Aechmea gamosepala (right) with Ruellia macranthaThis winter-blooming bromeliad (ht 50cm) comes from Brazil. Its blooms are thick bristles of purplish-pink bracts tipped with iridescent blue bead-like flowers: the whole effect is of a bunch of surreal-looking matchsticks: its common name is matchsticks bromeliad! After flowering, the spike turns dark pink for a long period. Like many members of the bromeliad family it will grow in hopeless, shady corners and even in places where there is hardly any soil. It can form an attractive, low-maintenance groundcover as it multiplies well: my large patch started with a single plant passed over the fence from a neighbour. I think the clumps probably benefit from being split up every so often. Being epiphytic, it can also be grown in the fork of a tree. It will tolerate mild frosts.
Aechmea gamosepala Lucky StripeThe pink bracts are an exact match for the winter-blooming shrub Ruellia macrantha (pictured above left), so these can be paired for an attractive garden picture. The bromeliad flower also matches the autumn blooms of the pretty groundcover Ruellia makoyana, an excellent plant for dry shade. Its blue flower tips are an exact colour match for Salvia rubiginosa, which is in bloom at the same time. Aechmea gamosepala 'Lucky Stripe' has creamy-yellow striped leaves (pictured above), which brighten up dark corners. When the flowers are just opening, the flower spikes of Aechmea gamosepala can be picked for vases.