Bromeliad flowers are some serious eye candy in the garden. Sometimes the flowers are seriously weird. This one is Portea “Candy”. They started flowering in November and should be around for another month or so. I suppose they are named for the licorice candy that looks like pills. They qualify for somewhat weird! Fat pink stems with purple flowers that produce white seedpods, I could not have dreamed that combination up!
The rest of the vase:
The big purple flower is the “Candy” Portea. Green foliage is from Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa). I have always thought of these as persnickety house plants. Not so much in this environment they are nearly indestructible if sited properly and watered occasionally. Purple leaves are from Aechmea “Burgundy” Bromeliad and the purple leafy foliage is Purple Queen (Transcandentia pallida). I was amused to learn the French call this misery. Blue flowers are Plumbago (Plumago auriculata)
We are coming out of a cold snap here. I broke out a sweatshirt but have yet to give up sandals for shoes. It was 53 F/ 12 C. Gasp! Tomato plants are still coming along and my Arugula and Spinach are very happy as are the cool season herbs.
Thanks to Cathy for hosting. Follow this link to her blog for more vases. RamblingintheGarden
The Shrub Queen 
12 C feels absolutely balmy compared to what we are having in the UK, You’ve chosen well again this week with the blue of the blumpago making the pink of the Bromeliad shine. Happy New Year.
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Thanks, Noelle. I would be frozen solid there!
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Do you mean ‘Good & Plenty’? That is what it looks like to me, but without the white. ‘Misery’? That is weird.
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Exactly! I was never a fan of licorice. Misery because you can never get rid of it. Which is true, but I kind of like the purple.
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Oh, that makes sense, although I would not have considered that since it is not invasive here.
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Does your Plumbago bloom all year? Yeah, I remember those days when 53f was f r e e z i n g. Now, 53f is viewed very differently. It’s heading to the 50s briefly this weekend. If it is sunny, I may sit outside and dream of my new garden.
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The Plumbago blooms the most in summer but sporadically throughout the year. I think it is good to think about it for a long time and watch the sun move through the space.
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Haha, yes, as Noelle says, 12 degrees would feel balmy compared to us today, when temperatures didn’t get above zero! I am sure I recall those liquorice sweets being called ‘torpedos’ here, liquorice torpedos I suppose? What an amazing flower that purple portea is and, as always, you have added the perfect companions
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Thank you, Cathy. Licorice Torpedoes sounds about right.
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The pink bromeliad flowers are choice, Amelia! People often comment that my plants look “exotic” but I think you rule the roost on that score. Happy new year!
https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/
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I think they are mad tropical flowers!
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(My comment just vanished, so here it is again!)
Oh, sandals at 12°C is very brave Amelia! Do you have warm socks? 😉 The candy flower is really pretty, especially with Purple Queen and the other foliage. And it is always lovely to see a splash of blue from your garden. 😁
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Hi Cathy, yes I wear socks! It’s usually not that cold for very long. Thanks, I like blue flowers, too. Your comment appeared as from someone earlier?
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I always love to see your bromeliads and this is gorgeous, especially the colour! 12 C is a bit cold for sandals, but I am sitting here with a hot water bottle to keep warm, so may be I am a wimp 😉
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LOL, I rarely wear shoes! I am way too much of a wimp for the UK in January. Bromeliads are fun to grow as there are a lot of colorful surprises!
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Winter eye candy, indeed! The colors are cheering me up–thank you. 🙂 It’s a great combination of blooms and foliage.
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A blast of summer for ya! thanks, Beth.
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The blue and pink make for a stunning combination Amelia. Your cold snap sounds tropical to me at the moment with below freezing temperatures and a layer of snow covering the ground. I’m envious 😂
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Thank you, Anna – I usually wish I was in the UK in summer.
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