TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Dig This: 5 Bromeliad Babes

ADVERTISEMENT

By B.C. MANION, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 19, 2008

Bromeliads are endlessly fascinating, in part because new ones are always being discovered or created.

"Every time they cut a new road in a rain forest, they find a new species," says Tom Wolfe, a past president of the Bromeliad Society International.

All members of the same family - Bromeliaceae, the pineapple family - they're as different from one another as members of any huge clan: size, shape, bloom, even preference for shade or full sun.

They do share a family trait of requiring little care, water and, in many instances, even fertilizer.

"I call them 'idiot-proof,'" Wolfe says. "You can hardly kill them."

In general, it's best to grow bromeliads in cypress mulch. Environmentalists warn against using cypress mulch in the landscape because the practice is destroying so many trees. To reduce that impact, Wolfe suggests planting bromeliads in a layer of cypress mulch top-dressed with pine or another type of mulch.

Plant the bromeliads directly in the mulch, not in the ground, he says.

Skip the fertilizer - unless you're growing your bromeliads in a pot, in which case, use a slow-release fertilizer, he says.

For bromeliads growing in mulch, you can rely on rainwater, decomposing bird droppings and leaves to provide nutrients.

"I always tell people, 'Nobody goes through the rain forest and fertilizes these things. They survive on their own,'" Wolfe says..

Learn more about bromeliads by catching up with the Bromeliad Guild of Tampa Bay. It meets at 7 p.m. Monday at The Tampa Garden Club, 2629 Bayshore Blvd..

Here are five bromeliads Wolfe recommends for Bay area gardeners.

Neo Magali

Richly colored foliage is the reward for this plant, which grows to about a foot tall and 18 inches wide. It can take the morning sun until about 10 a.m., then wants bright, filtered sun the rest of the day. Putting it under a big, sparsely foliated tree is a good bet or under a shade cloth or pool cage.

It blooms when it is mature, which can be any time of year.

Neo Casagado

The only difference between Casagado and its sister Magali is the color and patterns on the leaves, which offer an interesting mix of red-splashed green.

Achmea Amicorum

For shaded areas, try this little beauty, which grows to about 14 inches tall and 12 inches in diameter. Its bloom also can extend out about 12 inches.

Protect this bromeliad from the cold.

Portea Petropolitana (variety extensia)

A nice specimen in a garden, it grows to 3 feet tall and 3 feet across, and its bloom shoots up another 21/2 to 3 feet in the spring. It does well in full sun or shade and is cold-hardy.

Achmea Dichlamydea (variety trinitensis)

Shade or bright filtered light makes this plant happiest. It gets to be about 21/2 feet wide and 21/2 feet tall, and its bloom also extends about 21/2 feet.

Reporter B.C Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion @tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT