Wow, that's so exciting.. I was kind of waiting for it to blush, but I guess mine is not the blushing type, haha. :) The top leaves are of a lighter shade of green, but I thought that was only because of the new growth.

Blushing depends on sunlight intensity. Many tillandsias decide to bloom in winter, so they are not colorful. That rapid growth of light green leaves usually signalizes preparations for blooming. Now you have to wait again. Within next few months your plant should produce at least one pup. When the reproduction is over, mother plant wilts (1-3 years later).

Yes, I should thought so. Here, winter is roughly equal to rainy season, and it's been mostly overcast, sometimes raining quite heavily in the last couple of weeks.

Updated photo of blooms:

Hi Everyone!

What a lovely Tillandsia that looks like my Tillandsia 'Blushing Bride', the one that get a fringe of pink leaves below the purple centre? Very pretty indeed. I have to check if mine is still alive as the mother plant I had that was pupping got smashed by a falling log I had mini broms tied to that were in our water feature but I think the pup is still alive I hope?

Take Care & Happy Gardening!

Trish

Thanks, Trish. My Tillandsia might as well be the 'cool bride' hahaa.. Hope yours are okay.

raxidor(6 Central Europe): "Blushing depends on sunlight intensity."

I think that's so. Those Tillandsias of mine that have been blooming this winter (mostly ionanthas, but also a soft gray stricta and a bulbosa gigante that is putting on some red growth) are under a shop light with one cool-white fluorescent bulb and fluorescent one grow light. I think the plants have been hoping for a hummingbird to come by, but all those birds are down in Mexico or further south for the winter. This last summer, when many of my plants were out in a north-facing porch (where they got a lot of reflected light), my victorianas, caput medusa and some others bloomed; those plants are just resting now, having produced pups which I expect will in turn bloom in the summer. So if you don't have sunlight at this time of year, consider fluorescents.

Hello Everyone!

'Cool Bride' sound great LOL. My Tillandsias are doing good thanks (sure I have some pics somewhere to upload later), Some I did find had came unstuck from the logs I had them craft-glued to and ended up in my water feature, when I was cleaning out the bottom of the pond I saw them looking up at me so I had to quickly fish them out and dry the off, they survived except for one. I think a one of the big green tree frogs that have taken up residence might have jumped on the log and knocked them into the pond.

With our scorching summers here I have to watch out they don't get fried so I have them growing in trees where they have shade protection from the foliage and the one's in our water feature (not in the water but still on logs) are under a big beige shade sale that's about 70%.

Not that I have many in my collection but I am really starting to get into them, always really liked them but I kept spending my money on Vriesea's and Neoregelia's etc.; now I try to buy a few here and there to get a better collection happening as I find them to be such interesting plants.

Take Care & Happy Gardening!

Trish

I just looove this forum, already learn so much in a short time from everyone about everything.. And Trish, do upload some photos of your Tills, that'd be lovely.. :)

Update: just noticed a few days ago that my Tillandsia has 2 pups growing, under a month post-bloom.

Update: make that 3, found out one more pup growing. Makes me wonder how many pups you can get from a single plant. What's the most you ever get?

Depends on the plant, but ionanthas (like your) can have several as that in the long run is what can make them into the popular ball shapes (but people and other circumstances can divide them, too). I have a frilly, funkiana-type Tillandsia that is pupping along the stem. I have at least one Caput Medusa that is pupping one at a time and will soon look like a pinwheel. Some plants pup from near the tops of the mother plant, and others (apparently like the Intermedia) pup at both ends, an still others get long and interwoven like Spanish Moss. So not only do Tillandsias often flower and maybe have seeds (and hybrid results possible as well), but they can clone themselves. Eager to live!

Update: here's another one peeking today, so that's 4 pups so far.. =)

The older pups are getting bigger