Since I’ve mentioned it oodles of times before, it’s no secret that I prefer some of my houseplants more than others. This favouritism doesn’t apply only to plants that I find more attractive, it also applies to plants that are easy to grow. For example, my Peperomia Obtusifolia Variegata may not be the most visually appealing (to me) but it always looks great and has very few demands therefore it ranks extremely high in the ‘easy-to-grow’ category and definitely qualifies as a favourite. This doesn’t mean that I’m going to run out and bring home a bunch of ugly plants just because they’re easy to grow. I’m an unrepentant shallow plant owner; I prefer the good looking ones and have no intention on changing my ways anytime soon. Hey, I don’t run a charity here, you know. But the Peperomia, no matter how it ended up in my home with its less than perfect looks, is here now, so it has to be graded. And the grade is good.

The eye-catching plants clearly get the most attention but this can prove quite tricky since the plants I bring home are generally brought home because of their attractiveness. So, there’s obviously a lot of fierce competition going on here. In this case, good looks alone don’t cut it. The plants have to display other impressive strengths or traits. It’s not like I’m holding some beauty pageant or something where the contestants have to go through a swimsuit and evening gown competition followed by an ‘interview’ period where they have to choose (and talk about) a platform issue that they care about deeply such as world peace, the end of hunger, the saving of an endangered species, or in this case, bringing to an end the cutting down of rainforests. No, no, no, nothing like that.

Other factors that come into play can include things like:

• ability to handle less than ideal levels of humidity reasonably well
• ability to adjust to less than ideal levels of light, also reasonably well
• ability to resist pulling a major tantrum when care requirements are not met precisely (example of major tantrum: shedding a large number of leaves)
• ability to cope with changing seasons, particularly the fall and winter, without a major drama (another situation that can induce massive leaf shedding)
• ability to deal with tap water without eventually looking unsightly (I’m willing to leave the water standing for 24 hours, and to bend this rule if there’s fluoride in it, but that’s it)
• cool flowers are a bonus but not necessary since I’m primarily a foliage girl (but if the plant has striking foliage and puts on a cool flower display, all the better)
• easily propagated (this is essential when the plant was expensive to begin with and new stock is required to justify the reckless purchase)

Caring For An Aechmea Fasciata

Quite a few years ago, my younger daughter asked me which plant I “like the best”. I told her the “Urn plant”, a common name for the Aechmea Fasciata, the first Bromeliad I ever laid eyes on two decades ago. I used the common name because the botanical one would have been too complicated for her to pronounce; she was only five at the time. I also used it because I figured it would be easy for her to remember if she ever wanted to “buy a nice plant for mommy” on Mother’s day or my birthday or on any other special occasion. Okay, so it sounds like I did it for selfish reasons, but my intentions were good. I was simply trying to help a small child “do something really special for mommy”. And I’m sticking to that story.

Anyhow, my daughter never did buy me an “Urn plant” but the name did manage to stick. Not too long ago, when we ran across a group of Bromeliads, she pointed to an Aechmea Fasciata and said “there’s the urn plant, your favourite”. So you see, I helped her retain the name of the plant that always makes “a very special gift for mom” (mommy is passé). And the “Urn plant” is such a plant in my life; very special. I haven’t owned one regularly over the years but its presence has been in and out of my botanical life since I began growing houseplants. And regardless of whether there’s one growing (or not) in my home, it always tops the list of favourites.
I don’t know what it is about this plant, the only one that has me paying a hefty amount at the greenhouse without hesitation whenever I decide I have to have one. Perhaps it’s the leathery, green foliage that is covered with grey scales and silver-grey bands. Maybe it’s the durable and striking inflorescence made up of spiky pink bracts and blue flowers that arise from the center of the vase-shaped rosette of leaves. Or simply the combination of both. Whatever it is that does it for me, one thing’s for sure about this outstanding Bromeliad that is native to Brazil: I can never tire of it; it’s the king of my plant kingdom.

Aechmea Fasciata is an epiphyte that goes by the common names of ‘Urn plant’ and ‘Silver Vase’. It is also one of the most popular Bromeliads grown indoors because of its ability to tolerate all the shortcomings that homes have to offer. Although the exotic looks of this plant can be intimidating, making you feel that it must be too difficult to grow it, they are surprisingly easy to care for.

In the wild, this plant does not grow in a container, nor does it grow in the earth. Instead, it grows on trees and other substrates that do no qualify as soil. The root system of this Bromeliad is not very extensive; its primary purpose is to help anchor it to the host plant. When grown indoors, that small root system is plunged into a container, which makes sense because it’s much more practical than planting a tree in your living room for the Bromeliad to attach itself to.

There are two schools of thought on how to water this plant: