Bromeliads for E-Z Care Garden Design
Looking for low-impact landscaping that adds color and drama to your garden design? Look at the WOW FACTOR you can achieve with a collection of bromeliads! What’s cool about these epiphytic phenoms is that you can select varieties to fit most any micro-climate in your yard, and they require little to no effort on your part to maintain. The trick is to lean on the Florida Friendly Principle of Right Plant/Right Place. Get advice on which varieties will tolerate sun, and which require shade. Be sure to ask how large the plant will get and how quickly it will get there. Keep in mind that one of the reasons these plants need such little care is that they “collect” their own water. So if you tuck them up under the eave of your house (where the rain doesn’t fall) you may need to spray them down from time-to-time. Also be sure to keep the cups free from debris and don’t let fertilizer collect in these vessels as you will surely incite an overgrowth of algae. We get questions about if the standing water in a bromeliad cup will provide a habitat for mosquito breeding. This is feasible, though not likely to be problematic in a small collection. However, because of the volume of “skeeters” associated with a bigger collection, consider putting large beds of bromeliads out away from seating areas. These pests can be kept in check with routine application of the biological control, Bacillus thurengensis (Bt). You will also want to plan on weeding periodically followed by an application of mulch. Remember to wear LONG SLEEVES and gloves (leather maybe?) to protect your self from getting scratched as you work among the bromeliad leaves. At Pinder’s we specialize in bromeliad plants that are well suited for use in the landscape. No reason to pay “florist quality” prices if it is going out into your yard!
Plus Save even more during our Bromeliad Sale! Take HALF OFF the regular prices on the varieties below. All other bromeliads are 25% off regular price! Now through May 31, 2011.
