Thursday, May 6, 2010

Aechmea distichantha

The flower spike on Aechmea distichantha lasts a very long time, and if you have several plants the succession of blooms can extend for months!  The plants grow about three feet tall and the flower spike extends above the foliage.
The hot pink flower spike branches out and darkens with age becoming more of a dull red color.
These are very spiny plants with a sharp spine on the tip of each leaf.  They should be planted away from high-traffic areas, or clip off the terminal spines.  They are great barrier plants to keep out unwanted animals or people!
They will grow in full sun and are also very drought tolerant. The leaves are not damaged by frost or brief periods of hard freeze. This is one of the most indestructible bromeliads you can own!
Aechmea distichantha works well in arid gardens but can be used anywhere for a long-lasting splash of color in winter and spring.
Buy this plant!

6 comments:

Manuela said...

Love the tropical blooms :)

Thank you for your comments. I have to admit that Florida would have been at the bottom of my list because of your reasons and others that friends have shared.

The search continues and who knows where it will take me but, in the meantime I'll play in my garden!

NanaK said...

I'm lovin' all your bromeliad pictures and info. This one is especially nice. I definitely need to add some more broms to my garden in the future. These posts have given me lots of food for thought.

Indoor Fountains said...

How vibrant. The colors just jump right out at you.

Muhammad khabbab said...

very beautiful flowers indeed.

Ami said...

You have such a nice collection of bromeliads! Very beautiful bloom! I am with you about the spiny feature. I have several broms with this feature, and all those agaves! Somes I got stung when working around them. A nail cliping sounds a good idea :)

africanaussie said...

I was just commenting last night how much I love flowers that stick around for a while! this looks like a winner!