BromeliAdvisory

November 2017

InThis IssuePresident’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2In Case You Missed It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Start Preparing for the 40th Annual Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Membership Renewal Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Peter Kouchalakos to Auction Plants

BromeliAdvisoryStop and Smell the Bromeliads

November 2017WEBPAGE: http://www.bssf-miami.org/

http://www.facebook.com/groups/BromeliadSSF/?bookmark_t=grouphttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Bromeliad-Society-of-South-Florida/84661684279

Alex Bello, PresidentSandy Roth, VPFred Sussenberger, TreasurerLenny Goldstein, SecretaryRobert Meyer, Editor_________________DIRECTORSPast Pres.: Sandy RothDirectors: Barbara Sparling ’16 –’17

Karen Bradley ’17 –’18Ellis Brown’17 –’18Stephanie LaRusso ‘17-‘18

Advertising: Robert MeyerDoor Prize: Alan HerndonEducation: Alan HerndonHospitality: Elaine MillsLibrary: Barbara PartagasMembership: MaureenAdelman/Melody RayMem. Plant Sales: Alex BelloRaffle Table : Melissa BrailRefreshments: Sandy Roth

What Who

SalesTable

Mike Michalski

NOVEMBER 21, 2017 AT 7:00 PM AT FAIRCHILDCORBIN ASPEAKER: NONERAFFLE TABLE: NONEFOOD: Maureen Adleman, Barbara Sparling, and

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President’s MessagebyAlex Bello

Finally fall has arrived in South Florida, after yetanother Tropical Storm paid us an undesirablevisit on Halloween Weekend. As we move intothe Holiday Season we have several pertinentitems that we need to pay close attention to.

One of those is our 40th Annual Show and Salewhich will be held from March 23-25, 2018 atFairchild tropical Botanic Gardens.

Now is the time we need to begin identifyingplants to enter the show and start getting themgroomed up so they look their absolute best and

for tips on how to get them to look their best wewill have a program in February to demonstratehow to enter plants for the Show.

On the Holiday note, we also have our yearlyHoliday Party. We will need all the help we canget. So, I encourage everyone to bring a dish andlet Mike Michalski Or Patty Gonzalez know whatyou are bringing, please email them atpgonza7782@aol.com.

See you all at the Auction which is November 21,2017

Alex

In Case You Missed Itby Leonard Goldstein

The BSSF’s October meeting markedattendees’ emergence from the purgatoryvisited upon us by Hurricane Irma, and acouple of items signaled that recovery isshifting into a new gear.

First, the membership demonstrated itsinterest in helping Fairchild Tropical BotanicGarden climb back from storm damage byapproving a contribution of $1,000 to theGarden. Half that amount was allocated forthe purchase of a large quantity of Neoregelia‘Fireball’ to reestablish the double row thathad beautified the Bailey Palm Glade for anumber of years. The other half of thedonation was earmarked for the purchase of aShow & Sale ad in Fairchild’s quarterlymagazine, The Tropical Garden.

Second, we began to talk about our ownrebound from the hurricane. The storm-delayed and much anticipated annual auctionhas been rescheduled for November 21.Looking a bit further into the future, AlanHerndon announced that the Show & Sale willhave a new – and earlier – date in 2018. Our40th Show & Sale will be held on March 24-25, a full month earlier than last year.Accordingly, Alan urged members to start setting plantsaside now. With seasonal cooling alreadyunderway, the plants should achieve their bestcolor by the time of the show.

Alan went on to describe the show awardhierarchy. There are five major groups in thecompetition: (1) Blooming, (2) Non-blooming, (3) Habitat, (4) Artistic, and (5)Exhibition.

Be sure to attend upcoming meetings toreceive valuable tips on preparing your plantsfor the competition.

Start preparing for the 40th AnnualBSSF Show in 2018by Alan Herndon

Ideally, you should have started to prepare for the2018 show as soon as the 2017 show ended. Ofcourse, there was the minor manner of a hurricanethat might have interfered with your careful plans,but now is the time to regroup and get yourpotential show plants on track to being beautifulspecimens for the show. Since our show is relatively early next year (setupis 22 March), we can’t be entirely certain whattypes of plants will be in bloom. If we have a cold(ok,ok…I know we don’t have any idea what coldweather is, but I am talking cooler than last year)winter, the show may be too early to have most ofthe larger Neoregelia hybrids in bloom. Ofcourse, Neoregelia hybrids can be just asspectacular when they are not blooming, and wecan always expect some miniature Neo species toflagrantly disregard external weather conditionsand be in flower at any time of the year. Neoregelia compacta and closely related speciesare also more likely to be in bloom during the

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cooler months and should be considered aspotential entries.

Other plants that might be favored by the earlyshow date are the Billbergia species and hybrids. These plants bloom preferentially during thecooler months. Of course, you need to set severalpots aside as potential entries since the bloom

cycle is so short on an individual plant. Withsome luck, one of your pots will have flowers justopening on the morning when judging takes place. By the way, do not overlook plants that arecurrently in bloom, or have recently bloomed. Billbergia pups often grow rapidly, and there isplenty of time for pups on plants currently inbloom to reaching blooming size before the show. If you have a spectacular Billbergia hybridblooming right now, you might want to leave thepups on the mother plant over winter so they cangrow faster. Nearer show time, you can decidewhether the clump of plants or individual plants inseparate pots will make the best entries.

In the genus Aechmea, cool season bloomingplants include the various forms of Aechmeaweilbachii, and the species of Aechmea subgenusOrtgiesia (including, but not limited to: A.apocalyptica, A. caudata, A. gamosepala and A.organensis). Again, these plants may havealready bloomed, or may bloom during the comingweeks. The pups grow quickly, and have plentyof time to be blooming for our show.

As the initial step, you should identify yourpotential show plants, and try to separate themfrom each other and from other plants in yourgarden as well as possible. Much of the leafdamage we see on our plants is caused by themarginal spines from one rosette rubbing againstthe tender leaves of a neighbor. If you do nothave sufficient room to separate the plants widelyenough that their leaves do not overlap, at leastput them in an area that provides some shelterfrom wind. The other step you should take at thistime is a good cleaning of your prospectivewinners. While you remove the bits of plantdebris that have accumulated in the leaf axils ofyour chosen plants, you can also inspect the plantsfor scale and other signs of infestation by pests orinfection by fungi. If problems are detected at thispoint, they should be treated quickly so they don’tpresent a bigger problem when you are trying toclean the plants during the last few weeks beforethe show.

If you are growing Cryptanthus for the show, beespecially vigilant about the weather. A drynortherly breeze slightly under 50F can burn theleaves of a perfectly grown Cryptanthus as badlyas leaving the plant out in full sun for a day. Protection from wind is the best way to avoid this.Don’t be afraid to set aside a plant with somedamage on the leaves as a potential show plant. The judges have all lived through hurricanes inthe recent past, and know what kind of damagethey inflict. If a plant looks good from the top anddamage is largely hidden by new growth at thetime of the show, we can expect them to be lessstringent in their ribbon judging.In addition to starting to prepare your plants forthe show, we need volunteers to help run theshow. First, we need Chairs and Co-chairs for thevarious committees:

Advertising – this committee sells ads inthe Show Book that help defray the cost ofprinting.

Auction – We hope Peter Kouchalakoswill once again return as our Auctioneer, but weneed a Chair to make sure the auction is set upwhen needed. Duties will include collectingdonations from commercial vendors for theSaturday Auction and members for the SundayAuction, making sure the necessary supplies areavailable well before the Auction starts, recruitingvolunteers to act as runners as well as one or twocashiers, and anything else needed to ensure asuccessful Auction.

Award Sponsors – Barbara Sparling hasheld this job for a number of years, and could usehelp. The job is to call all members of BSSF andask for donations to support the show – especiallythe rosette ribbons and crystals given to majoraward winners.

Awards – Again, Barbara Sparling hasbeen in charge of this for years and is looking for

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a successor. Keeping track of the inventory ofribbons and crystal is a major part of the job.

Catering – Sandy Roth is the perennialchair of this committee, and the most overworkedperson in the show. She could use several co-chairs to help plan for and feed all of thevolunteers over the 4 days of the show.

Hospitality/Security – Fairchild asks us tokeep monitors at entrances and exits to the gardenduring open hours. We also would like to havepeople out in the sales area and in the show roomwho can generally help visitors enjoy our show. Chair of this committee recruits volunteers toserve in the various positions and schedules themso the entire show is covered.

Information Table – This job is similar tothat of Hospitality/Security, but it is centered ona single spot. The information table sits at theentrance to the show room, and aims to helpvisitors enjoy our show. The information tablealso has material for distribution to visitors. Again, scheduling volunteers to ensure that theInformation Table is operating throughout theentire show is the most important job.

Member Sales – Volunteers are needed tohandle sales transactions at the Member SalesTable and deliver the proceeds from each day tothe Treasurer or his representative at the end ofeach day.

Plant Holding – Antonio Arbelaez he hasdoes this for many years. The job is setting up aholding area near the entrance to the show wherevisitors wanting to go into the show rooms canleave their plants.

Publicity – Robert Meyer handles themore traditional forms of publicity, but we alsoneed a presence on the newer forms of socialmedia.

Show Booklet – We produce a booklet foreach show to give visitors some basic informationon bromeliads and what the show is all about. The job is to collect the information needed forthe booklet and create a layout that can be used bythe printer to produce the finished book.

Staging – Before any plants or artwork isbrought in, we need to set up tables for plants anddisplay panels for student art. This is generallyfinished before noon on our setup day.

If you have any interest in working on one ofthese committees, please let me or a listedcommittee chair know. We particularly needpeople willing to act as co-chairs with the idea oftaking over the main responsibility for thecommittee at some time in the future.

UPCOMING EVENTS

November 21, 2017 Annual Bromeliad Auction10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables, FL 33156 Phone: 305-667-1651

Bonnet House Museum &Garden 11th Annual Orchid,Garden & Gourmet FoodFestivalDecember 2-3, 2017 900 North Birch RoadFort Lauderdale, Florida 33304(954) 563-5393

http://www.bonnethouse.org/news/orchid-festival/

Caloosahatchee Bromeliad Show & SaleDecember 2-3, 2017 9 AM to 4PM Araba Shrine Temple2010 Hanson StreetFort Myers, Florida(954) 563-5393

December 19, 2017 Bromeliad Holiday Party10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables, FL 33156 Phone: 305-667-1651

January 19-21, 2018 Chocolate Festival10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables, FL 33156 Phone: 305-667-1651 http://www.fairchildgarden.org/events-community-outreach/events-details/artmid/486/articleid/1164/12th-annual-international-chocolate-festival

April 21-22, 2018Bromeliad Annual Show and Sale10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables, FL 33156 Phone: 305-667-1651

World Conference May 29, 2018-June 3, 2018 San Diego, CA

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MESSAGES

NEW MEMBERSPLEASE COLLECT YOURBADGES

We have 16 new members. Your membershipentitles you to Membership Badges. We havethem. Come to our meeting and pick themup. Ask for Maureen. She holds the badges.

If You Got’em, Donate’em Crystalor Give Donations for Awards

Anyone who has previously well deserved and woncrystal from the Bromeliad Show is urged to recycleand give the same to Barbara Sparling who handles theawards for the show.

Anyone wanting to donate for awards needs to merelygive Barbara an email or call.

Time to Renew Your Membership

Attached is a renewal of membership form. If notreceived by early next year, you will not beincluded in the membership book and receiveother benefits. Thanks for your appreciation.

Badges Wear Them

We make some pretty neat badges. They helpour fogged aged memories for names. Starting next month, anyone who wants adoor prize must be wearing a name badge. This way we will better address one anotherby name. FYI – do not put the badge ontoanything which may be affected by anexternal magnet.

Uncle Mike Needs You

Mike Michalski again spearheads ourHoliday Party in the winter. Rememberto pitch in. Cook for the potluck. Greatest event of the year, no?

Elections Coming Up

Folks. There are many positionsavailable for our board this year. Getinvolved. Meetings are a blast. Peoplebring food, vino and pizzazz. Contact

Donate Plants to the Auction

Don’t rely on others to deliver plants for theAuction. The Auction – now being held inNovember – is our largest fund raiser. A plantfrom a member here, another from a memberthere, adds up to $$$’s for the organization. Allit takes is a walk around the yard, review of theplants, picking a few choice items, cleaning thesame, packaging them in a pot, and deliveringthem to the auction. We appreciate alldonations!!!

HELP Needed for Food

Sandy can’t lug the heavy items anylonger. Give us a hand and help her lugthe heavy items these coming monthswhen we have shows, auctions andmore. Thanks.

Members

Bring at least ONE Plant to the Auction,and your charity ends up being more fundsfor the society.

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BROMELIAD SOCIETY OF SOUTH FLORIDABSSF, Inc.

2018 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

(PLEASE PRINT) NAME(S)__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Couples - please include BOTH first names)ADDRESS: CITY__________________________STATE_________ZIP_____________________TELEPHONE ____________________________ ADD’L. TEL. ____________________________

Year Joined BSSF: ________________________Referred by: _____________________________Include e-mail address in the roster? (Y/N) G Yes G No E-mail BromeliAdvisory? (Y/N) G Yes G No (You will not receive a hard copy)

EMAIL_______________________________________________________

IF ANY OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS DIFFERENT FROM LAST YEAR,PLEASE HIGHLIGHT OR UNDERLINE

Please renew my(our) membership in the BROMELIAD SOCIETY OF SOUTH FLORIDAfor the period of March 1, 2018 to February 28, 2019.

Check the category: G Single membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25.00G Dual membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35.00

Dual members enjoy all the privileges of active membership, but receive only onecopy of the BromeliAdvisory.

DUES MUST BE RECEIVED BY MARCH 1, 2018, IN ORDER FOR YOU TO BEINCLUDED IN THE 2016 ROSTER

Please mail completed form and check(Payable to BSSF, Inc.) to: Or E-Mail this form to:Maureen Adelman9421 SW 134 StreetMiami, FL 33176

mhadelman@comcast.net

You can pay up to 5 years at the ratesdescribed above. All payments areNONREFUNDABLE