In The Pink

A couple of days ago, as I was looking over my tender plants that are overwintering indoors on my coffee table, I spied a little flash of pink. What's this? The Billbergia nutans aka Queen's Tears that I bought late in the summer is producing a flower! I admit, it doesn't look like much yet, but just wait. Check out this link from San Marcos Growers to see what that slender flower bud will eventually look like.

I can't remember the last time I visited a nursery. My semi-weekly lunch at the Windmill Gardens Bistro doesn't count if I don't actually go into the nursery. So I had a hard time resisting a flowering Bromeliad a few days ago when Nigel and I made a quick visit to our local Lowe's. It was sitting right near the door on a table, and only $14.98. Who can resist? Making puppy eyes at Nigel, I snatched it up and hugged it close.

I don't know enough about Bromeliads to be positive about its name. But the label says "Bromelaid Fasciata" and a quick Google search leads me to think it is Aechmea fasciata. I've read that many Bromeliads are monocarpic, meaning they die after flowering, but then produce offsets. So maybe there will be more of these in my future. Wouldn't that be cool?