A bounty of bonny bromeliads in Sacramento show

This past weekend I went to the 2019 Show and Sale of the Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society. Unlike last year, when I'd been a bromeliad newbie, I approached this year's event with more knowledge and a better sense of what to expect and what to look for. The sale plants were once again priced very reasonably so I ended up buying more than I would have in a retail nursery. That makes not just me happy but also the club.

While the sale was at the top of my agenda—business is business—I did take the time to look at every plant on display inside the Shepard Garden and Arts Center (also the home of the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society and most other plant clubs in town).

Since the Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society Show is not judged, there was no winner's table. Instead, the club had put together a spectacular display of bromeliads and carnivorous plants:


Using driftwood, rocks and Spanish moss (Tillandsia usnoides, itself a bromeliad), the display brought together a variety of beautiful bromeliads as well as some outstanding pitcher plants.











The colors of these plants are so seductive. People like me, who are easily swayed / wooed / lured / sucked in, need to exercise extra restraint when surrounded by so much temptation. If you're one of them (us), you know of what I speak.


Neoregelia 'The Governor's Plea'

Neoregelia 'Margaret'

Neoregelia 'Rufus'

Neoregelia 'Orange Crush'

Neoregelia 'Lila'

Neoregelia 'Royal Burgundy' × carolinae 'Tricolor'

Neoregelia 'Heat Wave'

Neoregelia 'Maggie's Pride'

Neoregelia 'Gold Fever'

Neoregelia 'Gazpacho'
  
Neoregelia 'Margarette'

Neoregelia 'Ruby Pagoda'

Neoregelia 'Galaxy' flowers

Neoregelia 'Milagro'

This one was also labeled Neoregelia 'Milagro'. Two completely different plants with the same name by two different exhibitors. Based on the photos online, the second seems to be correctly labeled.

Neoregelia 'Carousel'

Neoregelia 'Pink Sensation' × 'Royal Burgundy'

Neoregelia 'Home Depot'. The name cracked me up. I can't find any mention of a cultivar named 'Home Depot' online so I assume the plant actually came from The Home Depot.

Neoregelia 'Robin'

Neoregelia 'Midget'

Hohenbergia pennae

Ananas macrodontes, a close relative of the “real” pineapple (Ananas comosus).

Aechmea dealbata

Billbergia 'Muriel Waterman'

Billbergia 'Hallelujah'

Billbergia 'Hallelujah'

Vriesea 'Signature'

Tillandsia tectorum (Peru form)

Miscellaneous Tillandsia displays


Tillandsia argentea

Tillandsia foliosa

Spanish moss (Tillandsia usnoides); I had no idea it had medicinal properties

Orthophytum sp.

Nidularia sp.

Aechmea sp.
  
Cryptanthus 'Elaine'

Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost'

Dyckia hebdingii

×Mangave 'Bloodspot'; this one was a surprise since it's not a bromeliad. It was correctly labeled.


I went on both days. On Saturday, I had only thirty minutes because of other commitments so I focused on the sale; I was there right at 10 a.m. for the best selection. On Sunday, I went back to see the show and to grab a few more plants.

I ended up buying 14 plants for a grand total of $80: nine Neoregelia, one Aechmea, and three Dyckia. I'll have a separate post so I can introduce them properly. Some of them are quite stunning, and all of them were much cheaper than in a retail nursery. That's the beauty of sales held by plant clubs!



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Comments

  1. What an alluring array! The absolute stunner for me is Vriesea 'Signature'. Followed closely by Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost' and the first, apparently mislabeled Neoregelia "Milagro" (that color!!) Also very appealing and much easier to fit into a garden setting is Neoregelia 'Robin'. Looking forward to seeing your new beauties take their runway walk.

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    1. I continue to be amazed by the variety, even within one genus. I can only imagine what it must be like going to a show like that in Florida--the bromeliad epicenter of the U.S.

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  2. Bonus entertainment: Scrolling rapidly through this post gives an effect remarkably similar to the psychedelic interlude in Kubrick's '2001'...

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  3. That display is magnificent, probably the best one featuring carnivorous plants I've seen yet. Your plant club sale is also much better than my local one by the looks of it.

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    1. They had a great display last year, but this year's was even better.

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  4. Yes as Kris said, magnificent display. Sounds like it was an excellent sale, too.

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    1. Yes! The dyckias were $2 each. Many landscape-quality neoregelias for $3-5. The collector plants were $6-15. I didn't see anything above $15 on the bromeliad tables. The carnivorous plants were more, but I know nothing about them.

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  5. Fourteen plants? Bravo! Is this sale always in June? I might have to drop in for a quick visit next year...

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    1. Last year it was July 28-29 so they don't seem to follow a fixed schedule. I'll let you know next year. Of course the BIG bromeliad sale is the one put on by the San Diego Brom Society: It was June 1-3.

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  6. ! what an amazing display of colourful plants yet nary a flower in sight. Loved your comment re: "swayed/lured/sucked in". Describes so many of us perfectly but how much fun to shop when the selection is so cool. Have to look for my namesake Cryptanthus 'Elaine'. Don't find many plants with that moniker. Look forward to seeing your haul.

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    1. If I ever found a plant named 'Gerhard', I'd have to have it, no matter what it is!

      Cryptanthus seems to be fairly common in the houseplant section of retail nurseries and/or in interior or exotic plant stores.

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  7. Wow, love your photos with the identifications! You sure got great deals on the plants!

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