How would bromeliads perform if direct planted in a large garden space in central Illinois? Naturally I'll treat them as annuals. I am looking for a tropical foliage plant to mass (like a bromeliad) just not certain if they will work on an exposed site in full sun, or if specfic varieties would be appropriate. http://www.gardensbos.blogspot.com
This message was edited Dec 9, 2008 5:48 PM
I think that that would get real expensive real fast, even if you bought generic Home Depot type plants. Bromeliads are too slow growing to "mass" over the very short growing season you have in your zone. If you were willing to dig them and overwinter them (not ditch them as annuals) you'd have a shot.
I have a ton of broms of all types planted in my yard and flower beds that stay there year round even though we do get frost. All I do is throw a sheet over them and they do fine. You can't do that, but, here are some hardier broms for cooler climes:
Variegated pineapple (aka Pink or Red Pineapple)--the hardiest ones are the ones that get really big and are green and white striped. But they have pretty vicious spines and a pain to dig and relocate once sited
Aechmea gammosepala
Neoregelia spectabilis
Bilbergia nutans
Adam,
Broms that grow in the sun are not common and they are expensive. Most of the ones that you might find in your area would be the shade types.
In Miami>
Since Bromileads are slow growing there are not a lot of growers. Even here in Florida where the are used in landscaping there are only a handful of growers.
A plant the size shown below would run $100 or more. This might be 'Tango'
With our 'mild' climate some are best grown under cover, in the winter.
Eye candy>
Hi Adam
I have a Bromeliad in my garden called Alcantarea imperialis (Rubra) which sits in the mid-day sun no problems at all. I also have a couple of other species in the same spot but am not sure of their name. Will take a photo and perhaps someone on the forum can identify them.
Come to think of it they may well be Neoregelia as mentioned above.
Mike
This message was edited Jan 8, 2009 9:42 PM
Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I'm going to try a few out this season and see how they hold up!
any tropical can be grown in the summer garden just give it two weeks after last frost for the soil to warms up,
what I do is plant the pot hahaha yes I keep the plant in the pot and plant it that way so it is easy to pull them out in the fall and bring them inside for the winter and re use them the next year
some of mine winter on the main floor and some I just put in the basement area that is cooler and they go dormant
I just bring them up six to eight weeks early to get them growing and then return them outside
mona
great suggestions. thanks mona.
no problem I have about a dozen plants that I store in the cool space every winter
your welcome
I am in Zone5a, I think I'll let you be the experiment, Adam! lol....but I would do the pot-in-the-ground thing and bring them in in the off season. Mona, which varieties do you store in cool space each winter???
I store banana tree, brugs, hibiscus, callas, dahlias, madagascar jasmine, passion fruit vine, bougainvillia, mandavilla, geraniums, comquat, regular jasmine, mexican sea shell, lisianthus, camilla, also many summer bulbs that down south just stay in the ground but I love the blooms so I put them in and take them out hahhahaha just like to give myself more work but not really since I put them in as I am cleaning out the beds so its all done in one shot
WOW! And what types of bromes do you store?
I only have two of them nothing special but I got them as gifts one should bloom this year its pretty big the other is small so two more years at the least
