Home & Garden: Blossoming interest

Neoregelias are great for landscaping and are treasured for their colorful foliage.

Aechmea, a member of the bromeliad family, produces foliage in green, yellow, red, burgundy and black and incorporates many patterns, spots, stripes and shadings.

Dennis Rees wanted to create a wall between his house and the outdoor dining area and did so with bamboo.

Yellow, purple and white orchids are currently in bloom.

“Ripping the grass out was the second beautification project,” Rees said. “I had rabbits that ate my whole lawn. Once I switched the grass, they stopped eating it.”

This waterfall that flows into the courtyard goldfish pond was built specifically for the garden.

Rees says this Jorge Blanco sculpture, “Solar Dreams,” is like his child. He and his wife, Felice Schulaner, held a baby shower and wine-and-cheese reception the day it arrived and then went to dinner.

A hanging epiphyte

This Crown of Thorn blooms year-round in red or pink shades and is available in dwarf varieties.