{"product_id":"giant-bromeliad-alcantarea-imperialis","title":"Giant Bromeliad - Alcantarea imperialis","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eGiant Bromeliad - Alcantarea imperialis\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the largest bromeliads in Australian gardens, \u003cem\u003eAlcantarea imperialis\u003c\/em\u003e forms a broad vase of thick, smooth edged leaves, green on the upper face and usually flushed burgundy underneath and toward the tips in strong light. It is planted for scale and permanence: a single rosette does the structural work a cycad or an agave would do in a tropical scheme, without a spine anywhere on the leaf. In habitat it clings to bare granite above the forest, so in a garden it asks for sharp drainage, bright light and very little else.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Giant Bromeliad\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSculptural scale\u003c\/strong\u003e: Broad leaves arch out from a single crown, so one plant carries the bulk and outline of a small shrub with none of its pruning.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSelf watering cup\u003c\/strong\u003e: Overlapping leaf bases hold water in a central well that carries the plant through dry spells with little irrigation.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCool winter tolerance\u003c\/strong\u003e: An established rosette handles the cool winters of South East Queensland and the coast to Sydney and comes through an occasional light frost, though frost can mark the leaves, so a frost free or overhead sheltered spot is the safe position.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlowers once, in old age\u003c\/strong\u003e: A branched stem among reddish bracts appears only on an old rosette, which then slowly fades, and since this species makes few offsets it is best treated as a long lived single specimen.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTropical feature bed\u003c\/strong\u003e: At the front of a bed of gingers and cordylines it gives the planting a fixed centre that keeps its outline all year.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePool and paved surrounds\u003c\/strong\u003e: Spine free leaves and almost no litter let it sit right at the coping of a pool or the edge of a terrace.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRaised beds and rockeries\u003c\/strong\u003e: Set among boulders or on a gritty mound, it gets the drainage its granite origins demand.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSheltered coastal gardens\u003c\/strong\u003e: It copes with salt laden breezes in gardens set back behind the first line of beachfront planting.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5 to 2m, so the leaves can arch without crowding\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Through the warm months, from mid spring to early autumn\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gritty, sharply draining ground of crushed rock, sandy loam and composted bark; heavy soil is dug out and replaced, not improved, before planting\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Firm the mix hard around the base at planting, since a young rosette with a full cup is top heavy and can tip. Through warm weather hose out the central well every week so mosquito larvae cannot breed, and give the roots a drink only when the mix is dry a finger's depth down. A plant raised under shade cloth is best given a few weeks of filtered light before full exposure, which prevents the leaves bleaching.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 to 1.5m in leaf, to around 3m in flower\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.2 to 1.8m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Slow\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun to partial shade; some afternoon shade in hot inland districts\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e Granite outcrops of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e White to cream among reddish bracts on a branched spike, carried once in the plant's life\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"400mm","offer_id":60207438332190,"sku":"ND-1854-400MM","price":910.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500mm","offer_id":60207438397726,"sku":"ND-1854-500MM","price":1755.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"75L","offer_id":60207438430494,"sku":"ND-1854-75L","price":1655.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/giant-bromeliad-alcantarea-imperialis.jpg?v=1791513174","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/giant-bromeliad-alcantarea-imperialis","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}