My husband said we need to give our home some curb appeal. I was not sure how I could accomplish that. I did not want to create a garden that will look great but quickly become unmanageable because there is no one to maintain it on a regular basis.

Mulling the challenge over, I decided that bromeliads were the answer. These hardy plants are attractive and low maintenance. They collect water in their center. In fact these become mini-ecosystems.

I first dug a bean shaped bed around the mangosteen tree in the front yard. There was a century plant that needed to be moved. It was prickly, so I had to do that carefully. Plus there were still some fire ants under the plant from the farm I had to handle.

I bought the plants from the local nursery and arranged them based on color and size. I did later have to move a couple because the spot was too sunny for them. I used cardboard as a weed block – not sure how long this is going to be effective. Finally I laid down stones as “mulch.” I can’t wait to see how these plants mature.