Aechmea blanchetiana

Aechmea blanchetiana in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney

This is one of the largest bromeliads I grow - it can reach a span of a metre. Its sharply toothed leaves will stay green in shade but in a full sun position, become a golden-yellow hue, or even red or bronze. The flower stem, appearing in mid- to late summer, can reach 2 m in height and has feathery yellow and red blooms. The plant comes from coastal Brazil and was often used by Brazilian landscaper Roberto Burle Marx in his work that championed the use of local plants. The clump should be divided every few years. It can be grown in a large pot. It can be grown as an epiphyte. In its natural habitat it is pollinated by hummingbirds but elsewhere it can pollinated by bees, bats and other pollinators.