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Beautiful Bromeliads

international bromeliad conference 2012

tropical bromeliads guzmania wendy

bromeliad vriesea hybrid

chantinii bromeliad dark zebrina

bromeliad vriesea sanguinea

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bromeliad alcantera vinifera shiigi

Recent Posts

Velvet Leaf Anthuriums in the Garden
Anthurium ‘Angela’
“60” & “80” – An easy tip for houseplants!
DocBlock’s Crystal Red
From ‘Michelle’ thru ‘Minerva’…
SPRING IS HERE!

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The DocBlock hot red pepper in this pic was create

The DocBlock hot red pepper in this pic was created in the mid-1990s. It derived from Jamaican Scotch Bonnet flowers pollinated by a Brazilian Starfish pepper’s pollen. Michelle loves cooking with this very special fruit’s “heat”!
#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants
#aroids

Thanks to my grandmother, Minerva; my passion for

Thanks to my grandmother, Minerva; my passion for plants began half a century ago.
That’s why I’ve named a special anthurium hybrid in her memory.
What started in my twenties simply as a collector’s new hobby, soon developed into a lifelong journey.
What is one lesson that plants have taught you about life?... Share a comment about your plant journey with us!
#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants
#aroids

During last month’s visit to London for the Royal

During last month’s visit to London for the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show, I was fortunate to visit Kew’s world-famous herbarium. Its archival collection currently totals 6.5 million dried & pressed preserved botanical specimens that have been systematically identified and catalogued for hundreds of years. Their oldest Victorian era building’s library accessibility reflects a British scientific dedication to understand plants.

Two of the species I’ve enjoyed hybridizing are Anthurium magnificum and Anthurium crystallinum. At the herbarium, I was able to confirm the documented basis of these two unique species’ phenotypes. Much of my breeding’s hypotheses and subsequent observations are predicated by a horticultural knowledge of these distinct species’ descriptions.

As the supporting science evolves, a responsible breeder’s due diligence starts with basic science academic knowledge of taxonomy, and a working knowledge of the applied genetics. The successful breeding of new hybrids depends on methodical documentation of consistently detailed supporting data. Although botanical prints, photographs, and genomic analyses have advanced documentation, there’s something wonderfully wholesome when one holds an original rare wild-collected accession plant that dates from the mid-19th century!

Music: The Paper Chase - Be Irrational (John Williams - 1973)

#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants #aroids docblockanthuriums aroidaddicts anthuriummagnificum anthuriumcrystallinum anthuriumsbydocblock docblockmichelle velvetleafanthurium
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See Anthurium Affairs on YouTube for the full 6-mi

See Anthurium Affairs on YouTube for the full 6-minute version at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1tCn1nqcTQ

#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants #aroids docblockanthuriums aroidaddicts anthuriummagnificum anthuriumcrystallinum anthuriumsbydocblock docblockmichelle velvetleafanthurium
Anthurium AnthuriumPlant AnthuriumCollection anthuriumcaretips

See Anthurium Affairs on YouTube for the full 6-mi

See Anthurium Affairs on YouTube for the full 6-minute version at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1tCn1nqcTQ

#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants #aroids docblockanthuriums aroidaddicts anthuriummagnificum anthuriumcrystallinum anthuriumsbydocblock docblockmichelle velvetleafanthurium
Anthurium AnthuriumPlant AnthuriumCollection anthuriumcaretips

See Anthurium Affairs on YouTube for the full 6-mi

See Anthurium Affairs on YouTube for the full 6-minute version at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1tCn1nqcTQ

#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants #aroids docblockanthuriums aroidaddicts anthuriummagnificum anthuriumcrystallinum anthuriumsbydocblock docblockmichelle velvetleafanthurium
Anthurium AnthuriumPlant AnthuriumCollection anthuriumcaretips

Anthurium ‘Michelle®’ is a velvet leaf foliage ant

Anthurium ‘Michelle®’ is a velvet leaf foliage anthurium that has been gaining international attention as a popular new houseplant. It is easy to grow in indoor temperature and humidity conditions where people are comfortable.

The 2026 Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show @the_rhs is a prestigious annual gathering that has traditionally recognized the world’s finest horticultural breeding.
We’re proud to announce that Dr. Jeff Block’s Anthurium ‘Michelle®’ will be recognized at this important international event. "DocBlock’s" hybrid is named in honor of his wife, and is featured among fifteen other finalists next week's show.

When grown in preferably humid conditions and under bright filtered light, this DocBlock hybrid expresses an extraordinarily dark emergent leaf with purple veins that evolves into burgundy-black hues with contrasting silver veins.
Emerging round leaves were bred to feature deep burgundy colors emerging from the petioles and spadices of similar color.

Anthurium ‘Michelle®’ was cultivated with emphasis on durable leaves of dark green, and purple-red hues that shimmer across the leaf’s velvet sheened surface. It has highly contrasting white and pink-tinged branching vein patterns that can resemble lightning!
The new emergent leaves are initially purple, and as the leaf grows they change to lavender colors with lighter contrasting vein colors. The dynamic leaf color continues to evolve into nearly black hues before ultimately maturing into dark green with contrasting silver veins.

The distinctive reverse leaf side of the leaf was additionally bred for its “negative” image compared to the front side.
Dr. Block was fascinated by this “negative image” verso leaf surface when he observed that the red-purple petioles appear to “bleed” onto this verso leaf side’s lighter white surface… intriguing his physician’s understanding of the human blood circulation’s architecture.

#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants #aroids docblockanthuriums aroidaddicts anthuriummagnificum anthuriumcrystallinum anthuriumsbydocblock docblockmichelle velvetleafanthurium
Anthurium AnthuriumPlant AnthuriumCollection anthuriumcaretips

Red is an exceptionally popular color in China bec

Red is an exceptionally popular color in China because it symbolizes good fortune, joy, prosperity, and vitality... and the DocBlock team will once again visit China in April!

The range of colors DocBlock breeds into his Anthurium hybrids are not limited to only what one can see on the front side of leaves! This post features glimpses of the reverse side of his next-generation plants derived from beautifully red-hued parent plants developed through DocBlock’s “Nurturing Nature” breeding program. In addition to DocBlock’s red “candle flowers”, this hybrid’s petiole color "bleeds" red onto the veins of each new leaf’s pink verso (back) side!

Anthurium ‘Home, Sweet Home’ is very special next-generation hybrid named in honor of a dear friend. For nearly a decade, DocBlock has collegially collaborated with Thailand’s Sappasiri Chaonovich... better known as “Home” by his many friends.
Home is beloved throughout Asia’s plant world 🌱🌎. He brings a vast knowledge of rare and beautiful plants internationally through an extraordinary personal collection, artistic eyes, and numerous friends engaged at wonderful, rare plant shows he continues to produce throughout Asia. 🌏

🎵 Music: Home Sweet Home - Flat River Band (2024)

#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants #aroids #docblockanthuriums #aroidaddicts #anthuriummagnificum #anthuriumcrystallinum #anthuriumsbydocblock #docblockmichelle #velvetleafanthurium #Anthurium #AnthuriumHomeSweetHome #AnthuriumCollection #anthuriumcaretips

Japan's Kunzo and Florida's DocBlock... together f

Japan's Kunzo and Florida's DocBlock... together for the very first time!
East meets west at the ultimate "Dream Garden" in Osaka, Japan! (April 10-12, 2026)
#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants #aroids docblockanthuriums aroidaddicts anthuriummagnificum anthuriumcrystallinum anthuriumsbydocblock docblockmichelle velvetleafanthurium Anthurium AnthuriumHomeSweetHome AnthuriumCollection anthuriumcaretips

A range of unique anthuriums have derived from ‘Da

A range of unique anthuriums have derived from ‘Dark & Handsome’ (‘9’) as the seed parent when pollinated using ‘Red Velvet Cake’ (‘24’) genetics. The resulting F1 selections’ new emergent leaves clearly feature excellent red colors.

I’ve always admired the Anthurium warocqueanum leaf’s pleasing elongated length and width... Notably, a few select cultivars from this hybrid developed mature leaves that are particularly long, narrow, and nearly black! This DocBlock hybrid has similar proportions and is easy to grow!

This year, I’ll continue to work with these same two parent plants, but I’ll reverse the parents and see what happens... Stay-tuned!

Music: Black Magic Woman (Santana)
#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants #aroids docblockanthuriums aroidaddicts anthuriummagnificum anthuriumcrystallinum anthuriumsbydocblock docblockmichelle velvetleafanthurium Anthurium AnthuriumHomeSweetHome AnthuriumCollection anthuriumcaretips

“Wonderful” World News from DocBlock! Introducing

“Wonderful” World News from DocBlock!

Introducing Anthurium ‘Wonderful’… a third-generation cross between Anthurium regale (seed-parent) and Anthurium ‘Michelle’ (pollen-parent). When compared to regale’s large leaf size, this magnificently veined distinctive leaf is somewhat smaller, with new emergent leaves boasting rich chocolate-brown colors. Their similar colored U-shaped petioles contrast dramatically against pure white flowers!

As an additional bonus... for many years, DocBlock has grown this hybrid alongside Anthurium regale, and he has discovered it to be considerably more cold-tolerant. This has recently been reconfirmed after two extreme winter temperature challenges in Miami... first back in January 2010 and again in 2026.

The pollen used on Anthurium regale comes from Anthurium ‘Michelle’, a NOID division accession from neighbor Tim Anderson’s garden center originally named: Daisy Farms... only later did Tim rename it as: Palm Orchid Hammock Estate. Ultimately, he designated DocBlock’s NOID ancestral plant as Anthurium ‘Wonder Boy’. Nearly 40 years later, DocBlock’s attribution name of Anthurium ‘Wonderful’ is a neighborly nod back to this fellow-plantsman’s lasting memory.

#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants #aroids #docblockanthuriums #aroidaddicts #anthuriummagnificum #anthuriumcrystallinum #anthuriumsbydocblock #docblockmichelle #velvetleafanthurium #Anthurium #AnthuriumHomeSweetHome #AnthuriumCollection #anthuriumcaretips

Music: This well-known song’s third verse shares the joy of not only nurturing people, but also plants!

“I hear babies cry, and I watched them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world!”

-Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World (1967)

Anthuriums by DocBlock has selected a very special

Anthuriums by DocBlock has selected a very special next-generation Anthurium hybrid we’ve recently named in honor of a dear friend. We’re proud to announce that hybrid ’32’ has now officially been designated as Anthurium ‘Home, Sweet Home’! 🏠
For nearly a decade, DocBlock has collegially collaborated with Thailand’s Sappasiri Chaonovich... better known as “Hom” by his many friends. He is quite beloved throughout Asia’s plant world 🌱🌎. Hom brings his vast knowledge of rare and beautiful plants internationally through an extraordinary personal collection, artistic eyes, and numerous friends engaged at wonderful, rare plant shows he continues to produce throughout Asia. 🌏
The range of colors DocBlock breeds into his Anthurium hybrids are not limited to only what one can see on the front side of leaves! This post features glimpses of the reverse side of his next-generation plants derived from beautifully red-hued F6 parent plants developed through DocBlock’s “Nurturing Nature” breeding program. In addition to the obviously red “candle flowers”, this hybrid’s petiole color "bleeds" red onto each new leaf’s pale pink verso (back) side. From DocBlock’s physician-botanist perspective, that eye-catching contrast of bright red on top of pink... suggests the circulation of life-sustaining blood! 🩸 😍 Enjoy watching this beautiful specimen-sized DocBlock breeding plant gracefully rotate to display what otherwise would have been overlooked in most other online posts!
🎵 Music: Home Sweet Home - Flat River Band (2024)
#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants #aroids #docblockanthuriums #aroidaddicts #anthuriummagnificum #anthuriumcrystallinum #anthuriumsbydocblock #docblockmichelle #velvetleafanthurium #Anthurium #AnthuriumHomeSweetHome #AnthuriumCollection #anthuriumcaretips

This video showcases DocBlock’s tropical ornamenta

This video showcases DocBlock’s tropical ornamental plants from around the World. His carefully curated selections have acclimated to South Florida’s climate and soils and now harmonize in a naturally balanced botanical garden… It includes:

1. Acalypha hispida comes from South America and is known as the Chenille plant. If given a moderate amount of morning sun, it flowers abundantly throughout the year with bright-red fuzzy “cattails”!

2. Xiphidium caeruleum is a groundcover plant indigenous to the Caribbean and is also known as the Dovetail plant. It is sensitive to cold... its leaves turning black before new green appears with the Spring’s warmth. The flower bracts vaguely resemble the flowers of an iris. Hence, the name Puerto Rican Iris is also used.

3. Epipremnum pinnatum is also called the Dragon Tail plant. It is a species of a fast-growing, climbing tropical vine in the Araceae family. This special climbing aroid has leaflets that gracefully hang down in a similar fashion to its neighboring Dovetail plant and Lady palm leaves. Epipremnum is native to a wide area from India to Southeast Asia and Australia.

4. Rhapsis excelsa is a clustering palm that is native to Southern China and Vietnam. It’s commonly referred to a Lady palm and has acclimated to other tropical regions throughout the world. These sturdy plants can be grown into prized potted indoor specimens; and if cultivated outdoors and given enough humidity, it can also tolerate full sun.

5. Gigantochloa atroviolacea is a much sought after black bamboo native to Java, Indonesia. It prefers relatively dry, limestone soils... making DocBlock’s South Florida oak hammock soils the ideal home for this tropical beauty!
Unlike many other bamboo species, it’s underground growth will not “run” away very far from where it is planted. This eye-catching shiny black bamboo is a “clumping” form, making it easy to control in the landscape.

#DocBlock #anthuriumsbydocblock #chenille #chenilleplant #blackbamboo

Vireyas are epiphytic tropical rhododendrons that

Vireyas are epiphytic tropical rhododendrons that evolved in Southeast Asia. They flourish in somewhat cooler conditions than typically found in Miami and boast densely saturated colors. Vireya species can be coaxed to flower in South Florida’s coolest winter months. Dr. Block has enjoyed decades of success sustaining this particularly beautiful orange form.

#docblock #docblockanthuriums #vireya #vireyarhododendron #miami

It is January 29, 2026, and South Florida is forec

It is January 29, 2026, and South Florida is forecast to have a very cold upcoming week... Before it arrives, earlier today I filmed my greenhouse and conservatory plants growing at my home in Miami, Florida.
Even in the subtropics, we occasionally have significant cold weather events where non-native tropical plants are particularly impacted. Nevertheless, with a little strategic planning, the potential damage can be managed... even when temperatures approach freezing!
On these coldest nights of the year, I'm very concerned with my plants' health, so I prepare them in much the same way I put my own children to bed at night... I would never want have them go to sleep hungry or wet!
Think of your precious plants in much the same way... A well-fed and well-hydrated plant (without wet leaves) will endure the cold air and wind better than a plant thats poorly nourished or dehydrated.

The fine point: Leaf surfaces should be dry to minimize the effect of "wind chill" that can cause the leaf's temperature to be even colder than the surrounding air temperature! This is the "feels like" chilling effect you hear about in TV weather forecasts.
Hopefully we won't lose many plants, but I do expect to see cold damage that will certainly need several months to recover.

#anthuriumaffairs #houseplants #anthurium #tropicalplants #aroids #docblockanthuriums #aroidaddicts #anthuriummagnificum #anthuriumcrystallinum #anthuriumsbydocblock #docblockmichelle #velvetleafanthurium
#Anthurium #AnthuriumPlant #AnthuriumCollection #anthuriumcaretips

Fishtail palms are from a Genus called Caryota. T

Fishtail palms are from a Genus called Caryota. They include Caryota rumphiana (one of DocBlock’s favorites.) A common name is also Albert palm. It is native to Philippines, Sulawesi, Maluku, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Bismarck Archipelago.
When optimally cultivated from seed in South Florida, this fast-growing single-trunk ornamental fishtail palm will flower at only 8-10 years old and typically produce thousands of viable seeds. Fishtails produce flower bracts starting at the top of the palm and continue down to the bottom of the trunk over its final two years of life. Its abundance of fruits resemble jewelry that wrap handsomely around the trunk.

We’ll follow Block Botanical Gardens’ remarkable specimen’s progress later this year!

#fishtailpalm #caryota #anthuriumsbydocblock #docblock #anthurium

2026 TPIE! (Tropical Plant International Expositio

2026 TPIE! (Tropical Plant International Exposition)… We’re already looking forward to next year!
#tpie #docblockanthuriums #anthuriumsbydocblock #provenwinners #leafjoy

I’ve been blessed to live in Miami. Other than in

I’ve been blessed to live in Miami. Other than in Hawaii, Southeast Florida is a unique habitat where flowering plants “flourish”! In fact, even the earliest Spanish maps designated the entire southeast region of North America as “La Florida” and even “Terra Florida”, meaning “Land of Flowers”.

#docblock #docblockanthurium #airoids #miami #anthurium

Miami has warmed up nicely this past week! Where

Miami has warmed up nicely this past week!
Where in the world do you grow your tropical plants?... Knowing a little more about why tropical plants evolved where they did will impact your horticultural success.
Follow us in 2026 as we study ecosystems ranging from a small mylar tent with “all the bells and whistles” to a professional commercial growing system!

#anthuriumaffairs #anthurium #tropicalplants #docblockanthuriums #anthuriumsbydocblock

Something is brewing in the witch’s cauldron… ‘Bla

Something is brewing in the witch’s cauldron… ‘Black Widow’ has begun to weave its web as shadows simmer and its velvet leaves awaken🕷️🌱 A living spell stitched from genetics and intention.

DocBlock’s latest experiments fuse beauty and danger to classic anthurium and all her hybrid monsters! 🧪 Be on the lookout for the Anthurium ‘Black Widow’ and her rare siblings, they’ll be here sooner than you think🔮

Music:
Abracadabra (2025)
By Lady Gaga

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