Daily Archives: December 8, 2019


Wreath of the Day – Easier with Easels

This year we were especially fortunate to receive an additional supply of easels for our designers to use. Former member Sandra Ray brought in her own easel, made by her husband, sometime in the early 1990’s, and we were all envious. Used to working flat on tables, we discovered we could better envision our designs and achieve a more accurate balance and placement if we worked upright. Not only that, we saved wear and tear on our backs! Another intrepid member husband, John Christians, constructed our first set of easels in his back yard. Last year we realized we were running short on easels, and member Patti Quinn approached her very talented son, Zachary Hardoon, of Cannon Hill Woodworking, to put together more for our use, which he did, donating his time and skill to the project. We all realized this was a bit like asking John Singleton Copley to paint a sign, or Frederick Law Olmsted to weed a garden, but we are basically shameless. Thank you, Cannon Hill, for making this year so efficient, and we urge you all to visit the website link above, and follow them on Instagram #cannonhillwoodworking. Beneath the wide shot of part of our workshop, showcasing some of the empty easels, is a trio of wreaths hanging on them, demonstrating how critical they are to the success of our designs.


Tuesday, June 9 – Saturday, June 13 – World Bromeliad Conference 2020

The World Bromeliad Conference 2020 will be held in Sarasota, Florida, USA from Tuesday, June 9, 2020 through Saturday, June 13, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. We will celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Bromeliad Society International! Events will include tours of two of the world’s leading Bromeliad nurseries (Michael’s Bromeliads and Tropiflora), a visit to the renowned Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (with free admission for conference registrants), a number of notable speakers, an opening conference reception and welcome address, a banquet with a rare plant sale and auction, a plant sale with numerous sellers, a fantastic judged plant show, and more. Reserve now ($295 if postmarked by December 31, 2019) at https://www.bsi.org/new/world-bromeliad-conference-registration/

The BSI has arranged for a special $149 room rate at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota (with no resort fees, normally $24+ daily) with free parking for hotel guests and conference visitors. All the rooms at the Hyatt provide water views and the hotel has a central downtown location with easy access to gardens, restaurants, museums, shopping, cultural activities, and world-renowned beaches. In order to catch all the planned events for WBC 2020, you would check into the hotel on Tuesday night, June 9th and stay through Saturday night, June 13th (checking out on Sunday). Of course, with all there is do in Sarasota and other nearby areas in Florida, you may want to extend your stay. We recommend reserving your hotel room as soon as possible since a limited number of rooms at the special rate are available.

Photo courtesy of Michael’s Bromeliads