They grow very slowly and a couple years ago a damn rabbit ate the whole thing down to a stub! Why is it animal pests always find the rarest plants the most delicious? It's ok now, and the good thing is that, like a Puya which I have a pot and never intend to plant outside, these bromeliads seem unbothered by heat & humidity even though the climate they come from has very cool summers. Still I given them a well draining mix as drowning in summer would be a possibility.
Probably will still be 3-5 more years before I would even think of planting it out. I need it to offset first so I can have a backup. FWIW, Ochagavia carnea didn't seem remotely as hardy as Cistus was claiming it was for me, it died around 15F.