Also known as friendship plant or queen’s tears, this is one of the easiest of the bromeliads to grow, and is a popular and attractive indoor plant. The arching, olive-green leaves reach about 18 in. (45 cm) long, and form a rosette, although the prolific production of offsets means that the overall appearance is glasslike.
Each flower spike carries a cluster of small pink, blue, and yellow-green flowers, backed by long, pink bracts. Billbergia comes from South America.
Size: Height to 2 ft. (60 cm).
Light: Direct sunlight.
Temperature: Normal room.
Moisture: Keep thoroughly moist all year.
Feeding: Provide standard liquid fertilizer every two weeks in spring and summer.
Propagation: In the spring, remove 4-6 in. (10-15 cm) offsets, plant shallowly in small pots, and allow to root. Rooting takes 6—8 weeks.
Special needs: After a rosette has flowered and the rounding offsets have started to develop, cut it away.