code: 520
This lovely frost-hardy plant from the Andes
Family: Bromeliaceae
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 30 cm
Maximum Height: 1.0 meter
This lovely frost-hardy plant from the Andes produces a clump of gray-green, spike-edged leaves and finally shoots up a tall inflorescence containing numerous flowers which are a stunning metallic blue-green colour. Unearthly, metallic-looking, deep turquoise blooms 2″ across are highlighted with bright orange anthers, looking like nothing else in the plant world. Happy hummingbirds will sip the copious sweet nectar and perch on the sterile stems that jut out between flowers. The low growing, ever-silvery-green mound of slender, sharply hooked leaves keep the deer way.
Sowing advice:
Seeds can be sown at any time but are best sown in winter or early spring to benefit from a cold spell in the wet compost to break their dormancy. We advise covering seeds very thinly with sand or fine grit to about the depth of the seed size. If the seeds do not come up within 6 to 12 weeks the damp seed tray can be given cold treatment in a fridge for about four weeks. They may still take very many months to appear, so please never discard the pot or tray.
