My friend Kate gifted me a Billbergia windii when we first moved to Penarth 18 months ago, and it’s now decided to flower. The flower is really quite something. I found it hard to photograph, but here a few that I think show it off nicely.
It lives in the lounge room, but to capture the colours I had to use a sunny day in the greenhouse.
![A catcus-like perennial in a dark teal pot. The green leaves form funnels that are about 1.5cms wide and around 60cms high, and this one has 3 flower spikes coming out of the centre of 3 funnels. The flowers are a pale to strong pink colour, with reflexed, purple-edged, green tepals that extend from the flower.](https://www.gwenfarsgarden.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/P1010041cr-Billbergia-nutans-1024x973.jpg)
![A focus on just the pink flowers and the green-purple tepals. As the tepals develop, they curl up and look very cute.](https://www.gwenfarsgarden.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/P1010055cr-Billbergia-nutans-530x1024.jpg)
![A focus on the end of the flower with the tepals, none of which have opened yet.](https://www.gwenfarsgarden.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/P1010052cr-Billbergia-nutans-722x1024.jpg)
![Focusing just of the tepals and you can see the detail of the curling with the purple-blue edging, and then the pistils & stamens extending out further again.](https://www.gwenfarsgarden.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/P1010065cr-Bilbergia-nutans-903x1024.jpg)
![Another focus on the end of the pink flower and the tepals.](https://www.gwenfarsgarden.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/P1010066cr-Bilbergia-nutans-625x1024.jpg)
Apparently the green leaves (that form a funnel from which the flower extends) die off after flowering, so I’ll remove them when I repot the plant after it finishes flowering.
Thanks to Kate for the plant, and J-P for still sharing his knowledge after he has gone.
Wow, that looks incredible!