprout, like it has been shown a Shunk Cabbage does here in the PNW (by several degrees). In nature this plant grows fast, in an early season, in a cool climate location, at a higher elevation. If the bulb didn't heat it's hard to explain its growth rate otherwise. Mine sprout and grow fast way before much else does in our yard. That big bulb obviously metabolizes (burns) a lot of stored carbohydrate and/or fat so it in fact must deal with potential heating. If such a bulb bolted to bloom in hot weather soil bet it would abort by overheating! We moved in Feb 2016 and I took bulb clusters of both varieties with us. The same Yunnanese pictured here bloomed in the transfer tub a few months later! With the extra light energy in the new north wall side location it also had more flowers. I didn't get it planted last fall. Surprizing the heck out of me, there's two large pineapple sized bulbs in the cluster showing in the tub. Looks like it is planning to bloom the 3rd year in a row, this time maybe with two stalks? Finally learning how to grow it well. I also casted the seed to make a patch. My Yunnan variety's flowers are not as elegantly shaped as the standard variety. However, the flowers are highly fragrant, have more maroon color striping, and the cultivar is quite perky and reliable at blooming, as expected. It has the characteristic dark blackish flower stalk, which was darker in my sunnier location, as also expected. My clone doesn't had the red flushing in the leaves that some others have. Oughta swap a bulb with someone on year to two so that we have both. Caution when growing in lower light. I actually started with two Yunnan bulbs. All three of my plants grew great and bloomed the same year due to a culture secret. One of the Yunnan plants gave alot of viable seed, but only a tiny offset bulb or two that didn't survive (slugs?). Marginally more sun in the others gave better response in offset bulb production. I have not seperated them because I want to see what a natural clump does. All the pictures I see on the internet are show what looks like one bulb plants. With my two bulb plant, If not getting two flower stalks the same year, I expect to instead get a next year bloom, without lag year between. My goal is a 6" x 15' "patch of heaven: in continuous yearly bloom. Have just the spot saved for it.

I love my new plant racks. They have two little problems: small pots can tip over to the side, and in the centre there is a kind of wedge shaped depression. I get around the side problem by either putting big pots at the sides, or having a piece of cardboard or plastic there. I could put something in the middle too, but again, I keep the small pots supported or out of the middle. My main concern is the weight, but we will see. Once I source some good pumice, the weight should go down. Pagan, I thought I had a Lophophora too. Folks here set me straight: Matucana madisoniorum... Still, nice plant, better blooms. Beth, I hope my Lapidaria will continue to be so beautiful . Just the right amount of sun and stress, I guess, though these stood out in the crowd.