Bromeliads used to be on my list of ugly scruffy plants, to be politely rejected if offered as a gift.  But I’ve changed my mind.  I now realise that they were just un-loved or in the wrong spot.

In the interests of economy, I’ve rescued them from a friend’s skip, dug up a weed choked clump at the back of my property and picked them up from the roadside where they have been discarded by other gardeners.  Given water, early morning sun and food, they have rewarded me with pups and in many cases surprised me with beautiful technicolour flowers.  Some have even flowered in winter bringing a touch of colour to an otherwise dreary garden and, dare I say, rescuing me from a touch of post Sri-Lanka holiday depression!

And if that wasn’t enough, frogs hide and breed in the pools of water between their leaves, and honey eating birds drink from the flowers.  I’ll never say another bad word about bromeliads.

I’m hooked…