All mine grow outdoors all year round but not in full sun.Mine are in wire baskets and mounted in half baskets on the wood fence or in the trees.

They are quite tough outdoors but cannot tolerate much direct sun or frost.

If grown in better light the plants will be lighter green, with less silver, and smaller and more compact, with shorter leaves.

This post was edited by gosalsk on Mon, Aug 11, 14 at 1:36

I grow all my Bromeliads outdoors, and some receive several hours of sun. They grow easily, like Ae. fasciata, and withstand light freezes (29-31F) for brief periods. I am including a pic of part of my landscape. I do not protect them from the cold. I have hundreds all over my yard. It can get cold here, for brief times. Ae. fasciata does have a few cultivars (variants) with more or less silver, and more or less showy flowers. Notice Aechmea 'Bert' growing up my pine tree. That is one tough plant!

Hi everyone

janartmuse - I can only tell you what I do with my fasciata plants here in on the south coast of N.S.W. .Australia. We get temperatures from about 5 degrees C. in winter to the high 30degrees C. in summer.

I have various types of Ae. fasciata and although I find the variegated, purpurea and rubra forms quite cold intolerant, the plain types seem to do OK except for abnormal heatwave and freezing conditions. In cases such as this you would need to provide some sort of protection.

If you are going to try one outdoors, I would recommend you move it to a suitable well lit position, (not full sun) but move it in the cooler weather so that it can gradually acclimatise to the brighter and hotter location.

All the best, Nev.

Well, I think I will be brave and give it a try. If I kill one plant, I have the other, after all. Maybe I'll put it with the neoregelias I have out at the side of the house, which overwinter ok. Dappled light, more light in the winter when the trees shed their leaves. The area is near the house, and the house has no insulation, so I think the cold isn't quite as bad right around the house, anyway. So I imagine.... Thanks, Janine

I kee mine outside in the summer. I live in MD so I end up taking half of my gardening indoors during the winter. Right now my plants are enjoying their place on my porch. I have different kinds of bromeliads and I just love them.

I love them too! Thanks you all!

I grow mine outside until winter comes. I've moved from Australia where I had them outside all the time, to UK, where they wouldn't last long at all in frosty or snowy weather. I find if they get more filtered light outside that the leaves will be shorter and wider and a lot stronger. Inside they tend to grow lanky.