Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  Urn Plant, Vase Plant

Description:

A medium sized selection, producing a water tight rosette of leathery, glossy green leaves that arch gracefully outward; sends up spikes of yellow flowers with bright red bracts in summer; a stunning, eye catching accent for rock gardens or containers

Ornamental Features

Tail Bromeliad features showy spikes of yellow star-shaped flowers with red bracts from early to late summer. Its attractive large glossy sword-like leaves emerge light green in spring, turning forest green in colour the rest of the year.

Landscape Attributes

Tail Bromeliad is an herbaceous evergreen tropical plant with a shapely form and gracefully arching foliage. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should never be pruned except to remove any dieback, as it tends not to take pruning well. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Tail Bromeliad is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

This plant is native to the tropics and prefers growing in moist environments with evenly warm conditions all year round. In our climate, it is usually grown as an outdoor annual in the garden or in a container. If you want it to survive the winter, it can be brought in to the house and provided with special care, and then returned to the garden the following season. In its preferred tropical habitat, it can grow to be around 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. However, when grown as an annual or when overwintered indoors, it can be expected to perform differently, and its exact height and spread will depend on many factors; you may wish to consult with our experts as to how it might perform in your specific application and growing conditions.

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Tail Bromeliad is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.

-- THIS IS A TROPICAL PLANT AND SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO SURVIVE THE WINTER OUTDOORS IN OUR CLIMATE --