If your collection of house plants does — not include at least one Billbergia, you are missing the Spring bloom of one of the most exciting indoor plants.
Billbergias are natives of Brazil and consist of numerous species. They are in the family of the bromeliads and are thus relatives of the pineapple and the bird-of-paradise.
They are sometimes called bird-of-paradise, although that plant has paddle-shaped leaves and odd flowers which give it its name.
Characteristics Of Billbergia
The foliage of Billbergia is stiff, like that of other succulents; in some forms, the leaves are more comprehensive than in others or are more recurving.
Leaves can be plain green, blue-green, mottled, banded, or silvery, depending on the variety of plants; they are also somewhat saw-toothed.
The flowers of most kinds appear in the late Winter or Spring and are incredible in their brilliance of coloring.
Blooms are large or small, depending on the species; but large or small, they are amazing, for on a drooping rose-colored stem are carried a pendant cluster (five on a smaller plant) of columbine-like blossoms, with petals of green, bordered distinctly in blue.
The stamens are yellow, the calyx is rose with blue edges, and as if this were not enough color, in a final burst of enthusiasm the plant produces, on the curve of the drooping rose-tinted stem, five or six flaming rose-colored bracts, like stiff, feather-shaped crests which seem a part of the flower itself and lend a most striking appearance.
All Are Delightful
The kinds of Billbergias are too many to list here, but any one of them is delightful. You may find them in a small-town greenhouse, or you may need to order one from the catalog of some dealers in rare plants.
They are no more expensive than other houseplants, but they may vary in price and variety. Each of them will be valued for its foliage, bloom, or both.
Some are dwarfs which might do well in a terrarium, and one of the smaller kinds is said to produce a bloom stalk and then die away, replaced by another plant that springs up alongside.
Some have said that they have had a second bloom on the same plant and that the first plant had not died until the pot was filled with new plants, assuring a succession of flowers. Presumably, a great deal depends on the pot size and care.
Various Billbergias For Your Collection
Here are a few Billbergias which you may use to start your collection.
Undoubtedly, the best known of all is Billbergia nutrias, sometimes called Queen’s tears.
It has stiff, narrow, silvery leaves, and its drooping flower racemes consist of red bracts and yellow-green flowers edged with gentian blue.
Billbergia pyramidalis has spiny-toothed leaves and dense flower spikes, with bright red bracts and red petals tipped with violet.
One of the most striking of all is Billbergia saunders. Its rigid, slender, erect leaves have small brown prickles at the edges, and the lemon flowers, which may appear in the Winter or Summer, are edged with gentian blue.
It is a native of Brazil and was imported to this country by Wilson Saunders in about 1869.
The Billbergia that flowers the most freely is a hybrid form of Billbergia speciosa. It has broad leaves that are bright green above and gray beneath. Flowers appear in clusters, and the delightful florets have orange-tipped anthers.
Caring For Billbergias
The care of Billbergias is so simple that the most inexperienced window gardener will have no difficulty following the few rules. They are treated much like any other succulents.
Although they are of tropical origin, they do not benefit from baking in the hot summer sun though they need some sunlight.
Give them pot room so that new plants may have space to spring up about the base. Even the smaller kinds need a 6” or 7” inch pot, at least.
Do not drown their roots with water, and give them very little water in water. This will wash the leaves free of dust by tipping the pot or placing a piece of plastic material or wax paper over the soil to prevent the earth from getting drenched during the washing process.
Drainage Is Important
Despite loud cries of rage from florists who have never tried it and say it blocks drainage, the drain hole in the pot should be covered with a flat piece of material, like part of the bottom of a broken flower pot.
A square of rubber matting (corrugated stair tread rubber) is just the thing. And put the flat side down.
It does not decay before the plant needs repotting; it cannot make the pot watertight, but it drains only clear water, not mud, creating a cleaner saucer or window sill and keeping the soil inside the plant to use.
How much ground does it occur to you the plant loses through a wrongly stopped drain hole?
The “handful of pebbles” so often advocated for the hole-less pot does not do the drainage job; the rocks displace just that much soil, and water can sour in pebbles and anywhere else.
If there is no drainage hole, the secret is knowing just how much water to put in and never making a mistake.
Pot Size And Ideal Soil
You can find out exactly what amount a specific size pot of soil will take by experimenting before you pot the plant with another bank and dirt you can throw away. Then stick to the amount rigidly.
This is a point more plant-lovers should learn, this and covering the drain hole, and it is essential with Billbergias.
If you can manage it, put one in blue or purple (deep shades) pottery. You will see why when the lovely rose bracts appear.
The soil should be about the same as other succulents — some coarse sand, a handful of peat, and some good loam and leaf mold.
If you do not know how to get peat and leaf mold, have your greenhouse man sell you mixed soil.
The bilberries do not want too much sand. Ground for sansevieria will do nicely.
Also, temperatures required for sansevieria or cacti are about right for bilberries. They cannot stand too much cold; room temperatures suit them well.
Toward spring, give the plant more water as it shows activity. When the bloom stalk appears, do not let it suffer for water, but do not flood it.
Its care is easy, and you will enjoy owning one Billbergia or several after seeing the bloom, mainly because it has graceful, attractive foliage.
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