Tropicals & Tender Perennials: A few questions please? , 0 by dyzzypyxxy

dyzzypyxxy wrote:
Some beautiful broms in your pics here - Candela that one with the purple in the middle is spectacular!

Kristi, just wanted to chime in that of all the plants in my garden the broms are by far the easiest and most satisfying. I've found if I can find a good spot in the garden (under my 3 massive oak trees) I can leave them to their own devices and they grow, bloom, and spread wonderfully. Maybe a spritz with the hose occasionally when the weather's dry, and a few grains of pelleted fert if I'm passing by with the bag is all I do for mine. Oh, except if you let them get too crowded, they do stop blooming. I had a clump last fall that was all crowded. Looked beautiful but no blooms, so I picked it apart, sent about 8 starts to various DG friends, threw a few pieces down in a nearby bed. All immediately bloomed, and proceeded to make pups, now I have two big, healthy clumps!

If I try to keep them in pots and control their environment, that's the only time they don't do well. As Dave said, most are epiphytes which means they nurture themselves very well. This one's been in the tree since before we bought the house 4 years ago. Nothing done for it at all, not even water! I finally dragged a few pieces out of the clump and stuck them in the garden nearby. (see next pic 0