Plant profile - Bromeliad

These tropical American natives may seem strange and exotic but you will be surprised to know one of our most common fruits is actually a bromeliad – the pineapple.

The bromeliad comes in a wonderful variety of sizes, shapes and foliage colours. The most common bromeliads (Aechmea, Neireglia and Guzmania) grow is rosettes with relatively large strappy leaves arising from the centre cup. This centre cup is designed to hold water and replenish the bromeliad throughout the drier months

The bromeliad is suited to every garden with varieties producing strappy leaves in red, green, purple, orange, yellow, banded, stripes, spots or other combinations. They can add an exotic tough to your home or bring a sense of the tropics to warm climate areas.

Bromeliads are not seasonal plants and will grow all year round, tolerating cool or hot gardens, tropical or temperate, sun or shade. You can consider growing indoors or out, in a pot or in the garden, as a feature plant or mass plant. What are you waiting for?

These plants are inexpensive, easy to grow and require very little care. The roots of a br

omeliad are purely for balance, as the leaves of the plant provide all the nutrients, food and water it needs. Simply plant into the ground or pot, mulch the surface with pebbles and you've planted your bromeliad.

Over-watering a bromeliad is just about one of the only ways to kill it. Read your plant – if it looks dry, water it, if it doesn't, leave it alone.

For any further information on Bromeliads or planting contact Eastern Suburbs Horticulture on 0413 328 334