Imagine the interior and exterior of your home turned into a lush paradise where bright colors bring every corner to life. Bromeliads can make these dreams come true, and that’s why they’re the perfect gift for plant lovers!
Bromeliads come in thousands of different types and many of them are loved for their beautiful flowers and leaves. Some people even used to think they were fancy or hard to grow, but with the right care, they’re actually quite easy to care for.
In this article, we’ll show you the best bromeliads for indoor and outdoor spaces. We’ll also talk about their characteristics, how to look after them, and provide some insights as to who might appreciate them most as gifts.
Bromeliads in a Nutshell
Bromeliads are a diverse family of plants that have striking foliage and exhibit an array of leaf shapes, sizes, and colors. Some bromeliads feature rosettes of spiky, vibrant leaves, while others flaunt cascading, arching foliage.
They come in various sizes, with some petite species reaching just a few inches in height, while larger varieties can tower at several feet. These size differences offer flexibility when it comes to decorating your living space or garden.
These plants are classified as succulents due to their capacity to store water within their leaves. This adaptation allows bromeliads to thrive in regions with limited rainfall and makes them resilient, low-maintenance choices for indoor and outdoor environments.
Why choose bromeliads?
Here’s why these plants make such fantastic additions to your garden or indoor space:
- Low Maintenance: Bromeliads are known for their ability to thrive with minimal care, which makes them perfect for both beginners and experienced gardeners.
- Striking Leaves and Blooms: Their leaves come in a wide spectrum of colors and patterns, ranging from rich greens to fiery reds and even zebra stripes. This means there’s virtually one for every taste!
- Unique Growth Habits: Some bromeliads are epiphytic, meaning they can grow on other surfaces like trees, while others are terrestrial, with their roots planted firmly in the ground. This means you can find a bromeliad for any space, whether it’s a cozy corner or a sunny spot.
Best Indoor Bromeliad Varieties for Gifting
Bromeliads are popular indoor house plants because they bring an element of visual appeal and aesthetic charm to any indoor space. This makes them an excellent choice for your home, office, or as thoughtful gifts.
Here are some of the best varieties to choose from:
Earth Stars Bromeliads
Botanical Name: Cryptanthus spp.
Origin: Native to Brazil
Size: Can grow up to 3 feet
Light: Bright, indirect sunlight
Water: Can endure drought for a short period of time, but keep the soil evenly moist and water when the upper one to two inches of soil becomes dry
Toxicity: Non-toxic
Earth stars are recognized for their rosettes of eye-catching foliage with a spectrum of colors, ranging from various shades of green to pink. These may feature a solid color or display intricate patterns, including stripes, patches, bands, and spots.
They cannot survive the freezing weather as they thrive in indirect sunlight, which makes them a perfect choice for indoor environments.
These plants are relatively easy to grow and require minimal maintenance. Just opt for well-draining, coarse, and acidic soil, and maintain temperatures between 60°F to 85°F.
Earth star plants are resilient to short drought periods and also have a slow growth rate, which lessens the need for frequent pruning and repotting.
Best for: Earth Star is for those living in predominantly warm climates throughout the year.
Air Plants
Botanical Name: Tillandsia spp.
Origin: Native to Northern Mexico, United States, the Caribbean, and Argentina.
Size: Up to 6-8 inches
Light: Bright, indirect sunlight
Water: In a dry environment, immerse in water for 2 to 3 hours every week. For homes with cooler or more humid conditions, mist the plants once or twice a week in summer and once a month in winter.
Toxicity: Non-toxic
Tillandsia, commonly referred to as air plants, are known for their lightweight seeds and leaf cells that can absorb water, which allows them to thrive in a variety of environments, such as rocks, tree branches, fridge magnets, or even soilless planters.
Air plants have very slow growth. They typically reach a diameter of 6 to 8 inches when they fully mature and are very low-maintenance.
Provide them with bright, filtered sunlight and follow their watering requirements. In the spring, consider adding a small amount of bromeliad or orchid fertilizer to the water used for bathing or misting the plant.
Best for: Air plants are an ideal gift for individuals who appreciate low-maintenance greenery and have a penchant for unique and eye-catching plant displays.
They are the best gifts for those with busy lifestyles or limited gardening experience since they have easy care requirements and can thrive in various creative settings.
Urn Plants
Botanical Name: Aechmea fasciata
Origin: Native to Brazil
Size: Can grow up to 19 inches
Light: Bright, indirect sunlight
Water: Water on a weekly basis or whenever the top layer of soil becomes dry. Also water the “urn” regularly for it to bloom.
Toxicity: Non-toxic
The urn plant is a type of bromeliad characterized by tough, leather-like dark green leaves with silver markings. They are arranged in a rosette fashion that creates an urn-like structure at the center.
It has a flower that features a pink, star-shaped structure with pointed petals and small purple blossoms at its core that appear from the center of the foliage. It only blooms once every four to five years.
Best for: Urn plants are amazing gifts for those who appreciate the beauty of exotic blooms and for anyone willing to patiently wait for the stunning flower display that occurs every few years.
Aechmea Bromeliad
Botanical Name: Aechmea spp.
Origin: Native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America
Size: Up to 2 feet tall
Light: Indirect sunlight to partial shade
Water: Make sure to keep the central cup filled with water
Toxicity: Non-toxic
The Aechmea are some of the most sought-after houseplants. The name “Aechmea” comes from the Greek word for spear tip, which refers to the plant’s rosettes of pointed, spear-shaped leaves.
When in bloom, Aechmea bromeliads look very stunning with a bulbous, spiked central flower head. They are slow-growing and typically reach about 2 feet in height and width.
These bromeliads are known to be low-maintenance. They are adaptable to various soil mixes and thrive in indirect sunlight to partial shade. This makes them versatile for different environmental and lighting conditions indoors.
Be sure to fill the plant’s central cup with water consistently and frequently change the water to prevent the growth of bacteria.
Best for: Aechmea Bromeliads are an excellent gift choice for busy individuals or those new to gardening.
They make excellent presents for anyone who appreciates the excitement of a slow-growing plant that eventually rewards them with a stunning central flower head.
Queen’s Tears Bromeliads
Botanical Name: Billbergia nutans
Origin: Native to Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina
Size: Can grow up to 18 inches
Light: Bright, indirect light
Water: Water once a day
Toxicity: Non-toxic
The queen’s tears plant is known as the “friendship plant” because it is easy to propagate and share.
It is a vibrant variety that has a pink stem with a cluster of gracefully drooping, trumpet-shaped flowers adorned with pink and green bracts, complemented by light green and blue petals.
The queen’s tears can reach heights of up to 18 inches, which might require you to repot before it blooms to make sure it has enough space.
Apart from occasional repotting, this plant is generally low-maintenance and can tolerate drought for a short period of time.
Best for: This plant is an ideal gift for friends or loved ones who enjoy decorating their living spaces with colorful and eye-catching plants. It is also best suited for individuals with some gardening experience since it requires occasional repotting.
Best Outdoor Bromeliad Varieties for Gifting
Bromeliads make wonderful additions to landscaping because of their eye-catching colors and appearances.
Here are some of the best outdoor bromeliad varieties that you can gift to anyone looking to enhance their gardens.
Sapphire Tower Bromeliad
Botanical Name: Puya alpestris
Origin: Native to Central and Southern Chile
Size: Can grow up to 4 feet
Light: Direct sunlight
Water: Water on a weekly basis or whenever the upper part of the soil becomes dry
Toxicity: Non-toxic
The Puya alpestris, commonly known as the sapphire tower bromeliad, features towering flowering stalks that reach heights of three to four feet that last for one to two months.
They have metallic teal-colored 2-inch blossoms with striking bright-orange anthers at their centers.
The sapphire tower bromeliad requires direct sunlight but can endure temperatures as low as -4°C which makes it ideal to be grown outdoors. During the summer, water them once a week and reduce them to once a month in the winter.
Best for: Sapphire tower bromeliads are an excellent gift choice for loved ones who love having gardens with vibrant and extravagant plants.
Guapilla
Botanical Name: Hechtia glomerata
Origin: Native to Mexico and Guatemala
Size: Can grow up to 2 feet
Light: Direct sunlight
Water: Water once every 2 weeks
Toxicity: Non-toxic
Guapilla is known for its sharp-edged appearance. It has elongated green leaves that form an expansive rosette-like fashion, and turn into a reddish hue as they grow.
This bromeliad variety thrives when exposed to direct sunlight, which makes it best suited for outdoor cultivation. It is a generally low-maintenance plant since it requires watering only once every two weeks.
Best for: Guapilla can be an amazing gift for individuals living in areas with harsh changes in weather as it can tolerate drought as well as cold temperatures.
It’s also worth noting that it’s not suitable for individuals with young children or pets since this plant has spikes that can hurt them.
Cherry Coke
Botanical Name: Dyckia platyphylla
Origin: Native to Brazil
Size: Can grow up to 18 inches
Light: Direct or indirect sunlight
Water: Water when the soil dries completely
Toxicity: Non-toxic
Cherry coke has rich burgundy leaves accentuated by small, sharp spikes along the edges and can grow orange or yellow-orange flowers.
This type of bromeliad can grow up to 18 inches outdoors and can attract hummingbirds when its vibrant flowers come into bloom.
Best for: Cherry coke bromeliads are low-maintenance plants and can tolerate drought. This makes them an excellent choice for friends and family members who are relatively new to gardening and would love to have eye-catching plants.
Pink Quill Bromeliads
Botanical Name: Tillandsia cyanea
Origin: Native to Ecuador
Size: Can grow up to 10 inches
Light: Thrives in bright, direct, or indirect light
Water: Water once or twice a week
Toxicity: Non-toxic
Pink quill bromeliads have an eye-catching appearance even with their small height of about ten inches. They have slender, arching green leaves that spiral gracefully to form a rosette.
At the center of this rosette, you’ll find a stunning cluster of pink bracts where violet flowers bloom. Like many bromeliad varieties, the pink quill blooms only once and gradually dies after that.
However, by moving their offsets into a different pot and giving them proper care, they can grow into beautiful plants.
Best for: Pink quill bromeliads are an excellent gift choice for individuals living in warmer climates who appreciate vibrant and eye-catching plants for their outdoor spaces, such as terraces or patios.
They are also ideal for people who don’t mind the fact that they only bloom once, as they can grow new plants from their offsets.
Flaming Sword Bromeliad
Botanical Name: Vriesea spp.
Origin: Native to Central and South America
Size: Can grow up to 18 inches in height
Light: Bright, indirect sunlight
Water: Keep the central cup filled with water
Toxicity: Non-toxic
Vriesea bromeliads are called flaming sword plants because of their vibrant, sword-shaped inflorescence spikes.
They take in water and nutrients through their central cups and have no roots, but they have features known as holdfasts to anchor themselves to tree barks.
These bromeliads are easy to care for. Provide them with bright, indirect sunlight and use filtered or soft water to sustain the plant’s central cup.
Make sure to change it frequently to avoid the growth of bacteria. In the spring and summer seasons, fertilize them once a month using a diluted, water-soluble fertilizer in the central cup.
Best for: The flaming sword bromeliad is an excellent gift choice for individuals who don’t have much gardening experience and enjoy unique plants with fiery colors.