What are these beautiful plants?
Stella Miller, by email
Stefan says: Lucky you, because you say you have five of these beautiful plants in flower but don’t know what they are. You don’t say how you obtained them but add that you’ve never seen them in a garden centre. The plant is called Fascicularia bicolor and it’s one of the few hardy members of its family, the bromeliads, so perhaps you’re growing them outdoors.
They’ll thrive in a warm, sunny but sheltered spot but really need protection from frost and winter damp. You won’t be surprised to learn that the pineapple is a member of the same family and it, too, is terrestrial, growing on the ground unlike most bromeliads, which are epiphytes and grow like tropical orchids on the bark of trees. There are many fascinating kinds but most require the protection of a warm greenhouse, although some are popular as houseplants.