Six Spectular Ways to Decorate with Exotic &

Exciting Bromeliads.

 

Indoors or outdoors, decorating with bromeliads can become addicting. 

Bromeliads are such striking plants that many gardeners cannot resist having at least one in their home or garden, but like those famous potato chips ”Betcha’ can’t have just one!”

Once you have some decorating success with bromeliads, you will be hooked.  

Decorating with bromeliads is often as simple as finding a good spot for them to call home.  Indoors or out, bromeliads are decorators’ dream plants. They are known for their striking foliage, unusual flowers, many brilliant colors and seemingly endless varieties, making decorating possibilities just as plentiful.

One of the benefits of decorating with bromeliads is that the visual impact is immediate.  Exotic flowers and graceful arching foliage are typical of all the species.  A bromeliad in bloom will draw instant attention, and even those not in flower have such visual movement that they seem to be reaching out for attention.

Bromeliads are easy to grow when you know which species you have.  Since this plant family is so diverse the cultural requirements vary by which bromeliad species you have.   From a decorating point of view, this makes the bromeliad a very versatile plant for indoor or outdoor décor (climate permitting). 

Some can live in limited light; some need bright, almost full sun indoors.  Some like it dry because they originally came from the desert and some like it moist because they grew in the tropical rain forest. Though most bromeliads are grown in pots there are some bromeliads that like to grow in a mounted position to imitate living on a tree, since that was their native habitat.

Some bromeliad display ideas for decorating:

Bromeliads are simple to display, because they don’t need repotting when they come home.  They prefer less rather than more space for roots.  Repotting is rare and if you are in doubt, err on the side of smaller pots.  This means for many decorative applications you will be covering up a plastic pot with another container and some filler, such as Spanish moss.

A single bromeliad can be a stunning focal point in an indoor or outdoor room, such as the Billbergia ‘Hallelujah.’   Its brilliant colors and unusual textures provide a lot of visual interest, perfect for that place of honor in your room.

 

Put the plant, pot and all, just as it comes from the store, in a decorative bowl or in a larger glazed pot.  Fill in the empty spaces with Spanish moss. 

Set your plant in a space that commands your attention and voila, instant eye candy.

Bromeliads look great when massed together in a standing trough planter.  This planter can make a wonderfully open and airy divider.  For that decorator touch, choose plants of different heights and textures to avoid boredom.  Again, just put the pots in the planter and surround with your filler. 

 

A grouping of 3 or 5 (should be an odd number for decorative harmony) of different varieties of bromeliads will create drama for an empty corner. 

You can get pedestals of varying height to display the plants, which will give the plants the added emphasis of vertical variety.  Place the plants in decorative planters and fill in the empty spaces.

A wall sconce planted with a variety of ‘air plant’ bromeliads that are mounted on wood will give your vertical surface instant panache.   Buy a mounted bromeliad collection, such as you see here or get a slab of fern tree wood and securely mount your own.  Put the mounted plants in a wall sconce and fill around the pot with Spanish moss.

 

Bromeliads massed under a tree, such as a ficus, will provide a touch of living drama for your entry way.   If the plants are inside and sitting on the floor be sure to use waterproof saucers wide enough to catch all drippings from the leaves as well as any excess from watering. If you don’t find these readily available, your local florist should be able to order you some from their floral supply warehouse for a small fee.

Mounted on a green wall.  As part of an eco-friendly green wall garden the bromeliad becomes not only an accent, but a bold statement.  They will provide a splash of color not usually obtainable in this kind of vertical garden.

 

Planning pays off. To insure your success, and sustainability, in decorating with bromeliads remember that even in indoor gardening you should know before you go.  Take the time.  Find out before you invest in any new plants what the growth requirements are and if you can provide the needed environmen in your home, i.e., bright (or filtered) light, high humidity, or air movement to name a few.  Each bromeliad will have specific needs, so you will want to be able to match the conditions the plant requires.

 

Sources:
Smithsonian Institution – Bromeliad Fact Sheet
Teas Nursery – Wonderful World of Bromeliads

 

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