Chris is a gardening writer and nature enthusiast. He graduated from Oxford Brookes University in 2022 with an MA in Psychology. Chris works with the Leeds Green Action Society, helping their food cooperative by growing various fruit and vegetables on their two allotments in Hyde Park, Leeds.
Reviewed By DAN ORI
Dan has over 27 years’ under his belt caring for plants and gardens. Working as a Horticultural Instructor and Consultant, he draws on a diverse range of experience that includes working as a Head Gardener, Tree Surgeon, Garden Centre Trouble Shooter, and writer of academic papers. Dan has a Level 3 Diploma in Horticulture and is currently a candidate for the RHS’s most prestigious award – The Master of Horticulture.
Contributions From EMILY CUPIT
Emily is a Gardening Writer, Photographer and Videographer from Derbyshire, UK. She is the Founder of Emily's Green Diary - a community of more than 75,000 people who share in her gardening journey.
IN THIS GUIDE
There are many types of bromeliad, giving us a range of choices when considering which ones to add to our houseplant collections.
Rather than showcase all bromeliad varieties, we’re going to spotlight a few common varieties that lend themselves particularly well to growing indoors.
We’ve selected varieties in receipt of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (AGM) as a way to ensure their quality and suitability to UK growing conditions.
Here’s our list, but keep in mind it is far from exhaustive:
1) Aechmea ‘Del Mar’
An evergreen, perennial bromeliad with pink-red stems that sport attractive flowers in blue, purple, green and white.
A truly exotic colour combination that’s sure to draw the eye!
2) A. fasciata ‘Primera’
Another evergreen perennial with a colourful floret of spiky flowers in an attractive pink hue.
3) Guzmania ‘Mirador’
The point of interest of this stunning cultivar is the spiky tower of colour that grows up from the central arrangement of leaves.
4) G. lingulata var. minor
This really is a remarkable plant, as you can see in the image at the bottom of this section.
Where else can you find such a bold, bright display of purples, oranges and yellows?
5) G. ‘Theresa’
If you’re looking for an entry-level bromeliad, this dwarf variety may be a good fit.
A fiery red core sits in a spiky circle of green.
6) Neoregelia carolinae
This bromeliad has quite a different aesthetic: long green blade-shaped leaves with white cores surround almost flesh-coloured foliage.
7) Vriesea splendens
Green leaves interspersed with bands of grey-green grow to an impressive length of up to 60cm.
8) V. ‘Astrid’
Bright red flowers with sharp tips shoot out from the green beneath, giving this cultivar its well-earned nickname: flaming sword.
9) Tillandsia cyanea ‘Anita’
This bromeliad, with its stunning pink blooms, can be grown in a pot or as an air plant: very on-trend.
10) T. argentea
Here’s another which can be grown well as an air plant, this time sporting silvery green spindles of leaves.
11) Billbergia × windii ‘angel’s tears’
This hybrid cultivar has exotic pink flowers that droop from dark green foliage.
12) Cryptanthus bivittatus ‘Pink Starlite’
This bromeliad is white on the outside and green in the centre, with a captivating pink hue infused.
There are plenty of other types of bromeliad to look at that haven’t received the RHS AGM.
Check for varieties in the families mentioned above, as well as Dyckia and Hechtia varieties.
