Hi Jen, I have several, well, ok, a lot, of billbergias that bloom in the winter. In fact I think most billbergias bloom in the winter. Here are a few: This is 'Fantasia' at Nell's house last year and the bud of one that's about to bloom in my greenhouse: Billbergia minima in bud and a close up of the bloom: This is B. 'Pixie': This is B. wendii: This is a pretty NOID that Nell gave me a couple of years ago: And this is a Billbergia nutans F1 hybrid, I'm told: I heard so much about the hardiness of B.n. last year that when I divided the huge old plant in the picture I planted the bare parts of the left-over rhizomes in the front yard. Here's a photo from yesterday: I have more that should be flowering soon but I don't think I have pictures of them. Gotta get more conscientious about that!

We've been running about 70% of our average monthly rainfall (average since we started keeping rain records for the garden in 2004). One benefit of keeping the rain records is putting it all in perspective - e.g. rainfall is very variable from year to year here - for instance we had 82mm. in June, compared to 119mm last year and 89mm for the 2004-2020 average. But the lowest rain amount we had in June was 43mm in 2016! We water new plantings and things in pots, but other than that, things are expected to survive on their own with natural rainfall! We did use soaker hoses in the first few years when we started the garden but, by 2004 when we started keeping the rain records, we had largely stopped using them and they have long since been removed or abandoned. It's tough coping with dry periods and we do sometimes water (by 'flooding' a dry area with the hose running gently in the bed) if somewhere is looking very stressed. Plants are generally tougher than we feared!

Thank you 2 Katz, he is being discharged tomorrow. MSK has very strict visitor policies but he was allowed 1 visitor a day, either 8-12 or 4-8, form filled out online prior to visit and you’re screened once you enter the building. If it keeps the patients and staff COVID free, I have absolutely no objections. They have assured me that this is now a correct setting for the excess fluid and I assured them that there would be issues if he was released and we had to return. We’ve been dealing with this for over 4 1/2 years (stage 4) and I have to honestly say that we’ve never had a problem with MSK, his physicians are great to us, his neuro oncologist called me on my way home. Thank you for your kind thoughts and have a very happy and healthy thanksgiving!

What a fun store! I love the Salt Made from Tears Shed While Home Schooling. Check out the shopping "basket," too. Love the translations of the pages. Those are some funny people! Or monsters.