You have a Tillandsia cyanea, a favorite species of bromiliad. Knowing the specific kind you have is essential to being able to care for it properly. Bromiliads comprise a very large family, and like all families, the members have some broad similarities as well as significant differences. Think about it...when you look at your own siblings or your offspring, do you wonder what planet they call come from? Unlike other bromiliads, I'll recommend that you investigate methods to secure your "Pink Quill" (common name) in that pot. Growing in a potting medium does not come naturally to Tillandsias and this one is no exception. It would have been fine and happy if planted in something like an orchid mix. Epiphitic bromiliads such as tillandias are often called 'air plants'. That is because they live up in the trees or cliffs and collect moisture and necessary nutrients in specialized hair-like cells called trichomes. Trichomes, for epiphytes, can be located all along the leaves but especially towards the middle. The foliage is adapted to steer any rain or even condensed mist towards the center. Get a plant mister and some distilled water. You will simply need to keep the mister filled with water and spray your plant thoroughly every couple of days. Watering and feeding at the roots is far less important than the frequent foliage misting. Yes, the plant will need fertilization which is also accomplished by misting. Never use fish oil or other such fertilizers on your plant, but a simple, water soluble product that yo can mix at a very low rate. By the way, most bromiliads are purchased for the colorful bracts surrounding what are usually insignificant blooms. The spike you are disappointed in IS what this bromiliad is all about. You could look a pictures of a hundred flowering bromiliads and the story is exactly the same: the colorful, exotic part we are all attracted to are modified leaves surrounding the flower....they are called bracts. Many different plants have very colorful bracts that disguise the puniness of their floral display. Poinsettias and Dogwoods are two that pop into my mind immediately. It is unlikely that you will ever see more than one or two of those bright little florets emerge from the bracts. I'll link you to the google images page so that you can see a few gazillion examples just like yours. Enjoy your bromiliad while it is blooming. Who knows how long this period might last, since your plant was artificially forced to bloom. It might be several months! Towards the end of the bloom period, you may begin to see small divisions at the base of your plant. Allow these to grow a bit before carefully excising them carefully from the mother plant. The collecting of bromiliads is a HUGE pasttime. Part of that reason is that the family is so diverse. We have to research the requirments of each new plant we bring into the collection, as the care requirements are likely to be unique from others. But they aren't for everybody, that's for sure. Here is a link that might be useful: Other 'Pink Quill' bromiliads just like yours!

Thanks all! Jane, I know it would never bother you if we copied one of your ideas. You're not that kind of person. I do always try and mention it, though, where I got my inspiration . . . if I remember where I got it from (LOL)! I'm always a bit paranoid about my poor memory. When I was 6 months pregnant with Emily, I became pre-eclamptic and had to go on complete bed-rest. I got progressively worse and at 7 months, went dangerously eclamptic. My kidneys failed, and I quickly gained a huge amount of water weight from it. My feet and legs swelled until I couldn't walk, I had fluid in the pericardial sac around my heart and in my lungs. the worst was that my brain swelled the the increased pressure on my optic nerves caused me to go (temporarily) blind. This is what caused my subsequent memory problems. They of course, did an emergency C-section and everything eventually went back to normal, including my eyesight. But, I sadly lost a lot of memories and even today, my memory is still not back to normal . . . although at my age, I can now blame it on that instead ;^D I do get worried that I might come across as rude for not mentioning or remembering things. But, I'm extremely blessed that both DD and I are both doing great, so who can complain :~)

Oh, what a precious box that the GKs made! Your roses are also so beautiful--my hubby is not a flower person at all. Your mantle, tree and chandy are all so festive looking. I think you table looks inviting. I wish I had some red glasses or stemware. I have been adding to my dishes in the past couple of months. I got the table bug here and have been on the hunt. I have a large set of everyday dishes in an offwhite with a dark blue ring around the lip area. (don't know if that is what it is called) I read a lot here about mixing and matching plates instead of sets. So, I have been haunting the area thrift stores, GW and SA and even a few estate sales. I picked up some assorted plates in neutral colors at these places. I am picky and have spent a lot of time looking for what I wanted. I am buying 4 of each thing that I find and like. I have found some solid white dinner plates, black octagon plates that I got the dinner and salad ones, packaged together for not much $$, white with black swirls salad plates, some animal print looking salad plates, a few blue cobalt glass, clear glass salad plates, green dinner plates, some green salad plates that will blend with them, 4 gold DPs, and my favorite is 4 ivory plates with a pink edge and pink roses and the matching soup bowls. I found 5 pink salad plates that will work with them at TJ Maxx over the weekend. I also have picked up some snowman dishes and Christmas ones in the after Christmas deep discount sales. I haven't paid much for any of these and now have quite an assortment. I also picked up 4 new terracotta colored salad plates and 4 new white square salad plates at Target recently for $2 a set. They were regularly around $15 a set. Now, I have to concentrate on glasses.

You and hubby are such good dancers!......and ravencajun, that's too cute. Wish DH knew how to use the computer, I would have sent him on from Georgy. Happy Valentine's Day. Dottie