Bromeliads

Remember that "Houseplant 911" post?  Well, the little fern didn't make it...  I tried to resuscitate it by various sources of humidity but it just didn't work.  I finally decided it was time to move on and replace it.

I was able to successfully repot the aloe, which is enjoying its roomier digs, and the plant James scalped is actually making a comeback.  All this moving around has left a few empty planters, so I went shopping for something to fill them.

I have been wanting to buy a few bromeliads recently.  I think it was probably the combination of being in a warmer, more tropical environment for spring break and reading an article in Martha Stewart Living on Kevin Sharkey's apartment, where he has a sleek grouping of bromeliads on his dining room table.

I found these little guys for just $2 each and repotted them into white planters I already had.

I put them on our breakfast room table because these bromeliads need bright, full sun.  They looked a little lonely by themselves, so I added a few other pieces of white pottery and I think it makes a fun little grouping.

If you want to try your hand at growing some bromeliads, just keep in mind that they will usually only bloom once.  Once the flower fades, the plant will begin to create offspring (for bromeliads, they're called "pups").  You can separate them from the host plant when they get to be one-half to one-third as big as the original plant.  Then you can nurture them until they develop their own blooms!

Hopefully the color of these plants will help tide me over till spring comes in and we get some flowers outside!