This week's best bloom

I can't remember buying this mystery bromeliad - I suspect it's one I have scored from my brother's garden.

With the neoregelias what you see is what you get - their stunning foliage is the highlight and the flowers are insignificant. But with other varieties like the guzmanias, while the foliage is generally a uniform green, there is an incredible variety of flower shapes and colours. Most of mine are in warm tones from yellows to orange, pinks, reds and burgundies, so this was a lovely surprise.

Also while in the garden this week, I resurrected my simple water feature - now home once more to a family of white cloud fish and a louisiana iris.  It looks pretty uninspired at the moment, but (hopefully) will come into its own, come Spring and look even better once my gardenia hedge has grown enough to screen the ugly patchwork fence. Stay tuned!