A bit late flowering, should be late summer.
Here is a description of the plant which is taken from the Telegraph website. Written by John Hoyland
Most of us know bromeliads as plants from tropical rainforests with tough foliage and showy flowers. They are grown in this country as houseplants and you'll occasionally find them in bouquets from glitzy florists. So not the sort of plant that springs to mind when trying to bring exoticism into the garden - and certainly not in autumn. However, there is one member of the family, from the coastal forests of Chile, that can be grown outside in Britain. It not only makes a startling garden plant but also comes into its own late in the year: it is Fascicularia bicolor.
Most bromeliads are epiphytic - they grow on the branches of other plants without being parasitic - but fascicularia are terrestrial, living on the forest floor. To protect themselves from grazing animals they have evolved tough, hard-to-chew, usually spiky foliage. Not even llamas are tempted by them.
The leaves of F. bicolor are characteristic of the genus: long, thin and leathery with soft spines. As the plant grows it forms rosettes that clump together to make an impressive mound. (The Latin word fascicularia means "clustered together in bundles".) Typically a deep olive-green, the foliage is content to bulk up and look unpromising for its first two years, only acquiring its silvery sheen and vivid autumn colour with age. Towards the end of summer the bases of the leaves on maturer plants begin to turn red and after a few weeks most of the leaf becomes bright crimson. A bud then forms in the centre of this rosette which opens into a pale-blue flower. Such an improbable combination of colours would be outlandish at any time of year; surrounded by the sombre tones of autumn it is even more astonishing.
The wild plant has leaves up to 3ft long. Tresco Abbey Gardens on the Isles of Scilly has very large plants that are so happy with the climate and growing conditions that they almost form ground cover. But most of us have to be content with much smaller versions.
Growing tips
Good drainage is essential, so dig in lots of grit or grow fascicularia in a raised bed. Don't be tempted to enrich your soil as this will encourage lots of leaves and few flowers. After flowering the rosettes begin to die but new ones quickly form from the base. Pull away the dead foliage to prevent disease spreading from the rotting leaves. Mine grow very well in a partly shaded bed but they are best in full sun.
In the 1950s the RHS said that fascicularia could only be grown in the warmer southern counties of England. Today it is successfully grown throughout Britain - I have seen healthy specimens thriving in South Yorkshire - perhaps because of changing climatic conditions. It will withstand temperatures down to at least -10C as long as it is not in wet soil. If you live in a very wet area consider growing it in a large pot and keeping it in a cold greenhouse during the winter.
Good companions
Fascicularia look best when grown with other hardy tropical plants that have the same cultivation needs. The hardy agaves, A. parryi and A. schidigera, echo its domed shape and taller yuccas such as Y. filamentosa make an effective backdrop.
If you grow fascicularia in pots try to group them with other exotic-looking plants such as aeoniums, aloes and echeverias
Malcolm
