Vrisea 'Cathy'

Vriseas are a striking group of bromeliads that are widely distributed across Central and South America, Mexico and the West Indies. Typically they're epiphytes, growing without any soil attached to trees. Instead of getting their nutrients via roots, the leaves of vriseas form a cup in which water and nutrients collect, to be absorbed by the plant.

Vrisea 'Cathy' is an eye-catching cultivar with a rosette of glossy green leaves and once in its lifetime, a sumptuous deep-red flower spike that lasts for months on end. When it has finished flowering the mother plant will die off, but not before producing a progeny of shoots, each of which have the potential to flower once fully grown plants themselves.

For best results grow Vrisea 'Cathy' in bright, indirect light and keep the central cup full with water – ideally rainwater. Mist regularly to raise the humidity around the plant or better still, grow in a warm, bright bathroom or kitchen. When potting up, use a very free-draining medium, such as orchid compost.