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The 5 Best Cold Hardy Bromeliads

Even though there's a multitude of Hi everybody! I'm Steve.
frost tolerant bromeliads to choose
from, the internet is somewhat
lacking with information on the
matter. Here are my top picks based
on personal experience, numerous
resources and anecdotal information.
Included are bromeliads that can take
freezing conditions to 20 degrees, but it is best to protect
them just in case and see what works for you since there are
always exceptions within each species.
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Aechmea
Garden Variety Creativity
The genus Aechmea includes the The Rainforest Garden is about enriching your life
greatest amount of cold hardy species, with everything that the garden has to offer, be it
mud puddles, surprise blooms or freshly-picked
such as the popular "Matchstick backyard produce.

Bromeliads", Aechmea Gamosepala My name is Steve Asbell and I'm the author of

and Aechmea Cylindrata, which get my
picks for time proven toughness.  "Blue
Cones" is pictured to the left, which is a
hybrid of cylindrata.   If you're stuck waiting for another one of my blog
These two and their hybrids are quite similar, but the
majority of them feature clumping and low growing
Plant by Numbers, as well as an aspiring children's
author/illustrator. My two-year old son, however,
is my biggest and most exhausting
accomplishment.
posts, fear not! Subscribe to my blogs on Burpee,
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rosettes of foliage with a blue and pink flower spike with

bracts resembling matchsticks.  Other tough ones are
A. apocalyptica, A. recurvata, A. winkleri, A. calyculata, Click on the house to see my children's
A. caudata, A kertesziae, A. distichantha and A. illustrations!
Nudicaulis, though there are many more.
They can be grown in well draining soil as an accent,
groundcover or focal point, but its in the trees as
epiphytes that they really look impressive.  I
recommend placing offsets in palm trees like windmills
and letting them form clumps at eye level. 

Billbergia
There are a multitude of cold hardy
Billbergia Hybrids with drastically
different flowers and forms.  Many of
the toughest ones color nicely in sun,
often with pink spotted foliage!  Look y'all, I'm on TV!
Billbergia Nutans, or Queens Tears
have soft and wavy green leaves that Steve Asbell, Gard…
drape down nicely, especially when planted as an
epiphyte.  Still others, like Billbergia Pyramidalis 'Striata'
or 'kyoto' have variegated foliage with yellow stripes or
white margins, respectively.
You can usually identify Billbergias by their slender form
and short lived but magnificent flowers.  Pyramidalis
Thank you again, Southern Living!
Hybrids are borderline for me in 9a, so make sure to
give them protection.

Dyckia
These are succulent terrestrials with
amazing spiky, tightly clustered
rosettes.  Though there are other cold
hardy terrestrials like Puya and
Bromelia, Dyckia get my pick for the
average home gardener for their tightly
clumping nature and smaller size.  Many like "Cherry Thank you Southern Living!
Coke" and "Red Planet" have deep burgundy leaves,
while others are green, bronze or jet black.  The
contrasting white spines look menacing yet very ornate,
and actually point forward and backward!  To the left is
a shot of "cherry coke" flowering at the UNF campus.

Neoregelia
Grown mostly for their architectural
foliage, Neoregelias have an
astounding variety of hybrids to choose
from, with many of the leathery ones
suitable for colder winters.  Neoregelia
Spectabilis is a common passalong Proud Member of the Puddlejump
plant with pink "fingernails at the tips of Collective!
the leaves, and is quite hardy in sun or frost. 
Neoregelias will sustain damage in the coldest winters,
but they usually recover quickly.  There is a clump of
Neoregelia "Betty Head" growing in an old oak tree
despite the recent cold winters.  It took a big hit this
year, but this was with no protection.  My
recommendation for those with hard frosts is to plant
them in protected places.  If you want them in trees,
Copyright 2009-2016
plant stoloniferous types at the tree's base and let them Steve Asbell

climb!

Vriesea
When the freezes hit my local garden
centers and nurseries, it was interesting to
note that while the guzmanias burned to a
crisp, the vrieseas got off almost scot free.
Although the mother plants died, all of the
pups were unharmed even though these
individuals were of amazonian origin. If
you're feeling a little less brave, try some of these exceptional
species from Southeastern Brazil! Vriesea Philippo Coburgii,
V. Vagans, V. Lubbersii, V. Corcovadensis and V. Flammea are
all great choices if you get frost. My philippo coburgii was left
out in the open and only received a little leaf damage! To the
left is a Vriecantarea "Inferno", which is an intergeneric
hybrid between Vriesea and Alcantarea. This very large
hybrid is also reportedly very hardy.

(Though "the best" is definitely open for debate, I've spent

the last several years researching through books, the internet,
publications, anecdotal evidence and from personal
experience. If you have any pertinent info be it a
disagreement or a shared success, leave a comment or let me
know.)

Here's a link to a post I did on cold hardy Billbergias

14 comments:
Susan May 21, 2010 at 9:00 PM
Hi Rainforest Gardener...I definitely like the new look of your
blog. I especially like the 5 sections listed in the sidebar...very
nice. Many of the bromeliads you listed in your post that I have
in my yard survived the winter. Mine are protected by a large
tree canopy and frost was not able to settle on them...which I
think made a big difference. I never would have thought
bromeliads would survive as far north as Jax, but I would guess
that being on the coast made the difference for you. Thanks for
the great info.
Reply

Floridagirl May 21, 2010 at 11:29 PM

First of all, I confess that I have copied your pages in the sidebar
idea. I am no artist, however, so I used some photos from my
archives. Sneaky way to get even more on my blog.

As for bromeliads, you give very good advice. It's all about the
microclimate, I think. My broms seem to fare very well under
tree cover or close to a wall of the house or a porch. Siblings of
the same exact species that thrived in shade have expired in
exposed locations. Hmmm, I think I've lost specimens from many
different genera that way. Wish I could send you photos of this
year's crop of damaged broms. I've left them in the ground in
hopes of recovery or pupping. The pups that were already there
do actually seem to have more green on them than the mother
plants.

I would love to take your cold-hardy list into a nursery and shop
my heart out, but where to find such a nursery? Anyone out
there know of such a nursery? Even when you find broms, they
are usually unlabeled or only have the cultivar name.
Reply

lotusleaf May 22, 2010 at 12:24 AM

A very interesting post. I have a vriesia 'flaming sword', which
has never flowered.
The matchstick plants and Bilbergia pyramidalis are in flower
throughout the year here.
Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment.
Reply

Steve Asbell May 22, 2010 at 12:29 PM

Susan: Thank you so much! I'm glad your broms survived. Most
of the broms I find are from inland Gainesville, in zone 8b. I
figure that if they survive their weather in the teens they can
take my winters too!

Floridagirl: I saw your buttons and I like them a lot! You can even
adjust the margins if you want by editing the css so they're not
so widely spaced.
I find most of my broms by going to plant sales and festivals,
such as the spring and fall ones at Kanapaha in Gainesville. There
was also a great Seminole Bromeliad Society sale that we made a
trip for, and some others around florida. I'll be doing a post on
"How to Find Rare Plants" later! There are some places close to
you too, but I'll have to research again to find their names.

Lotusleaf: I have a vriesea "flaming sword" too that hasn't yet

flowered, but I prefer to have a larger healthy plant before it
flowers anyway. You can always force them to bloom by placing
them in a bag with a banana peel or apple for a couple days. The
commercial growers gas them similarly, but all too often when
the plant is too small. It seems like my vrieseas take over a year
to flower at least, but that's alright with me.
Reply

Anonymous May 23, 2010 at 2:25 AM

Love the entire thing. Good job.
Reply

Jungle Rebel September 2, 2010 at 4:33 AM

Wow, I had no idea some bromelias are hardy! Luv you blog by
the way :-)
Reply

Anonymous October 28, 2010 at 9:07 PM

what zone will the brommies not survive i live in 6 b is that to far
north? I love the plants and would love to know just how tough
they are thanks so much Linda
Reply

Steve Asbell October 28, 2010 at 9:41 PM

Linda:
Thanks for stopping by! Unfortunately you are a bit too far north
for bromeliads. What you can do however, is grow the broms in
pots and sink them into a shady bed in the warmer months,
taking them in right before the first frost! If you wound up mulch
over the edge of the pots they'll look natural in their summer
home, like part of the garden!
Reply

Anonymous December 17, 2010 at 9:55 PM

We use a lot of the same bromeliads you have recommended for
outdoor culture here in northern California, as well. I grow all of
the Aechmea species you list, and fortunately we seldom dip
much below 29F here in my Berkeley garden, but it has gotten as
cold as 24F in the past. I would probably add almost all forms of
Ae. recurvata and its hybrids, Ae. nudicaulis, Ae. pineliana v.
minuta, Ae. ornata v. nationalis, Billbergia sanderiana, Billbergia
vittata and Alcatarea imperialis to your list of hardier bromeliads
to grow. For me, Aechmea distichantha and its hybrids/cultivars,
along with Aechmea kertesziae have been the most hardy.

I'd also suggest that finding these isn't quite so difficult anymore,
mail order nurseries such as Michael's Bromeliads in Florida can
satisfy your urges for a lot of these species and hybrids. I know
that I had to start my own personal collection of outdoor hardy
bromeliads from the plant table at local San Francisco Bromeliad
Society meetings, which is probably also a great way in other
parts of the country as well. Since that first meeting some 25
years ago, I have now amassed suitable quantities of various
hardy bromeliads planted out in landscape clients' gardens to be
able to sustainably divide, harvest and further spread the wealth
into new clients' gardens.

Plunging pots of bromeliads into the summer garden and

wintering in a cool greenhouse or sunporch is an excellent
method to achieve the look without risking them outdoors in the
winter. If I had the room for a greenhouse or more winter light
indoors, I would do this myself here in zone 9b California
conditions so that I could grow things like Aechmea
blanchetiana, but I don't have the room, so I don't grow the
more tender stuff, except to treat them as expendable annuals.

I might also suggest that smaller bromeliads such as Neoregelias

can look superb in hanging baskets combined with other
epiphytic things such as Rhipalis and succulents such as
Graptopetalums.

David in Berkeley
Reply

Steve Asbell December 21, 2010 at 2:30 PM

Wow, David! Best comment ever! This is an older post on the
blog and I have since discovered and tried many of the other
broms you mentioned via brom society meetings and nurseries
around Florida, like Tropiflora. Oh, and rhipsalis planted along
with broms? WAY ahead of you! I'm so glad I'm not the only one
who does this, since plugging in epiphytic cacti really makes for
lush and natural plantings, especially when the rhops can hang
down in curtains. I'm actually posting on rhipsalis today, so
please feel free to leave any comments! I've recently expanded
my collection and any info would be great. :)
Reply

m.krishna March 28, 2011 at 10:54 PM

Hey Steve,

I just figured out what a red bromeliad that I have in my garden

is and I think you should check it out. Even with mild frost
protection of plike a palm tree it sailed through the winters of
09-10 with no problems. The hybrid is called xCryptbergia rubra
and it is perhaps my favorite bromeliad! It matches very well
with that florida gold sedum.

-Krishna
Reply

Steve Asbell March 29, 2011 at 7:56 PM

Krishna:
So funny that you should mention Cryptbergia rubra! I
purchased one in fall and have left it outdoors this winter
unprotected too, with no damage at all. I eventually figured out
what it was and sure enough, Cryptbergia rubra is supposedly
hardy down to 20F. I planted it under the oak tree and will see
how it does next winter! Nice suggestion on the gold sedum too!
Reply

m.krishna March 31, 2011 at 11:02 AM

Make sure it gets sun or it turns to an olive-y green that isnt
particularly attractive. I have some growing in the crook of an
oak tree that are growing well and I'm trying one on the side of
an oak to see if it can grow like that too, that way it could get
more sun.
Reply

Anonymous May 19, 2011 at 3:12 AM

Puyas, Ochagavias, and Fascicularias are good cold-hardy
bromeliads for climates that don't get too hot and moist in the
summer, like California. Not very tropical-looking, though.
Reply

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