Best bromeliads for full sun?

[rprimbs]

I've got an Alcantarea imperialis. What other bromeliads do well -- and have good color -- in full sun?

What are your favorites and where can I buy them here in Southern California?

Edited April 20, 2011 by rprimbs

[aussiearoids]

Any other Alcantarea , esp. vinicolour or imperialis rubra .

Aechmea blanchetiana the orange or red forms , enormous flower spike is a bonus . Neoregelia gigas and any of the carcharadon forms , esp. Tiger . Hohenbergia leopoldo-horstii , some of the more compact stellata forms , pennae , magnispina .. most Ho's will do ok .

[Kim]

Aechmea blanchetiana... grows in full sun in my coastal garden. The more sun it gets, the more red-orange it is. Leaf margins are very saw-toothed. (Ouch!) Here you see it at high elevation in Kona, Hawaii:

[Kim]

Here's another, Neo. Hannibal Lecter or one of those crazy Skotak numbers. This is on a concrete patio in south-facing sun on the coast:

[Gbarce]

Vrisea (or is it alcantarea now?) odorata is also a good one. Its is covered with silvery poswder and actually looks like a giant tillandsia. It is white though so that might not be the color you are looking for.

[palmmermaid]

And for something a littlesmaller, try Neo (I think) 'Martin'. It has really nice striped leaves with lots of red. Mine are in full western exposure and have done very well. Plus they multiple like crazy so you always have more. The Neo. cruentas seem to do pretty well in the sun also. Make sure when you acquire the blancettianas you see them under the same exposure. Not all are the same bright color. Mine are bright red and orange except for a group I got from someone else. They are much duller than my originals.

[ariscott]

Yes.... Neo cruenta is definitely one that can take A LOT of sun. I love them.... they never burnt here even with full afternoon sun. Most alcantarea can take sun, I have A. extensa, A. glaziouana (take morning sun where I am) and A. imperialis 'rubra'. I would love to get more Alcantarea but for some reason not so many are grown locally.

Kitty, Thanks for the tip on N. martin. I might have to look for it.

Michael,

Where can I find Neoregelia gigas and any of the carcharadon forms , esp. Tiger? I might have to try them. I have more afternoon sun spots than morning sun.

Oh bummer, Kim... they had Neo Hannibal Lecter at the conference!! And I didn't buy it...

Regards, Ari

[aussiearoids]

Ari ask Monty , thats who I got my gigas from .

dont forget what we thought was carcharadon is actually gigas

[ariscott]

Thanks Michael. I will ask him next week when I see him at the market

Regards, Ari

[Luisd]

Hetchia, Puya and Dyckia can take a lot of sun, but might be more appropriate for a cactus garden.Other big Neoregelias for sun is N. johannis and pascoaliana.The red form of N. cruenta is very nice .

Hohenbergia castellanosii is a good plant for sun.

Would add some Aechmeas: caudata, aquilega, mexicana, pectinata, bracteata, distichantha, eurycorimbus...and some Portea.

Neo. pascoaliana

Neo. johannis

in my Mediterranean climate, which can be very dry in summer, some plants sometimes get burned in the sunniest months (I grow the plants in pots, in a garden maybe is different).Alcantarea imperialis grows best with some shade in my conditions.

[rprimbs]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. There are more than I would have thought.

Aechmea blanchetiana... grows in full sun in my coastal garden. The more sun it gets, the more red-orange it is. Leaf margins are very saw-toothed. (Ouch!) Here you see it at high elevation in Kona, Hawaii:

I've got some pineapples that do that. I think that they're a Mexican variety.

[Gonzer]

Escondido geys blazing hot in the summer so your thicker leaved species would be a better suit.

[aussiearoids]

A few cruentas at my place .

They look great when left to form a clump.

[ariscott]

Oh.... I haven't got the red one yet... I have to get some of you, Michael

Regards, Ari

[Gbarce]

Here's acouple of Alcantarea Odorata pictures I got out of the web

[JD in the OC]

Gene,

Yes, Alc. odorata is a nice brom for full sun. That second picture is from my website

JD

[aussiearoids]

Alc. odorata is still rare in Aus. some small seedlings sold at WBC Cairns a few years ago for over $100 , I am hoping for some hair pups from a mate who bought a few .

[drpalm]

I've got an Alcantarea imperialis. What other bromeliads do well -- and have good color -- in full sun?

What are your favorites and where can I buy them here in Southern California?

I collect and sell bromeliads for outdoor use and I'm in San Clemente. If your interested my number is 949 283-8888. I have Bromeliads for sun, shade, or filtered areas.

Thanks,

Dean

~Drpalm~

[drpalm]

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/grd/2343492383.html

[ariscott]

Alc. odorata is still rare in Aus. some small seedlings sold at WBC Cairns a few years ago for over $100 , I am hoping for some hair pups from a mate who bought a few .

I hope it will be a bit more common in the future. It is a stunning brom...

Regards, Ari

[aussiearoids]

Some more for full sun are Ae. J C Superstar .

It is a cross between ramosa and chantinii .

Both of these are excellent as well , esp. the red form of ramosa .

[Walter John]

Alc. odorata is still rare in Aus. some small seedlings sold at WBC Cairns a few years ago for over $100 , I am hoping for some hair pups from a mate who bought a few .

Did you end up getting any pups Michael ?

[kahili]

I have been experimenting with them also, and here are a few that can take our hot summer sun. We have a lot of humidity here, and I was reading that having humidity may allow more to be in full sun than in dryer conditions-not sure if thats true or not.

Aechmea Alvarez is at the top of my list-stripes of bright pink with green. A few more are Ae. Wally berg and Ae. Forest Fire. I think a lot of the Aechmeas can take full sun? Does anyone know if thats true? I saw a picture of Ae. Biflora-it was almost pure red-anyone tried that one?