Hi all, I have been busy with the Christmass madness over here in Oz? To answer most of you, where I got the bulb of H. bukasovii from? Was from a bromeliad collector friend who had run out of space for his broms., and needed to clear out some of his little jems like this one. I just talked to the importer of the seed (some 40 years ago) he told me that an old man in Texas swapped seed of Australian cycads for species hippeastrums he had. I do not know of any one else, who has this plant at present? though will offer seed of it when it finally does manage to produce viable seed? jodik, after seeing the African bulbs on offer to you I checked Maguire's Hippeastrum website and purchased several of their new bulbs, it almost a case of feeling you have the better choice of bulbs and I know you possibly feel similar, that I have a better choice, I call it addiction and one day I will hopefully give all these plants up and still be happy???? Yes Hippeastrums when grown in a warmer climate do put on a magnificent display when allowed to from clumps. Don't know the names of the hybrids in the above images though when they come out the show is eye catching... Hope you all have a chance to relax and be at ease for the Christmas and New Years period. I will not be on the forum for a while? so all the best................. :o)

Hi all thank you all for the compliments, my beds are raised to stop a local carnivorous dwarf relative of the kangaroo, digging them up for worms etc., When I traveled the US years ago, was under the impression that we (Oz gardeners) were very casual in how we made gardens? Guess I must have been looking at the manicured city gardens assuming every one else did the same??? :o( Have been away for the day doing bromeliad stuff, so have only got images taken the other day to show?; A yellow seedling with a pretty flower out; Large terrestrial bromeliads "Alcantarea" (burnt in the winter frost) are now starting to flower; Colorful dwarf bromeliads (some damaged through insecticide burn last season) are showing the spring flowers & foliage color; A dwarf, pendular, flowering bromeliad; "Vriesea rubyae", doing its' thing; The upright flower of a bromeliad called "Aechmea retusa" starting its season, this flower will keep growing until it is approximately double the current size; Due to the cool spring nights, my caladium collection is only just sending up foliage where as previous years the plants would all be in full foliage by now, even more so than the one in the foreground; cheers will try to take more new images soon?

probably came about because when you say aussie aus' it can sound the same as ozzie or oz looks in writting, also there used to be a saturday night variety show on the idiot box had a character called ozzy ostrich or something? for me i doesn't matter what i get called so long as it isn't late for a free feed hey lol, and unlike our friends across the pacific we do have a national identity nickname that is ours alone, and alomst uniquely we have state based nick's that suit us eg.,. banana benders, crow eaters etc.,. proud to be uniquely aussie, ozzy whatever you know what i mean hey lol be happy len Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

Hi Jan I put a pic of it on your other posting....MM