Bromeliads love the Bay of Plenty - they grow well here.

And the subtropical plants will get a lot of attention and love back when the Tauranga Bromeliad Club holds its annual display and sale next month.

It's a good opportunity for enthusiasts to acquire plants from local growers, and for people who want to begin a collection of these special subtropical plants.

Experienced growers will share their expertise and offer advice, and there'll be at least 10 sale tables at Matua Hall, on the corner of Levers and Hall Roads, on Saturday, November 10 between 8am and midday, with prices starting from as low as $3.

Bromeliads all originate from South America or Central America, and they have become very popular in local gardens. They complement subtropical plantings of palms, ferns and other plants with lush green foliage.

They grow as epiphytes in the wild, attaching themselves to trees or driftwood. Bromeliads do very well attached to punga stumps, and this can offer a unique vista of clumps of small plants at varying heights in a garden setting.

The foliage of vrieseas in particular can be dramatic and last throughout the year, so the grower does not need to wait for flowering for these plants to perform well. Others bromeliads have spectacular flower forms which emerge and develop over time.

Bromeliad plants are undemanding, tolerant plants for gardeners. Their major need is good drainage, and there are plants suitable for sun, shade and in between.

They do not require fertilising and don't need a lot of water. Furthermore, they reproduce by growing on young plants known as pups, so growers can accumulate a collection after starting with a few plants.

The club meets at the Yacht Club, Sulphur Point on the second Wednesday of each month from 12.30-2.30pm. Visitors are welcome.