In my quest for materials for a vase I spied a sure sign of spring in South Florida. The arrival of these pink flowers signals winter is over. Meet Quesnelia testudo, they are a bit like a pink pinecone. I like the name. I have heard them referred to as the tulips of the tropics.
These bromeliads are native to Brazil and thrive in my garden. They only need a few accents to make a dramatic arrangement.
A closer view:
I placed the flowers in an heirloom crystal vase, added water, swirled them around, avoiding the seedy parts and then added the accents. In white, a few sprigs of White Flame Salvia followed by a few more sprigs of Boston Fern. Voila! Quest complete.
To see more vase quests follow this link to Cathy’s blog – RamblingintheGarden
The Shrub Queen 
It looks like pink ginger but sounds like something from a taqueria.
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It does. Queselia with Queso?
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Quesadilla tasty!
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I’m curious, do you grow these in full shade or do they get some sun?
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Hi Tracy, these get about 6 hours sun western exposure. I was just reading about them and it said they will take full sun. I have never had good luck with Broms in full sun.
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Nice, it has flair! I must try to find some ‘White Flame’ salvia this spring at the nursery, I love the look of it.
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Thanks, Eliza. You need to try the Salvia, it is almost silver.
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“Tulips of the Tropics”–what a great name! I don’t think I’ve seen pink ones before, but I have seen red Quesnelias during travels and on blogger posts. They look great with the Salvia and the ferns!
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Thanks, Beth. I haven’t seen any red ones!
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That is one interesting flower! I’ve referred some of my Leucadendron flowers as “tulips” too – those of us who envy those flowers but can’t grow them seem inclined to find substitutes 😉
https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/
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I wish I could grow the Leucodendrons here. And Proteas..I think the air is too thick in summer here.
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Do they have quite fleshy stems, Amelia? It almost looked as if you had wrapped something around them. They are such a lovely shade of pink and are clearly a real asset to a spring vase in your neck of the woods. How long will they flower for?
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Yes, they are easily a half inch wide and covered in what I am guessing is sepals. They have been flowering for about three weeks, there are seeds in the flowers so I suppose they are finished. Bromeliads are odd things.
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Wow! Your pink flowers are amazing. I thought they were Leucadendron at first. The white salvia looks great alongside.
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Thank you. I think it’s too humid for that here. You may need to try that Salvia, it has been great in the heat.
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I do like that salvia.
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Love your ‘tulips’! They look like they should be edible. 😉 Really striking and another fabulous plant I had never heard of before! Happy Spring!
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They are really pretty and remind me of gingers.
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Fascinating pink pinecones! I too wondered if you had wrapped the stems. Quesnelia testudo – I must say it three times and try to remember. These warm climate plants are so out of my comfort zone and beautiful to see. Will it grow well as a house plant in the frozen north do you think? I can cope with the other two!!!
https://zonethreegardenlife.blog/2025/03/23/in-a-vase-monday-march-24-2025/
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I don’t think you would want the bromeliad in the house. The foliage is worse than pineapples.
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