Growing In Your Garden
Bromeliads are possibly one of the easiest plants to grow. They do not mind most potting mixes or barks as long as it does not hold too much water
95% of Bromeliads need a bit of shade or dappled light. winter is fine to have full sun for some. Nearly every nursery and market grower tell people that "Yes they will grow in full sun" and as soon as summer comes round i get asked "What is wrong with my Bromeliads they have brown on the leaves"
We get over 40c Deg in summer this may only be for 2 weeks but you would burn too. even when in a pool of water in the centre of the plant that heats up.
In general Bromeliads like the shade of a jacaranda tree (dappled light) this way they keep their true colour and shape. some of the best gardens i have seen have used cypress pine chip/bark as a garden bed and the bromeliads POT and all planted into the bark. when the Bromeliads need dividing or breaking up just pull the pot out and repot and dig a hole in the bark then go again.
you get very little if any weeds using cypress chip as the oils in the chip seem to reduce seed growth and out of all other types of bark/chip/mulch termites do not like cypress as much
Happy Growing