The Aechmea Fasciata ‘Silver Vase’ is a spectacular and highly popular bromeliad, beloved for its bold, architectural form and its long-lasting, showy flower spike. This plant is a real standout, forming a beautiful, vase-shaped rosette of broad, leathery, arching leaves that are a stunning silvery-green colour with a powdery coating. From the centre of this rosette, a magnificent flower stalk emerges, topped with a large, cone-shaped head of bright pink bracts. These last for months, with small, purple-blue flowers appearing from within the head.
Caring for Your ‘Silver Vase’
- Growing Conditions: This bromeliad is a perfect indoor plant, as it thrives in bright, indirect light. Direct sunlight can burn its leaves, so keep it away from a harsh window. It loves a warm, humid environment, making it a great choice for a bathroom or kitchen.
- Watering: The most unique watering tip for this plant is to water into the “vase” or central cup formed by the leaves. Keep this cup filled with water, but empty and refill it regularly to prevent stagnation. Water the soil sparingly—just enough to keep it lightly moist.
- Feeding: This plant gets most of its nutrients from the water it collects. A light application of a liquid fertiliser, diluted to a quarter strength, can be added to the central cup once a month during spring and summer.
- Pruning: Pruning is simple. Once the main flower stalk has finished and begins to die off, you can cut it back. The mother plant will then begin to die, but it will produce new baby plants, or “pups,” at its base that can be replanted.
Usage in the Home and Garden
The ‘Silver Vase’ is an excellent indoor feature plant. Its bold, structural form and unique colouring make it a perfect focal point on a coffee table, a side table, or as part of a plant collection. In tropical and subtropical climates, it can also be grown outdoors in a sheltered, shaded spot, where it makes a beautiful addition to a garden bed.
