Lisa, Thanks for the reply! I was thinking that if it were still available, it might be thru growers in Ecuador? I don't currently subscribe to the journal, so don't know if any of the south American nurseries still advertise there. I don't recall ever seeing this at Pamela Koides's old nursery, Birdrock Tropicals, but would have thought hers would be a natural supplier if it were still in the trade, as she grows/grew so many high altitude Tillandsia species that wouldn't survive in Florida or Texas. I have been living almost 20 years now in north Berkeley, very near to the North Berkeley BART station, down in the flats so to speak. I do a lot of my landscape design work here in the Berkeley hills, Albany, El Cerrito, Oakland area, so it is a rather ideal climate for the more cold hardy bromeliads, and over the years I've built up enough plantings in various gardens to be able to use them upon dividing them in other new gardens. I'm always on the look out for other suitable species to try out, and am extremely envious of those of you who can grow all the more tropical types. Still, there are quite a few bromeliads that tolerate the occasional freezes we get here, and the local San Francisco Bromeliad Society is full of members who grow their collections outdoors year round. So Lisa, what part of Berkeley was your home base? This town is just large enough that it feels completely different from area to area. I guess I am mostly plugged into the north Berkeley/Monterey Market/Solano Ave/Thousand Oaks/Fourth Street neighborhoods, rather than south Berkeley or areas more influenced by the University campus, although I do regularly visit Strawberry Canyon, the UC Berkeley Botanic garden, and Tilden Park. I also seem to get a lot of work over in nearby Alameda, where the homes closest to the bay almost never freeze. In fact, these gardens are where I have had the most success with the real warm growers such as the Portea's. Hopefully this post might bring someone out of the wood works who actually grows or has grown Guzmania diffusa! Somehow I doubt this species would have ever survived some place like Seattle, especially after this winter's cold. Even at 10,000 foot elevation in Ecuador or Columbia, I suspect it wouldn't likely get much colder than mid-20'sF in winter, and most of Seattle got into single digits this winter, or at most low teens right near the water.

Hi dirtygardener, I'm from Australia and I'm not familiar with your growing conditions so all I can tell you is what I do over here. I have some Guzmanias growing in the garden and I find that they grow best if I mound up the place where they are to grow with a good quality free draining cymbidium orchid mix and plant them in this, not in the natural garden soil. Guzmanias in general like it a bit more shady than other bromeliads and they also like a bit more fertilizer. They will burn easily if given too much sun and they are easily damaged by the wind. Before I plant them in the garden, while they are still in the pot I try them in different locations and when I find the spot they like, that's where I plant them. In summary, under a tree or 75% shade cloth, out of the wind should see them grow happily. As for the ID of your plant, I don't think it's Guzmania lingulata which is a species. We don't have Lowe's stores in Australia but I'm assuming it is a department type store like our Bunnings, Big W, K-Mart etc. In Australia Guzmanias and Vrieseas sold by these stores are really aimed at the flower market rather than the hobbiest grower and usually just identified by a generic label saying "Bromeliad". That's why I think your plant is probably one of the many thousands of commercial type un-named hybrids sold every year in these types of stores. All the best, Nev.

hi,they have no direct frost tolerance as such,but can take temps into the 30s easily. i have many here in CA,all do fine,but if you think you will get a frost/freeze,just cover them with a sheet of plastic,or a cloth. gary

Yes a lovely colour...MM.