Queen's Tears

I was in a lady's back yard. She had a big houseplant on a small stand. It had some flowers. I inquired about the name of the plant. She answered that it was Queen's Tears.

 

Beautiful and unusual plant to have in your home

 

The lady who owned the Queen's Tears said that it is an indoor plant. She brings it out when the weather is warm.

 

Yes these are definitely an indoor plant but do like the sun...stunning plants though.

http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/billbergia-nutans.html

 

It was informative to learn that young plants should be repotted every year.

 

I've had plants a bit matured from garden centres and not their full growth and needed moving on the next year, with some they've gone straight in to the garden

 

If it was Billbergia nutans:
https://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/9001950
or B. windii, they are at least root-hardy to at least the warmer parts of Z8. Depending on the timing & severity of cold, the blooms can be ruined by the cold but the roots survive and there is new growth in the warmer part of the year. The dead older foliage kind of hangs around unless it's manually removed, and if it's in shade for summer because of a deciduous tree, all foliage that does not get frozen gets sunburned.

Keeping inside while there is regular frost or colder winters than that is the best way to keep them looking great and not miss the blooms. If one lives in a frost-free area or area with only occasional light frosts, these should be a fine addition to the landscape.

There are also some hybrid Billergias, like this gorgeous gal:
https://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/9002970

For either of these, the soil does not seem to matter much as long as it's well-draining. As long as the cups of the plants have some water in them, the moisture level of the soil is irrelevant, and OK if it literally completely dries out. Being able to see a plants' moisture level is fascinating to me. As long as these have a very bright room, it's not even necessary to have direct sun for the blooms to form. For these reasons, they are excellent beginner plants but for some reason, not part of the usual lineup of houseplants that I've ever seen.

I've not left any Neoregelia outside for winter, but the other part of the care that I've given in a pot was identical. This one is a little more tricky to water inside though, since the cups are so small and they hang over, outside of the rim of the pot.
https://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/9001545