Last week I commented that one of the flowers in the arrangement was three feet long. This was a Blanchetiana Bromeliad. I decided to cut a whole flower to use in a vase. The flower turned out to be closer to six feet long. Two yards or nearly two meters. I cut about four feet including the stem and realized the flower was too heavy to put in a vase, so I used some ‘florets’ – kind of like broccoli. The florets are the orange and yellow arching accents in the vase. Here is the entire flower:
Blanchetiana Bromeliads (Aechmea blanchetiana) are a common sight in South Florida. It is a big plant, six feet tall with orange foliage and they spread very well, probably too well. I was astonished the first time I saw one, thinking of bromeliads as small houseplants. There are some with flowers up to 10 feet!
The rest of the vase:
Florets of Blanchetiana Bromeliads; varigated foliage is Piecrust Croton (Codiaeum varigatum).
White flowers are ‘Miss Alice’ Bougainvillea; tropical green foliage is Split Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron selloum). The big crystal vase is a wedding gift from a dear friend. I rarely use this vase as it requires a lot of flowers – maybe two yards.
Thank you to Cathy at http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for hosting my weekly favorite, IAVOM. Follow the link to see more vases.
Happy Gardening!!
The Shrub Queen 
That is a big flower. Do they fall over or are they able to stay upright?
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They last about six months and eventually get blown over and turn brown.
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Six months is a long time.
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To my eyes this is so exotic and a real eye catcher. They are so different to our temperate zone flowers and plants. The colour is so rich. Many thanks for sharing.
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Thanks, Noelle. I enjoy seeing your temperate flowers.
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It is certainly an asset for vases, with its glorious colour – perfect with the croton! Crotons can be grown as houseplants here, but probably still need more warmth than is good for us humans! I always enjoy seeing the different things you come up with for your Monday vases, Amelia
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Thank you, Cathy. I would not want to try Crotons as a houseplant. They are easy to grow outside here.
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I’ve never seen a bromeliad that big here. As previously mentioned, I seldom even see the plants flower here. Both Southern California and Florida may be able to grow citrus but SoCal can’t grow the bromeliads that Florida can.
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Seems odd to me the broms don’t flower there. Who knows?
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Nice one! It reminds me of the feathered headdress of a Vegas dancer. The Blanchetiana adds flare and the piecrust croton are the feathers. 🙂
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Thanks, Eliza. I don’t think I want to try it on.
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Wow! Your bunch is about as tropical as they get, Amelia! I love seeing your arrangements as they are so different to the temperate bunches. What an amazing bromeliad!
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Thank you, the tropicals I can grow here continue to fascinate me.
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I was thinking of a headdress from Les Folies Bergere in Paris – such a stunning flower!
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I forgot to mention the can can dancers moved in for the winter!!
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That was interesting to see the whole flower. The ‘florets’ look really pretty in your vase and I bet they aren’t often used for flower arrangements. And Miss Alice is just gorgeous. 😃 Isn’t it nice when you have enough flowers to fill a big vase. 😉
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Thank you, Cathy. I rarely see Bromeliad flowers in vases. I think they are just a bit much for many people.
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Where I lived in town, the suburban homes had small yards. Because I did not grow many flowers within mine, I would have needed to go to two yards to get enough flowers for a vase.
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