The cold outside finally went away from here, it left us with a stormy, humid 84 degree Sunday. The warmth and rain are a welcome relief from an unusual spate of cold, dry weather – the humidity a reminder of why summer should be spent elsewhere.
I noted my Hallelujah Billbergia Bromeliad was flowering on Saturday and cut it for today’s vase. There are very few plants I am aware of with red, white, blue and yellow flowers and purple and green spotted foliage. Even the stem of the flower is different – red all the way through. In my opinion, these flowers rock and I included a crystal as a prop. I think it is a hematite with white quartz crystals, but can’t quite remember.
The Hallelujah Bromeliad:
The rock:
A closer view:
The vase is an old pasta container that lost its cork lid. I added the raffia to pick up the off white colors in the arrangement. Purple foliage is from Purple Queen (Transcandentia pallida), a volunteer in my garden. The ferny plants are another volunteer, Asparagus Fern. The striped leaf in back is from another Bromeliad I bought at the local Botanical Garden – labeled as “some sort of Neoregelia.” This Neoregelia turned out to be bigger than I thought, about two feet across – amazingly, I planted it in a good spot.
Happy Monday and Happy Gardening, I hope everyone finds something that rocks in their garden.
Thanks to Cathy at http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for hosting IAVOM. Visit her blog to see more Monday vases from gardens around the world.
The Shrub Queen 
Those are such cool flowers with interesting color combos. Great win last night.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks…they just identified the streaker…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely colours. That purple is great!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Cathy..it is a mad flower.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gorgeous Amy. I have a bromeliad like that but no blooms yet. I never thought of cutting them for an arrangement but I love the effect. Love that rock.
LikeLike
Thanks, Liz. I cut these because they are so interesting and I would have to lie down in the garden to see them…I have a number of plants but they flower one at the time, no idea why. Bromeliads are still a mystery to me. A bit like yeast bread.
LikeLike
Great title, Amy, and I was pleased that your post did actually include a ‘rock’ – I am afraid I went on to stuf=dy that rather than your arrangement, sorry! I can’t really tell from the picture but I am wondering if it is actually smoky quartz? Now, back to your blooms – the purple in them really stand out, and the overall colour really does just rock! It’s so vibrant – love it (and the crystal too!)!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Cathy..I thought the darker crystals might be smoky quartz but they are not translucent, it may be tourmaline..my father worked with granite, there was a lot of quartz, feldspar and tourmaline around the house. Isn’t hematite magnetic? need a magnet to check?
LikeLike
Haematite can be slightly magnetic, but not always. The structure of your rock looked more like a type of quartz than tourmaline, and smoky quartz can be opaque rather than translucent – not easy to tell from over here!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a very dark crystal, whatever it is. Has smaller topaz colored crystals on it as well, no clue!
LikeLike
Curiouser and curiouser!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think a bit of your dad’s love of rocks has fallen to you as well. That’s a beauty, for sure. The rock rocks and so does your arrangement! đŸ™‚
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep, I love rocks…rockin in South Florida…
LikeLiked by 1 person
As you say – what a mad flower! Lovely to enjoy it on my screen if not in real life. Interesting that Chloris says above she has planted a bromeliad in chilly England.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some of the Six on Saturday bloggers have them in Europe..I kill houseplants!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is such a dramatic arrangement, and I feel the raffia really adds a softening accent.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Noelle. It is a bit dramatic.
LikeLike
Wow, that billbergia is pretty sharp. I miss my old queen’s tears, but the colors were not so classy anyway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the Queens Tears
LikeLiked by 1 person
Queen’s tears are rad too, but the colors are a bit 1985.
LikeLiked by 1 person