Day of Judgement

By Bernice Cornfield

This article appeared in the June 1978 issue of the “ Bromeliad Commentary ( our original newsletter ) after the state Show of that year……...

 

Florida International Bromeliad Show”. Quite imposing and here was little old me , entering plants for show. First, may I say I had never entered a plant for show before. Once I had made the decision I looked around and tried to find a few of my special loves, Cryptanthus. Alas, the winter had taken its toll. As the weeks went by, I cut and trimmed and repotted and changed my mind a dozen times. Everytime somebody visited and said “Gee, that plant looks great”, out of the ground it came and I looked at it in a new light.

At last the date of the show had arrived. My friend Jim Lesley came by to see what I was entering and chose a few more pots to go, a giant Strawberry jar filled with a Cryptbergia rybra. Al (my husband) said “you are both crazy – who is going to lift the thing?” Undaunted I went on.

The day is here! Awakened to a terrible storm. Was somebody trying to tell me something? I lost no time borrowing a station wagon; I didn’t want the precious darlings crushed in the trunk of my “little Lincoln”. Everything was loaded and Jimmy wondered, “No crypts?, No Dyckias? What is wrong with this one or this?” Picked up a few more including a Cryptanthus Bromelioides and dumped them in the car. It took two hours to get to Miami. When we entered Fairchild Gardens, I saw the most beautiful plants I had ever seen.

Mazes of color everywhere. Breathtaking! Turned around with my entries and said “Oh, I guess I won’t bother”. The lovely ladies at the desk convinced me to stay