Hello Jack, Many thanks for taking the time to reply to my post. It sounds like you confirm that it is a Vr. fenestralis "form" - I was not sure. Thank you also for your advice on leaving the very imature pups on when I split the plant, I will do that. You mention that you cannot grow this plant very big as you no longer have a heated greenhouse. What minimum temperature should I keep this plant above to ensure it remains "comfortable"? I have plenty of competition in the greenhouse during the winter from other plants but I would not like to lose this attractive one. Temperatures at night have already been just above zero C so I have put the plant in the greenhouse (along with many other sensitive ones I grow) and sadly in order to squeeze it in I cut off the flower spikes. Having read your comment that "when selfed they do not all come 100% true to form" made me realise that if I had left the flower spikes on I may have been able to collect seed from it. For future years would I have to fertilise with a small brush, leave it to insects or are these plants self-fertile? Thank you again for your advice. Norm (Jadgee - what my granddaughter calls me!)

Hi Everyone and thank you for the warm welcome, We are enjoying the photos that you are all posting. Lisa, thank you for the kind words The plant you are asking about has not yet been registered but will be under the name,Vr Melissa Dilling. It is a Vr Kakadu x self and the parents of Kakadu are Vr Fenestralis x Vr Fosteriana. Vr Kakadu has been registered and is on FCBS. Fenestralis is a amazing parent and as the photos show is capable of producing some amazing plants. Im just starting in the Vriesea Hybridizing game ( i have always grown some broms but my main interest was in Orchids, The orchids have just about gone and the Broms well and truly have taken over). I have been a friend of Jacks for 40 years as we both grew orchids, and he has shown me the finer points in pollinating and is a great inspiration. I also love Billbergias and have been busy this last 12 months playing with pollen and as a result i have Billbergia seedlings everywhere. I will post a few photos of them in the next couple of days. Im very excited about the colours they are showing.I also grow a few Guzmania's, Aechmea's and Neo's, but Vriesea's and Billbergias are my main areas of interest. Thanks again everyone for the warm welcome. Tamera

GW bromeliad forum members are a very friendly group, it took me a bit of botching to get past the zone requirement but I do enjoy opening when I have a spare half hour  not very often. I am very wary of internet forums as they can be used to very quickly assassinate the character of other persons, we have seen it in the past. A good example is the ill informed accusations about Keith Golinski  then the apologies when he gave the facts. ÂSorry does not remove the mud! In reply: Friday 18 Dec: "It would be easy to name the perpetrator ,she is well known"  Yes it is me, Lynn Hudson, the Facilitator of the Council of Australian Bromeliad Societies, Secretary of Cairns Society and BSI Director  all voluntary. " i have let a close relative of her know of the matter"  Why has Jack not contacted me himself? "you bet i am P @$#^%& D of." - is a tragic waste of energy when this could have been sorted 18 months ago. You have stewed this in your mind until your accusations have become very dangerous. " there is the smallest possibility that the plant died ( ha ha ha )"  Jack it is alive and well. "i am not in the mood for any legal action that would follow if i did name her" - What???? What is this prattle??? " she is the secretary of that society ,would my complaint be acknowledged ? not a chance ,it would be a lost letter each time!" - This type of behaviour is not practiced by me. You do not know me Jack, I do not hide. I face up to my own actions and responsibilities. Sat Dec 12: " the plant of 'Montezuma's Gem ' i donated for the Cairns world conference ( it was donated at the Port Macquarie reginal conference ,and had a opening bid for some $250 to be carried on at Cairns )" At the time you said the plant was donated to Cairns Society for fundraising for the conference. "this plant was not produced for the rare plant auction by the person that took it up there ,and when questioned said she said had a headache and would worry about it some other time" - Jack did not at any time discuss this plant with me at the WBC or since. At the Auction Bob, my husband said there was an enquiry about the plant. I did not say I had a headache, I said "the grasshoppers made a feast of it", which was the truth, it was ragged. From Lisa "As for the woman who appropriated your intended auction plant, I'd be plenty steamed about that too. She's taking money out of the society's coffers!  Taking money out?? Previously not publicly mentioned is that I put in over $5000.00 of my own money into WBC18, not to mention time, petrol, phone calls etc. Plantsplus: "I would be asking the appropriator of the conference donation to return the plant to you" - I am happy to return the plant to Jack. I was hesitant in taking the tiny seedling in the first place as I have all sizes of grasshoppers feed on my bromeliads. " unless they want you to name names. Alternately send an open letter to the Brom Society in question (without a name) and voice your disappointment that a member would act so disgracefully."  This type of back door behaviour does not reap any good rewards. I prefer to work upfront and honestly. "Having said that we all know some people who will do anything to get a brom if they want it. I just wonder how many generous growers get "done over" by them just because they are too polite to "out them". These people are crooks plain and simple Â" - I am pretty well known as being too generous and honest. I seldom accept any plant without making payment. As Len Trevor says: "As soon as someone stands up to do something, there are persons who just want to criticize and knock them down. In fact these same persons are simply jealous as they are not as capable as the person who is busy doing the job." I was not paid to organize either the Port Macquarie or Cairns conferences. I also paid my own way just like every delegate. This also applies to attending BSI conferences and board meetings. Officers and Directors pay our own airfares, accommodation registration etc., but we do get free lunch at board meetings! We are volunteers. As Jack said "Ethics is now a endangered species". - Surely personally getting the facts up front before making accusations is ethical. I have just spoken to Jack. The plant will be up for Auction at the Darwin conference in April 2011.

Mid North Coast Group Helen Ridden (Secretary) PO Box 13 Port Macquarie 2444 Ph: 6556 5499. Meetings: 3rd Thursday of month at 7.30PM. Alternates between Kendall School of The Arts and Wauchope Uniting church Hall. Some more info available from APSNSW website: http://www.austplants-nsw.org.au/