Lisaclv...thanks for the link...great pics. I've grown a few kinds,and they all did very well,and are good offset producers,with the original plant holding its shape and color long after it blooms. One of my "easy" growers. There is one I prefer,Ae.'parati',which has a nice shape similar to an Ae.chantinii,and develops a nice purple/red color with silver bars when exposed to a lot of sunshine.The one thing that was a good clue in catkim's post, was how the bloom appeared like overnite. All mine did the same,so I guess its a trait of this particular plant. Surprise !! This aechema could easily be mistaken for a billbergia when young,and before blooming. Bob C.

Thanks everyone.. Yes and the frogs are well fed on our block. I am sure we have every insect known to man so they get plenty of variety here.. Gosh GH do the frogs hurt themselves that a fair jump for a small creature, Yes Jan I think we are very lucky too, to have so many frogs and birds and dragons in the garden Hi there Greencroc... Spikey has made himself at home and I reckon he is here to stay. Marion I almost forget what a frog sound like as we have not had much rain for so long They say tomorrow now then on the news tonight they said all next week, best they say nothing. Cheers..MM.

Thanks, mayberry and jali! Dad is doing very well. Mom got pneumonia just before Dad's surgery, forcing us to chose a short rehab stint for Dad as Mom's in no shape to help care for him at home. That's a relief, but I've spent a lot of time on the road this past week between the hospital, rehab center and their house, trying to do what I can to help. This pesky workin' for a living really interferes with your personal life, lol! It was awesome to have a morning just to stroll around and see what all this rain has brought. Mushrooms I've never seen before are popping up! I got my first horse at age 10 and had horses continuously for 44 years. It was a marvelous run and a truly wonderful way to live. I do miss them. What I will not miss is feeding and watering in 20 below in February! The sadness is passing and I'm enjoying having additional planting space now. The pecans are an experiment. There are some huge pecan trees in Colorado, mostly along stream and river beds. They prefer a moister, more acidic soil than we have but when we flooded in 2013 an incredible amount of well, stuff, got deposited as our property runs along an irrigation canal. It's still not completely dried out from the flood. Seeing how the grass is growing in that area, I thought it might be worth trying them. They are a fussy transplant, so I went with 6 -12 inch seedlings ordered from Oikos Tree Crops in Kalamazoo, Mi. Link below. They have the potential to get 70 ft tall by 40 ft wide, although I'm not expecting quite that size in our crazy climate. It takes 10 - 15 years to get a crop, maybe longer here, but I'm hoping to taste one. Getting a little ahead of myself, aren't I? Thanks for the good thoughts and letting me overshare! Michigan pecan

Good day Bart! (It's almost 6am here; just getting off work!) I don't consider it highjacking since the discussion is still regarding rust/a variety known for it! (Hehe) I'm terribly out of zone in comparison to your garden conditions, I'm sure. My one Tradescant is from David Austin, grafted on Dr. Huey and planted in 2016. It's never been spectacular, but seems a bit better this year. Mine hasn't gone above 3.5' and is narrow (like an HT). I have significant die-back from severely fluctuating winter conditions. It black spots, but I haven't had PM or rust on it yet. Due to suspicions of The Good Doctor not liking my climate, soil, or whatever, I've sought some roses grafted on the Asian invasive Rosa multiflora. I've a new Tradescant sold under its registered AUS*** name from Palatine Roses (oh, what a fabulous Canadian supplier) that's on multiflora. It's already out-grown my five year old Huey grafted specimen in its first growing season. It's wider, branchier, and more floriferous too.I can't determine a verdict until it gets some winters under its belt. My only good Huey rose is Chianti, and I suspect it may have gone own-root. Honestly, every new Multiflora grafted rose I have is out-growing and performing my equally new Huey roses. Own-roots seem to do well too when they're good, vigorous varieties. So; mine are still small or young at the present. I'll try to be a good boy and remember to grab some pics to share. Steven