Returned to Tillandsia Ionantha after a difficult first attempt

My first attempt at Tillandsia Ionantha failed — scale insects or mealybug in the leaf bases got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again.

The second attempt, with proper attention to providing bright indirect light or outdoor shade in summer, has been completely different. It's now thriving in a decorative driftwood or cork bark mount and surprisingly tough once watering rhythm is established is on full display. pup production after flowering creating a new clump this year was a genuine reward for starting again. If you failed first time, the plant isn't the problem — the conditions probably were.