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!

Hey Purple - I've had stapelia, and yes they do smell like rotting meat, but only if you stick your nose into them. I had one by my front door for several years, and while the flowers were huge and spectacular, the smell was no problem. Don't know what they'd be like indoors, though. They'd need an awful lot of light to flower inside. As for ag flowers, professional plant techs ARE taught to remove the flowers, because the purpose of the plant is to make large, decorative foliage, and we do know that blooming takes a certain amount of energy from the plant. Besides, unlike spath flowers, ag flowers are not usually very attractive. But often, when a plant is on or near someone's desk, I always thought it best to leave the flowers because people would get such a kick from them. And if they actually produced berries, which happens occasionally, you would have thought the person had won the lottery.

OA...Thanks...and I'm glad you are feeling the 'Love' from this tablesetting!! I'm working on a 'real' Valentine table to post...but just had to do this one first with these B&Ws (my first love)..lol luckygal.. thank you...I'd love to see some of your B&W. I always enjoy seeing someone else's collection. I purchased the Paper Whites...at Bombay, before they closed. Actually I bought three different arrangements. Of course, when in a 'fit' of getting rid of stuff...I got rid of two of them. Will I learn?? kathleen...'Super Shopper'...coming from you - Thank You! I agree on the flowers, I usually store them away after the spring...and bring them out right about now, when I need that - as you said - 'Hope for Spring'! It's great therapy. Hope you get your PC up and running properly again. I always look forward to your blog posts. jane

Thank you everyone! Before finding this place, I never really decorated for any holiday except Christmas. Ya'll have inspired me! Now if I could just find some more hiding places for the new stuff that somehow finds it's way home with me. My husband says that UPS and Fed Ex have their GPS coordinates set by the location of my house. LOL! Jane, I've discovered the trick for the candy. I just tell my family that they can eat all of it that they want and they don't touch it! But if I tell them "hands off" until after the holiday, they're constantly sneaking behind my back taking candy. Luvs, have you looked on ebay for a matching sugar and creamer for your teapot? Robins, I'm hoping to one day get rid of the hoosier. I live in an older home and that side of the kitchen has no cabinets. The house originally belonged to my husband's grandmother and she had her dining table sitting where I have the island. On the wall where I have the hoosier is where she had her china cabinet so that's why no cabinets. I've been not so subtly hinting to my husband that it's way past time to remodel the kitchen and put cabinets all around the room. I think he's ignoring me.