Since we seemed to have missed out on an August thread here, I'll start this one for September. A surprise for me on returning from a trip to Utah - my Billbergia pyramidalis 'Kyoto' are blooming all around the garden again! I looked back and they bloomed generously in mid-July as well, so this is a very fast turn-around for them. I guess they're happy? Or maybe they 'felt' the hurricane going by?

They do look happy Elaine.

They to look happy, my Billbergia pyramidalis have only had one burst out of blooms about two or three weeks ago, only a few are the 'Kyoto' , they're faded and brown now, haven't had a second one yet.

Here is a look at my B. 'Kyoto' growing among my pink Caladiums.

Wow, it looks gorgeous there, Scott. Perfect foil for that extravagant bloom.

I've had some Florida Beauty caladiums coming back randomly for years, and here's one with a 'photo bomb' Kyoto flower beside it, too.


Then these caladiums 'Aaron' pop up in the midst of this clump of 'Kyoto's too. They die out if I make a nice fertile bed for them, but keep returning big and healthy in these odd spots . . . Plants are so damned fickle!

Elaine, I really like the looks of the companion planting of Caladiums and Bromeliads.
My liking is any plant with a colorful leaf. I am just beginning to get into Mangaves as my next obsession. 😱

Same here, and the Caladiums and Broms seem to like each other pretty well, too. I'm spreading my broms around a lot this year, and might have to buy some more Caladium to interplant with them, I think. Other than those random ones popping amongst the broms, my caladium have all petered out except the ones I kept in pots.

Anything with a variegated leaf, y'know? There was a thread going a while back on the Tropicals forum with variegated plants. It was fun.

A friend here always pots up some caladiums this time of year so he will have fresh caladium foliage well into the fall. Spring planted bulbs can get leggy by now. I tried it this year and planted some last week and they are already up and looking good. Big difference from spring bulbs which take forever to emerge in the cooler soil.

I have an interesting caladium/brom combo, it is still dark outside, I'll have to snap a pic when it gets light.

I bought my dad some caladium bulbs on clearance one year about this time, he planted them and they came up right away, lasted until December before fading out. I haven't seen any bulbs for sale in the garden center for months now, and most on line are sold out by this time of year, where did you find bulbs at?
Most of mine are starting to fade out now, some still look good like Red Flash and Tapestry, the Florida Beauty is my favorite, however their pretty coloring is fading now.

I buy from Classic Caladiums and took advantage of their end of season sale. https://classiccaladiums.com/
Not sure what they have left. They are always pricier than the other places but their bulbs are worth it to me.

Caladium Bulbs for less often has some, this is a thread from July. Looks like he is shutting town this Monday, maybe you could contact him and see what he has left. The thread "Regional Flat Rate Boxes Filled with Top Quality Caladium Bulbs" in Classifieds and Group Buys forum

This is a typical Jumbo bulb from Classic.

Everyone is pretty much shut down for the 2021, but I'm good, I still have a garden full, they're slowly fading but they'll be back next Spring.

I've bought mail orders from Classic and Caladiums for less in the past, my Florida Beauty pictured are from Caladium bulbs 4 less, they surprise me year after year still coming up, the squirrels have moved some around, so I never know where they'll pop up. Most years Lukas has bulbs, but didn't this year.

Bate's Caladiums has a booth at the Leu Garden's plant sale every year, you pick out bulbs yourself for $1.00 ea. #1 size bulbs, they look like the one you picture, 3-4 inches wide. They have about 10-12 different varieties each year. You have to go the first day Saturday, early because once they sale out, they leave, it's the first booth I go to each year.

These were some of the new bulbs I bought this year


At least this picture has some bromeliads in it since this is a Bromeliad thread LOL.


Caladium Red Flash and Tapestry, top left is Spring Fling and Frog in Blender


Florida Beauty Caladiums, these are in a pot, this is about the 4th or 5th year they've come up

Here is a look at Billbergia 'Caramba' with a companion planting of Peacock Ginger.

Well they're all in bloom now, second flush of blooms. Billbergia pyramidalis. I notice all around the neighborhood they're busting out.

Sherri, I wonder what the trigger is for them to all flower in unison. The late summer flowering in my area started at the end of August (1st photo). The show was over 7 days later (2ed photo).

They we blooming in this area last weekend, I saw a bed of them at a nearby BBQ place.

Yes, mine all bloomed a couple of weeks ago and are all done now. I always think it's something to do with weather - especially a big low pressure system going by. I think mine popped just after Hurricane Ida went by us. They also bloomed in mid-July after Tropical storm Elsa went right by us here, if memory serves. I was surprised they'd bloom twice in one summer.

It's certainly not temperature related, since it's been just as hot and muggy as it was in August . . . and July.

I'm sure ready for the first bit of cool air to find it's way down to us!
September 1st

My Aunt who lived in Florida until she was 96, always called them, "hurricane flowers", stating they always bloomed when we had a hurricane.

I do wish they'd last longer than a week before fading out, they really do have the most striking detailed inflorescence.

Aechmea 'Xavante' now in flowering stage.

This Neoregelia NOID comes in with a 3' spread.

Nice Scott.

My Aechmea blanchetiana is in full bloom again, I saw a hummingbird sipping from it the other day, not the first time I've seen one sipping form the blooms, they also like the Orlandiana blooms.