When we think of intense color often our mind darts off to  a great paint job on a Harley, something with maybe flames or a high gloss gas tank.

Bromeliads have their version of a Harley also. Bromeliad flowers may indeed add many more colors to the crayon box and you might stop for a brief moment and utter a wow under your breath. But when one group of Bromeliads - Neoregelia - wants to show their colors  even the "business professional" and weekend Harley rider would need to put on an extra pair of sunglasses.

Mention the word "bromeliad" and you may pick up some quick stares - "bra… what"? Many people know what a bromeliad is… just not by that name.

The most popular of all Bromeliads would probably be the pineapple! The commercial edible bromeliad botanically known as Ananas comosus.  I’ve visited the pineapple fields in hawaii  and tasted the fruits… it can only be described as "candy."

However, the pineapple also has a few other relatives in the family. These other siblings dress in green, pink striped and cream leaves. When mature most Ananas boast a rosette of leaves 2 feet or more across.

Although the pineapple (Ananas comosus) may give us food for the table a smaller more "dwarf" pineapple - Ananus nanus - is  more commonly grown as a house plant. Arching  12 to 15-inch grayish-green leaves surround a spike of red buds often resembling a pincushion. This miniture even gives a nice 2-inch high, edible pineapple. Ananus nanus is grown more as a novelty plant.  If you want to start a conversation in the office or out on the pation with a cup of coffee… try a pineapple!

Throughout the day most of use words and terms which we assume people will know what we mean. If example, mention the word "cargo" and we think of containers on a ship.

Bromeliads have their own sort of a "mystery word." That word is - flower! Mention Bromeliad flower and most people immediately think the colorful spike is actually the flower… but it is not.

That big showy "flower" is a what is known as the inflorescence. What is an infloresence according to wikipedia - An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers on a branch of a plant. In botany, the term refers to the way individual flowers are arranged on the plant, which arise on the same stem.

Bromeliad flowers in reality are small and at times very plain, but when combined in a group they produce colorful masterpieces of natural art which can last for months.

One thing I love about the whole Bromeliad family is the wide variety of shapes colors and potential uses. They cross the boundaries of “political correctness” and economic status. They can dress up a trendy art deco South Beach condo as well as brighten up an apartment in Cleveland.

Most of the species grown as house plants or office plants show off primarily colorful foliage or bright “flowers” livening up any indoor space. The “Broms” at times seem to carry as many variations in foliage as you’ll find in flowers. However, many of those colors “hiding” in the foliage need good lighting to show their stuff… often this means used in outdoor landscapes.
What kind of foliage and color variations am I talking about?

Everything from leaves of green to gray, maroon, deep purple (not the rock group), hot pinks and yellows with many colors in between. You’ll find foliage spotted, striped, banded to one a treat for the ladies with “painted fingernails.”

Yes a diverse group of plants they are… one that with a little opening of the eye can be used in many situations… even Rockefeller Center in the Summer!

One of the most interesting things about the whole Bromeliad family is the wide variety of plants found in the family - many different sizes, shapes, flower colors and foliage colors and places they can be used.

Most of the ones we find used in the landscape or as house plants feature a rosette and flower spike planted right in the middle.
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Bromeliads used in the garden, grouped together in a beautiful terra-cotta pot or as a stand alone work of natural art can add color and style in an easy to care for package.

Grouping the plants in a container let’s me trade out plants as they come in color… and change the look as often as I’d like. This picture is a group of different colored Guzmanias “planted” together is a nice 10″ terra-cotta pot. THis combination gives yo many options for longterm color and use…

Bromeliads are the family where we find pineapples (Bromeliaceae), and can be found in their native habitat of the New World or more commonly known as North, Central and South America. The two most widely known plants from the Bromeliad family are the popular pineapple (Ananas comosus) and the graceful “southern Bromeliad” known as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides).

Most Bromeliads grown for indoor use as house plants are epiphytes. In their native home you’ll find them attached by their root to trunks and branches in trees and “catch” their nutrients and moisture from the air and rain - hence they are know as “air plants”.

Some do attach themselves to rocks, while other grow as most plants do - in the ground. Within the same genus or group you can often find tree-dwelling, ground-dwelling, and rock-dwelling species. If the truth be known most epiphytic and terrestrial Bromeliads can grow just as well in either place or condition. It is this characteristic and ability Bromeliads posses in particular, that allows many of the epiphytic Bromeliad species to be produced in pots, making them wonderful house plants.

Bromeliad the name may sound a little foreign but the name has not stopped the Bromeliad family from becoming one of the most popular house plants today. It’s bright colorful flowers and unique foliage make Bromeliads versatile for both indoor and outdoor use in landscape design. Bromeliads have long been a favorite for use for long lasting color and ease of care.

Orchids and Bromeliads are two families in the wide world of plants which offer many variations in size, shape, foliage and flower colors. One of the highlights Bromeliads deliver is their ability to adapt to a wide range of growing conditions both outside in the landscape as single specimens or as mass beds as ground cover. They equally excel in their use as a house plant where the brighten any room and con be used in many unique combinations.