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The Vriesea family is a very popular and easily cultivated bromeliad. The genera can be divided into two groups. One is grown for there impressive foliage and the other for their colorful bracts and flowers.They range in sizes from a very tiny 10 cm to more than 2 metre in diameter and height. The bright flowering group are very colorful and have long lasting flowering displays. The foliage group have striking foliage markings and colors and are symmetrically vase shaped to hold water in their neat rosettes. The long flower spike is camouflaged with the foliage markings and extends dominantly above the foliage. It prefers medium light and "good" water, that is, water without salts. The use of bottled drinking water, rain water, or filtered sink water is best. Be careful not to expose it to temperatures in the 30 F. See Bromeliad page.

Species and varieties:

Vriesea carinata

Vriesea fosteriana

Vriesea Gemma

Vriesea gigantea

Vriesea hieroglyphica

Vriesea 'Kitteliana'

Vriesea ospinae

Vriesea pabstii

Vriesea scalaris

Vriesea splendens

Vriesea Splenriet

Vriesea zamorensis

The genus is named after Sir William Watson, a British botanist.

There are 52 species in southern Africa; all are perennial herbs growing from corms and producing erect spikes of showy flowers, and are adapted to a mediterranean-type climate.

The commonest species in cultivation is the pink-flowered W. borbonica and its white mutant 'Arderne's White'. These were crossed with W. meriana and other species in the early 20th century by breeders including John Cronin in Australia and Luther Burbank in California to produce a wide range of cultivars.

Watsonia is tough and easy to grow, with a long flowering period. It does best in full sun in well-drained, well-composted soil and although adapted to a winter rainfall climate, will thrive under summer rainfall conditions provided it is grown in well-drained soil. It can withstand mild winter frost but should be lifted and stored dry during winter in cold climates. After flowering, the leaves and stems can be cut back. Stop watering pot-grown specimens and if necessary, move them to a cool, dry place for the rest of the dormant period. To avoid overcrowding and to get the most flowers, clumps are best lifted and divided every three to five years.

Suitable for any size of garden and ideal for the water-wise winter rainfall garden, Watsonia looks magnificent in mass plantings, planted in clumps in herbaceous borders and grown in large containers. Even when not in flower, its foliage is decorative and after flowering has finished, its purplish stems and seed capsules are also attractive.

Watsonia produces offsets (daughter corms) abundantly, and the easiest method of propagation is by division.

Weigela is a small genus of about 12 species of deciduous shrubs in the family Caprifoliaceae, growing to 1-5 m tall.

Species: Wisteria sinensis, Wisteria floribunda, Wisteria frutescens, Wisteria macrostachya. Vigorous, showy, woody ornamental vines that can climb trees, apparently limited only by the height of the tree, and have been observed to reach 65 feet. Unlike American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens), which flowers June through August, exotic wisterias flower in the springtime (April-May) and produce a velvety seed pod. The fuzzy brown seed pods are 4-6 inches long, narrowed toward the base, with constrictions between the seeds. Stems of the exotic wisterias can grow to 15 inches in diameter in older plants. White-barked Japanese wisteria vines twine clockwise around the host plant and Chinese wisteria twines counter-clockwise. Fragrant, violet to blue-violet flowers, ½ to 1 inch long, occur in showy, pendulous clusters that hang gracefully from the twining stems. Exotic wisterias are long-lived, some vines surviving 50 years or more.

Amarcrinum is a hybrid genus between Amaryllis (Amaryllis belladonna) and Crinum.These plants have tidy leaves and bear large umbels of long lasting, fragrant flowers on tall scapes during late summer and autumn.

The open-trumpet flowers are very beautiful and are usually in shades of rose pink and are nicely scented.