Bromeliads

Garden Center

Elegant, exotic and highly collectable

Bromeliads, or ‘Broms’ as they are sometimes called, are part of a huge plant family with over 3000 species. Originating mostly from The Americas, Bromeliads grow in a diverse range of climatic conditions. From the canopy of the rainforest to the harshest of deserts, there is truly a brom for every garden.

The pinnacle of tropical gardening

No tropical or Balinese style garden is complete without bromeliads. They are the perfect understory plant for beneath palms and other trees where the soil is often dry. You can also grow bromeliads as epiphytes, attached to trees or branches.

Why grow bromeliads?

They’re easy to grow
Low maintenance
Add year-round foliage colour
Broms will grow where other plants won’t e.g. in heavy shade, dry or skeletal soils, attached to trees.
Stunning flowers
Thousands of different varieties

Bromeliad varieties

Although there is often considerable variation between the tolerances of each species, it is nonetheless a good rule of thumb to think of Bromeliads at the genus level. Here’s a basic run-down of the most common genera.

Alcantarea

Large growing Bromeliads that add impact to your landscape. Use as a ‘hero’ plant in a design, or in a pot as a stately specimen. Grows reliably in full sun but can take a semi-shaded position also. Very easy to grow and low maintenance.

Neoregelia

Generally sun-loving and vividly coloured. Variable in form, ‘Neos’ range from 5-50cm in diameter, with near infinite variations of colour and pattern. Great for use as a border, mass planting under trees or as epiphytes attached to branches.

Vriesea

Sometimes sold as ‘Jungle Carpet’, Vrieseas are loved for their delicate and intricate patterning. This genus generally tolerates less sun than other bromeliads. Best grown in dappled sun beneath a tree canopy.

Tillandsia

Often referred to as ‘Air Plants’, the Tillandsia genus has the most species of any bromeliad group. Contrary to popular belief, they do not thrive just on moisture and nutrients from the air. They are best grow outdoors in partial sun attached to trees.