On the First Bromeliad of the Season and the Grandmother that Nurtured Them

The first bromeliad of the season is blooming—the first of many I will enjoy this year. The yard is filled with them, stuffed into planters and smattered around. Boxed in with the live oaks in the back. They are clustered all over due to their easy multiplication and heartiness. The first bromeliad I ever had was a gift from my grandmother when I bought my first house in Orlando. It sturdily lived in its pot for the entire 11 years I owned that home, even though I never bothered to repot it or plant it in the ground. It grew from two plants to five all crammed in the same unadorned plastic pot. I had intended to bring it back with me when I moved back to Tampa in 2021, but I sadly forgot it at the last second. Hopefully the new owner of my house has kept up with it.

Now I have dozens of bromeliads. I left my house in Orlando to move into my grandmother’s house, and every year, I tend to her bromeliads. I always look for the first one of the season, its light pink bracts and surprising …