Sander, I got my plant from East London. It was growing in full sun there. The first two pictures were taken the day that I received it. I mounted it in a position where it got some moning sun, but as winter progressed, it got less and less sun to almost nothing in winter. Our winter temps are usually from 10 min to a max of 16 on average. But it goes down to 5 somtimes and even in winter we sometimes get 20 if there is sun, no wind and no rain. Winter is also our rainy season, so for three months it is usually cold and rainy with low light levels. The last picture was taken in July, the coldest, wettest month and you can see how the plant started to loose colour. I think you can give your plant almost as much sun as you can manage. As to taking it inside in winter, you better ask the other guys. I have NO experience of overwintering plants inside. I just know these plants, especially billbergias, like a lot of fresh air. Japie
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Thanks Japie.

Is it still in a pot or did you tie it to that piece of wood?

That plant is beautiful, absolutely the same species and form as I have. If it's from London it's from the same climate as we have only London has more rain. So I guess I can bake it like the rest.

Between 10 and 20 degrees in the winter on a light airy spot is what I had in mind so that should be fine.

Maybe in a couple of years we can have everybody vote who has the best one :-)
At the moment I loose:
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Thanks again,
Sander

Sander, sorry, I meant East London, SA. Very much the same climate as here in Cape Town, but just a little bit closer to the Equator and also next to Indian Ocean, which is warm water where we here in Cape Town is next to the Atlantic Ocean, which is cold water!

I just went out to take an updated picture for you. Still little bit of green in the leaves and the red is also still not as intense as it can be. What help is if the plant is situated in such a way that you get light through it from the back, then it enhances the red colouring! And yes, the plant is mounted to that piece of wood. Absolutely no soil or moss or anything around its roots. Just nailed to the wood through a piece of the old stolon from which it grew.
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Oh boy London SA. That's a very funny geographical mistake.
Well hey I live in Dordrecht, ring any bells? Not in SA though. I'm in the original one :-)

That changes a lot. If it's in full sun there it can take the occasional 30+ degree weeks we have most summers easy.

I hope mine gets as red as yours is in winter. It is so nice.

The plant I have now is growing on a piece of pine. I think about leaving it there or transfering it to a nice big chunk of cork I have laying around.
That will be my first one not to have my magic soil mix then. :-)

I guess that means no nutrients whatsoever??

Sander

Here is a link that might be useful: Dordrecht worlwide

Thanks for the very interresting, refresher coarse in history/geography, Sander! Our country, being a mixture of people and nationalities from all over the world, has many regions where other nationalities formed little settlements of 'home from home' and town/city names brought with them! En my moedertaal - Afrikaans - is mos eintlik maar ons eie weergawe van Nederlands!

Daar heb jij recht Japie.

Maar Afrikaans heeft die mooiste woorden. Verkleurmannetje, skotelrekenaar, wegneemetes, blokkiesraaisel, vonkprop, pletterpet, and so on, baie mooi die taal. That actualy sounds quite hilarious to us (no pun intended) though we understand most of it. Especialy amperbroekie is so incredibly funny.

What do you call a bromeliad??
Kleurbossie?? If not let's introduce it. Waterbakkie would be nice too!

(Sorry for the jibberish evryone)
Sander

'A'ole pilikia

Now THERE'S something I understand!

Check the link, also looks like that one!

Not that I'm doubting the incredible knowledge you guys have...
Could be huh?

Well, another one I need to get flowering.
I get that a lot...

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:495511}}

Sander, it does look like it - a lot. But if you look at the parents of Hellfire - 'Beryl Allen' X 'Selby-Seidel' - and you look where THEY come from : both are cv. of amoena var. amoena! Not surprising that they look alike! I am actually ancious to get a flower on mine!

Yep I also spotted that.

I'm not going to force it to bloom though.

Somehow it looks a bit fragile to me. I first want to get it through the winter in one piece. I'm even feeding it now, as long as we have a couple of days of weak sun left. In one or two weeks I have to take it inside.
Somehow it looks a lot less strong than my Neo's. Maybe next year I'll 'apple 'n bag' it.