Queen's tears

Several years ago I was given one of these beautiful plants by a teacher at the school where I used to work.
The plant is Queen's tears Billbergia nutans and it really is a a bit of a dark horse. Most of the year it is a rather plain green plant with strap like leaves, and a rather untidy habit, but every year around Christmastime it produces bright red buds, from which these exquisitely beautiful pale green and navy flowers spill out like Christmas bluebells!
I absolutely love the colour combination, and not only is it pleasing to the eye, but a really welcome sight in the depths of winter!
The plant is a member of the family Bromeliaceae, and a native of rain forests. It is easily grown as a house plant, and propagated by splitting the plant into two, so there are always plenty to share with your friends.