Hi everyone.

ut2nc - Could we see some pictures of the plants in the garden please, so we know what plants we are discussing...Thanks

All the best, Nev.

There are three types, as far as I can tell this is one. This is just a section of them but they all look this bad. There is purple at the tips is the red flowers.

Hi everyone.

ut2nc - It's always much easier to get advice or an ID for a plant when we have a picture, and your case is no exception. Your plant is a bromeliad species called Billbergia pyramidalis. In different countries it's also known by such common names as "Fool-proof Plant", "Flaming-Torch" or Summer-Torch". It's a very popular plant that's been grown for years in many different countries.

As you've no doubt realised by now, it's a very easy plant to grow when given the right conditions and will very quickly grow into a nice size clump which makes a beautiful spectacle when in flower.

Billbergias are like most non-terrestrial bromeliads and are natural epiphytes (they grow on trees), but will still grow happily in the garden. They don't rely on water and nutrients from the soil and get them instead from the air and water which is stored in a central vase. This combines with debris, and small animal droppings to form a "soup" which acts like a continuous supply of very weak fertiliser. This is why it's important to make sure there is always some water in the central vase.

I have found that in my area, these plants grow easily in shade or up to almost full sun, and the amount of light provided will dictate the colour of the leaves, with shade producing deep green, and high light producing lime to almost yellow coloured leaves.

Depending on conditions the flower head lasts in colour for up to two to three weeks but will be damaged by low temperatures especially frost.

Billbergias flower only once, and when finished will produce small plants called "offsets" or "pups" from around the base. These can be removed when large enough which is generally recommended as being half the size of the Mother plant (or more) and preferably when they have roots of their own.

Personally I prefer to let them grow into clumps and I think they look more attractive in this way and make a real statement in the garden.

In a case like yours, I would use a garden fork to lift the clumps from the garden; it's quite easy as they don't root deeply. By doing this it makes it's easier to tidy them up and remove any grass and weeds growing in between plants.

Remove any dead plants and trim back any dead or dying leaves so you have a good picture of what the clump looks like. You will often find slugs and snails living among these plants, but they don'r pose a problem and don't appear to do any real harm to the plants and just use them as a place to live. Once you have tidied up the clumps you can then divide them into suitable sizes. You will often find that when you start removing the weeds and the dead bits of plants, the clump will break away and "self divide" which will then dictate what size your divisions will be.

All I would say is that when planting in the garden keep plants to a small clump size of a few plants rather than just single plants, saving these to be grown in their own pot.

Single plants look better in a pot on their own whereas the garden benefits more from clumps of four or five plants. If you have an excess clump and have a suitable tree in the garden, you can position the clump in the tree fork where it will grow happily and make quite an interesting feature. Remember though that when grown in this way they get more circulation air and dry out quicker therefore requiring more water than plants grown in garden beds.

Bill. pyramidalis has also been used extensively as a parent and currently has 40 hybrids registered to its name on the Bromeliad Cultivar Register, but in my opinion there's none more attractive than Billbergia 'Booyong Ladd' bred by Australian hybridiser Allan Ladd.

Billbergia 'Booyong Ladd'

Thank you so much! I'll get to work! :)

What a great post Nev!