Bromeliads

[happypalms]

Love em or dislike them. Every gardener has their own opinion of them. I find there great for creating humidity if planted around a specific variety of palm that requires humidity in my dry summer climate. But I like them.

[Looking Glass]

They work pretty well for splashes of color and interest, but they slowly and surely multiply.   It’s easy to get carried away…..

 

 

[happypalms]

12 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

They work pretty well for splashes of color and interest, but they slowly and surely multiply.   It’s easy to get carried away…..

 

 

Wow that’s a collection your addiction is showing up there nice ones. They can  get a bit addictive over time. There a fantastic understory investment. Tough as well for such a beautiful plant.

[iDesign]

I’m behind on my forum reading, and just noticed this fun post. I love ALL the broms shown, but am especially curious to get names for these ones in @Looking Glass’s post…







I'm pretty sure that last one is one that I owned previously that just stayed solid green, but figured it was worth asking.

And I’m still of the opinion that you can never have too many bromeliads (too many of a particular variety sure… but there’s always another one your collection needs). 😊

[iDesign]

My latest acquisitions have been pretty expensive… David Fell Vrieseas. They were 30% off due to a San Diego Bromeliad group purchase, but still the most expensive broms I own

Shown here are two of my favorites - “Strawberry Ice Cream” and “Purple King”.

[Looking Glass]

1 hour ago, iDesign said:

I’m behind on my forum reading, and just noticed this fun post. I love ALL the broms shown, but am especially curious to get names for these ones in @Looking Glass’s post…







I'm pretty sure that last one is one that I owned previously that just stayed solid green, but figured it was worth asking.

And I’m still of the opinion that you can never have too many bromeliads (too many of a particular variety sure… but there’s always another one your collection needs). 😊

Aechmea chantinii “samurai”….    My 2nd favorite Chantinii next to R Menscal. 

 

Hohenbergia “purple majesty”. 

Hohenbergia Castellanosii….

I took these out of the ground, and put them back in pots in all day sun in sandy grit, and that colored them back up.    They pup like crazy.  These are tough, but need sun and like drying out.  
 

Also comes in variegated, which I don’t like as much and isn’t as tough…

[iDesign]

1 hour ago, Looking Glass said:

Aechmea chantinii “samurai”….    My 2nd favorite Chantinii next to R Menscal. 

Your samurai look fantastic! I'm not sure why I haven't gotten one of these yet... it's officially now on my wishlist.

As for R. Menscal, that's a heartbreaker for me.  I've paid a pretty penny for it twice now, and it will not pup for me. Its more black variation "black zombie" is ALSO a zero-pupper for me. I should probably mess with fertilizer, light, or something else. Or maybe that one's just better in Florida.

Speaking of better in Florida...

1 hour ago, Looking Glass said:

Hohenbergia “purple majesty”. 

Hohenbergia Castellanosii….

These two sure to appear to work better in your location. I was thinking that bright one might be Hohenbergia Castellanosii, which you confirmed. Several years ago I put these in different places in the yard (including my hottest spot), and waited patiently. They made tons of pups, but stayed solid green for me in all locations.

The purple one would probably end up somewhat bland as well in my yard. Looking online, it looks like a nursery very close to me has them in stock, but this is what theirs looks like...

I think I better just hold off on Hohenbergia for now. Which is a bummer since they look so stunning in your yard! Different climates I suppose. On the bright side, I won't miss their razor-like teeth. 🔪

[Looking Glass]

49 minutes ago, iDesign said:

Your samurai look fantastic! I'm not sure why I haven't gotten one of these yet... it's officially now on my wishlist.

As for R. Menscal, that's a heartbreaker for me.  I've paid a pretty penny for it twice now, and it will not pup for me. Its more black variation "black zombie" is ALSO a zero-pupper for me. I should probably mess with fertilizer, light, or something else. Or maybe that one's just better in Florida.

Speaking of better in Florida...

These two sure to appear to work better in your location. I was thinking that bright one might be Hohenbergia Castellanosii, which you confirmed. Several years ago I put these in different places in the yard (including my hottest spot), and waited patiently. They made tons of pups, but stayed solid green for me in all locations.

The purple one would probably end up somewhat bland as well in my yard. Looking online, it looks like a nursery very close to me has them in stock, but this is what theirs looks like...

I think I better just hold off on Hohenbergia for now. Which is a bummer since they look so stunning in your yard! Different climates I suppose. On the bright side, I won't miss their razor-like teeth. 🔪

The A chantinii types don’t like the cold too much they say, maybe winter cool spells make them not want to pup.   As for fertilizer, I’ll dissolve Miracle Gro tomato crystals in a spray bottle dilutely, and hit the leaves sometimes, other than that I use palm some fertilizer on the soil.  But too much of either can rot some bromeliads.  

This Chantinii cross is a champion pupper for me…..  Aechmea frappachino I think.  Looks best less sun. 

As for Hohenbergia, many of these, in my limited experience, look better and are more colorful when hard grown.  Mine are potted in terrible, gritty, sandy, rocky ultrafast draining soil, and sit in 1/2 to all-day direct sun.   Under these conditions, they dry out quickly, and stay more compact and colorful.   With richer soil and more fertilizer, they green up and get leggy.   When they get too wet, the roots rot more easily than other types.   

It weird how different broms can look in different nutrient mixes and sun exposures sometimes.  Some of the ones that are from rock faces and sandy areas, and sometimes certain tree dwellers, look better under harsher, drier conditions.  (Aechmea ampla, the stoloniferous Aechmeas like Orlandiana types, and many hohenbergias)

Maybe try keeping them in pots for a while.  Hand mix some wood chips, coarse sand, small rocks, with some cactus mix, into a gritty-fast potting mix.   

If you want a very nice purple bromeliad, Aechmea mulfordii malva gets a nice purple in a part-sun location.   In heavier sun, it starts to get too green.  

[happypalms]

10 hours ago, iDesign said:

I’m behind on my forum reading, and just noticed this fun post. I love ALL the broms shown, but am especially curious to get names for these ones in @Looking Glass’s post…







I'm pretty sure that last one is one that I owned previously that just stayed solid green, but figured it was worth asking.

And I’m still of the opinion that you can never have too many bromeliads (too many of a particular variety sure… but there’s always another one your collection needs). 😊

They are a good plant that’s easy to work with. You don’t see many super rare ones for sale in Australia about 20 years ago they where all the rage with collectors but that has drooped off the demands for them. I like them for colour and they grow in some pretty harsh places on rocks sun heat shade whatever you can throw at them. You still see the common ones in peoples front yards with a sign saying free.

[Looking Glass]

6 hours ago, happypalms said:

They are a good plant that’s easy to work with. You don’t see many super rare ones for sale in Australia about 20 years ago they where all the rage with collectors but that has drooped off the demands for them. I like them for colour and they grow in some pretty harsh places on rocks sun heat shade whatever you can throw at them. You still see the common ones in peoples front yards with a sign saying free.

Most bromeliads aren’t fast, but they do steadily multiply over time.  Depending on the neighborhood, you’ll see 4 foot tall piles of locally common ones out by the curb for trash bulk pickup.   Around here they are used as ground covers or small shrubs depending on the type, but are thinned out in yearly trims.  A couple years back I cleaned out all of my orange A blanchetiana out front.   These are super common here.   What started as 3 pioneers, became 6, 12, 24, 48, 106….  etc….  after a few years  

[happypalms]

3 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

Most bromeliads aren’t fast, but they do steadily multiply over time.  Depending on the neighborhood, you’ll see 4 foot tall piles of locally common ones out by the curb for trash bulk pickup.   Around here they are used as ground covers or small shrubs depending on the type, but are thinned out in yearly trims.  A couple years back I cleaned out all of my orange A blanchetiana out front.   These are super common here.   What started as 3 pioneers, became 6, 12, 24, 48, 106….  etc….  after a few years  

Free to a good home they say. I would love to see some of super rare not so cheap collections of broms out there. At first I stayed away from broms in my garden due to the mosquitoe larvae in the water then I watched a plant documentary saying that the plant makes an enzyme that kills the larvae not sure if it’s true, but  after that I went into them for understory colour, I also inherited my father’s collection so I had good kick start to collecting them.