Still looking for a few seeds of Jaune Flamee, Brandywine sudd.,Ozoychka and Aunt gerties Gold tomatoes. Please check my trade list or I can send s.a.s.e. if nothing appeals to you.

That's a beautiful pic..but this one is much lighter in color..was labeled apricot..I hate that, but was so pretty I couldn't resist..Robin in the UK has a peach on his web page..probably similiar to a peachy color..not the beautiful dark color in the pic. Carolyn

Hi everyone. L.G. - You are correct when you say, "I am not sure if the fact that it has produced seeds necessarily means that the seeds have the ability to grow." as the seeds can either be fertile or sterile and the only way to find out is to try and grow some. This isn't as complicated as growing orchid seed but is not quite as easy as growing seeds in your garden; however, it isn't difficult for the hobbyist to do by following a few simple instructions. I have grown Vriesea seeds in a closed in unheated porch area while others I know who live in a colder climate, grow them in an old empty fish aquarium with grow-lux type lights to give good light and maintain a warm temperature. I can tell you how I do it but you would have to adjust the method to suit the climate in your area. There are many different ways of growing bromeliad seed and the method described below is a method I use and have had success with. All you need is a plastic take-away container like you get when you buy "Take-Away" from you local Chinese restaurant and some Coco- Peat or Peat Moss as a growing medium. I don't put any holes in the bottom of the container, but just fill it to two thirds of its depth with damp Coco-Peat or Peat Moss. I then microwave the container and contents on high for 5 minutes to sterilise the growing medium. When cool, I spread the seed (not too thickly) on the surface of the medium and spray with boiled water from a hand sprayer to settle the seed in place. I then cover with the lid and place in a well lit (not direct sun) warm place for the seeds to germinate. If the Coco Peat is sufficiently damp there will be no need to remove the lid to add any more water as the condensation will form within the container and circulate to provide sufficient moisture. Depending on the time of the year and what genus the seed was taken from, germination usually occurs in anywhere rom 2 - 6 weeks. The picture below shows Neoregelia seed which is 6 months old. When the seedlings eventually reach the top of the container (12-18 months), the lids can be removed and at this stage I cut drainage holes in the bottom of the containers because once the lid is removed they will need watering to prevent drying out. (It's possible to do this without disturbing the seedlings), and it can be done with a hacksaw blade to cut small "V's" around the bottom edge of the container. The containers are then put into a polystyrene box with a couple of inches of Coco Peat in the bottom to maintain humidity. They are left here until they are large enough to be thinned out and transplanted into another container/s in groups of about 12-25 small plantlets. Plants in polystyrene box awaiting transplanting. These secondary containers or community containers as they are called must also have holes in the bottom for drainage. Keep these in a warm well lit location and just provide sufficient water to keep the growing medium moist. They can be given a liquid fertiliser each two weeks at about one quarter of the recommended strength, and as the plantlets out grow their containers they are just potted on into a larger container or pot in the usual manner using a potting mix suitable for Vrieseas. It's an interesting part of bromeliad growing and well worth trying. All the best, Nev.

Its more of a trait with the native types which produce more seeds. I don't find it a problem, they pull out quite easily and its mostly a spring event, definitely not invasive. I find uses for the seedlings in difficult areas and consider them free plants. I've lined the whole west no-mans land side with them because they will grow well in that awful dirt two feet in on the neighbors side along his neglected property line which I try to maintain so I don't have to look at weeds and tree saplings. They crossbreed very easily so you never know what you will get and you can easily have a naturally occurring hybrid spring up in your own garden. I got a white blooming plant a couple years ago from a chance seedling, I thought that was cool.