Giant Bromeliad

The Giant Bromeliad (Alcantarea imperialis 'Rubra') is what you reach for when a bed needs one strong shape rather than ten small ones. It forms a thick leaved, symmetrical burgundy rosette about 1.5m tall and 1.5m across, and holds that colour all year. Mature plants eventually throw a branched spike to around 3m carrying cream and red bracts.

Why you'll love it

• Colour without a flowering season. The burgundy is in the leaf, so it looks the same in July as in January.
• It stores its own water. The central cup and thick leaves carry a reserve, so it is genuinely drought tolerant once settled.
• Built for exposed positions. Salt and heat tolerant, so a coastal bed or a hot poolside surround does not trouble it.
• Very little maintenance. No pruning, no staking, no deadheading. Flush the cup occasionally and that is the routine.

Where it works best

Feature planting. A single rosette in gravel or against a rendered wall gives a sculptural focal point. Leave 1.5m of clear ground around it.

Poolside. It sheds very little and takes splash and reflected heat off paving. Set it back about 1m from the coping.

Mass planting. Plant 1.5m apart, where the rosettes almost touch at maturity while each keeps its own outline.

Pots and containers. A wide, shallow pot suits the roots better than a deep one, and a pot is easy to move out of a cold snap.

Growing Giant Bromeliad in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade. Sun deepens the burgundy; shade keeps the leaves greener and opens the rosette wider. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens and takes light frost only, so cold inland and hard frosting southern gardens need it in a container under an eave.

Soil. Free draining and coarse. The roots are shallow and mostly anchoring, so a gritty mix or a sandy bed beats rich, heavy soil. On clay, plant on a raised mound.

Water and feed. Keep the central cup topped up in warm weather and let the soil dry between waterings. A weak liquid fertiliser two or three times over spring and summer is plenty; heavy feeding washes out the colour.

After flowering. The flowering rosette declines over a year or more, but it makes offsets around the base first. Cut it out at ground level and let the pups take over.

What to expect when it arrives

Four sizes are grown: 200mm in packs of six and 250mm in packs of three for mass planting, then single 300mm and 400mm plants. The packs arrive as rosettes about dinner plate width and take three to four years to reach full size. A 400mm plant is a feature the day it goes in.

Bromeliads travel well because the leaves are stiff and hold moisture. Tip the cup out before planting and refill it once the plant is settled. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read our guide to bromeliad varieties and how they differ.
• The wider tropical garden plant range for companions.
• Compare other plants suited to poolside gardens.
• Our picks for low maintenance tropical poolside planting.

Common questions

How long until it flowers?

Usually eight to ten years from a young plant, so buy it for the rosette rather than the spike. The branched stem then lifts to around 3m.

Will water in the cup breed mosquitoes?

It can in still, warm conditions. Flush the cup with the hose every week or two through summer and the problem does not arise.

How far apart should I plant them?

1.5m apart. Any closer and the outer leaves collide and distort as the rosettes fill out.