Bromeliads

bromeliads by pond used for landscaping

Landscaping with Bromeliads

Landscaping with bromeliads is a great choice if you are looking for an exotic, tropical-looking plant for shady spaces. Bromeliads are easy to care for, and fairly quickly create baby plants, or pups, that you can plant in other parts of your yard. Bromeliads come in a variety of sizes and colors, and can act as a ground cover or a dramatic focal point.

Some common South Florida plants like bromeliad close upSpanish moss, ball moss (air plants) and pineapple are actually types of bromeliads. Bromeliads form a cup in the middle of their foliage that holds and absorbs water. Sometimes, other creatures like small frogs and insects live in the standing water that gathers in the cups or other leaves after the rain.

 

In general, they thrive in shade but there are a few varieties that you can safely plant is sunnier locations. Bromeliads like moisture and humidity, but they are also very resistant to dry and drought conditions making them a hardy plant. They can be planted in the ground, where our light, sandy soil is ideal for them, in containers indoors or outdoors and you can even grow them onbromeliads in tree used for landscaping different surfaces, including on trees. Don’t worry if you attach them to a tree; they are not parasites and will not harm the tree in any way.

Some bromeliads produce a spike with large, waxy flowers but they only flower once. After they flower, they will decline until they eventually die about a year or two later. However, after they flower, young pups will grow at the base of the original plant, which you can then separate and plant. Since they cover a relatively large amount of space and create their own offspring, bromeliads are a great choice for the budget-friendly yard.

Contact Jaguar Garden Design today to add these tropical beauties to your landscaping!