Dream on!!

Never mind Pip, they are lovely pics and you`ll probably have the real thing in the future....

Lovely plants....you'll have to get writing your letter to Santa, Pip...lol

do you know anyone with hydrangeas Pip-- they root easily from cuttings ( you could even ask the florist if there are some non flowering stems or long 'ends ' they've cut off.
I 'm the same in the GC , my soil is solid clay and a windy site, often the plant instructions say 'light soil' 'protect from wind' 'acid soil' grrr
we can only grow the bromeliad indoors and I've not seen the lovely 'blushing bride' before
wish I could send you some cuttings Pip.....

I think the bromeliad was a plant I looked at in our local supermarket a couple of days ago. I was intrigued because the instructions of care said to water it from the middle of the plant. I've never known to do that to a plant before. It was a very handsome specimen and I am pretty sure it was meant for an indoor plant in our climate.

The bottom plant, Blushing Bride, is very delicate. Hope you can follow through on Pam's suggestion and get a cutting for a hydrangea for free! :)

fabulous! i've done that before now ~ always feel a bit guilty but i cant have all the plants and flowers i like!!
i took pictures of tree ferns and fuchsias ~ they are so amazing. they are all gorgeous but i love that last one ~ never seen it before ~ so different ~ perhaps i should get one for my daughter-in-law to be!!??

Lovely plants, never mind photos are brill.

me too toffe saw a lovel plant at a client to day . dont know wot it is pink looks like agapanthus . tuber flowering now . gawguss. will post a pic asap i love the last 2.

not a nerine?? they are pink and i think from a tuber????

the nerine are also guernsy lily and their national flower, I was there a couple of weeks ago and they had a nerine festival with them lined up in clay pots in a glasshouse, with reds, orange different shades of pink and white, they were also different sizes blooms, got me hooked for next year

i love them but think they need warmer, sunnier garden than mine

and mine too, the obviously grow well on the channel islands but I'm going to try the pot idea-- the'd keel over in minutes in my windy clay

they grow in devon ~ my mum has them in the flower bed ~ south facing garden, near the sea

good drainage too i imagine, I have a friend near peterborough whose garden is really free draining, a nighmare in hot summers but the bulbs are amazing and she said she can grow them too

lovely pics pip and one day i can see you will have a garden full of all the plants you love, a wealthy hubby will help to lol, i love the blushing bride ;o))

I had a Bromeliad quite a few years back as a gift, must admit it seems scary at the time watering it in the middle of the leaves. The bracts seemed to last for months, but if I remember correctly when it was over OH threw it out, not realising the bulb could have been kept.

I can understand why you fell for these three Pip they are all gorgeous, think the idea of getting an Hydranger cutting would be a very easy way to have one of you own for free. I love the Blushing Bride its one that is new to me too, do hope you find a way of eventually having some of your own;0)

Thanks all!
The blushing bride is an Aussie native, I think.
We used to have a hydrangea ourselves, but it died... I'm sure I could grow one from cuttings. It was more the fantastic blue of this specimen that caught my eye!!

my hydrangeas are usually pink or a dirty mauve because of my soil, a friend had the most beautiful sky blue with huge heads-- she had very acid soil, some in Guernsey were-- amazing, pure white with some petals literally splashed with carmine pink and one plant deep deep blue-- lovely

Sounds fantastic... our soil isn't very conducive to hydrangeas, I don't think!

They are lovely plant's I love the blue Hydrangea.

Thanks Mavis :o)

Hi Pip - vivid bromeliad wow - i see some in our local market regularly but not that gorgeous 'sunset' colour - just lovely!!

I wonder why Pip? they seem to do well over here but thinking about it don't like well drained soil and if we have a hot spell need a lot of water whereas other shrubs in the same border cope well-- they do quite well in large pots if fed & watered well

Now the real flowers would die, but you can always look at the photos :o)

Sweet Dreams - lol. you never know they might have a sale soon!

Thanks Cate, Hywel and Oliveoil :o))))))