Tumbling Over Tillandsias: Top 10 Low Maintenance Air Plants

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Amelie Rousseau, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Tillandsias are a magical plant family because they seem to deny the basic laws of plant life. All plants need soil, water and sun, right? Not always. Like orchids, mosses, succulents, ferns and algae, tillandsias are ‘epiphytes,’ thus can flourish without soil or substrate and derive moisture from the air. This adaptation allows them to grow high up in jungle canopies or your newly-tiled bathroom walls. Air plants reproduce by shooting out baby plants, called ‘pups.’ When the pup is half the size of the mother plant, they can be separated gently. Getting tillandsias to flower can be a challenge but the blooms will often last for months. Sadly, after flowering, air plants wither and die.

See Slideshow Below: Tumbling Over Tillandsias - Top 10 Tillandsias

Epiphytic Origins

Native to South and Central America, Mexico and the Southern US, tillandsias fall into two climatic categories: xeric and mesic. ‘Xero-’ comes from the Greek for very dry, while ‘mesic’ denotes a medium or moderate climate. Xeric tillandsias have a feathery or dusty coating on their leaves, while mesics have smooth dark green leaves. As you might imagine, xerics require much less frequent waterings than mesics, but like most desert plants, they grow slowly. Xerics range from silvery gray and seafoam green to a rich red wine maroon. Are you a high or low maintenance gardener? With air plants, you get to choose which variety will fit your lifestyle.

Let There Be Light
The key to happy tillandsias (and most plants) is to place them where they will receive as much bright, indirect sunlight as possible. A bit of direct sun is allowable but too much can burn the plants. Plants in direct sun will also need to be watered more frequently. East facing windows are ideal. Light-deprived tillandsias will start to develop discoloration on their leaves.

Dunking Delights
Tillandsias are like sponges. A daily drenching mist keeps them hydrated. Or in a bucket of cool water, dunk xeric tillandsias once a week, and mesics twice weekly. You can also leave them to soak for an hour, a good tactic for air plants that have been neglected for a few weeks.

Cultivate Beauty
Tillandsias make dramatic companion plants. Fill in the base of cacti plants with xeric varieties. Grab a couple mesic species and craft a terrarium with the kids. Display them in a hanging aerium, a glass planter specifically designed to show off air plants. Attach them with wire onto spiny, textured plants, or perch on strong branches of tree-shaped plants. Tuck into rock or mineral displays. Hang with wire from a vase of decorative bare branches, such as curly willow or red alder. Hang from a mounted screen or frame to make a living artwork for a wall. Make sure the frame material is metal or waterproof and treated wood. Fill shallow ceramic or wood bowls with the fuzzy creatures. To avoid rot and to keep the plants elevated, fill the bottom with moss, rocks, sand or newspaper. Tillandsias make creative bows on gift wrapped presents, elegant boutonnieres or hairpieces. For more ideas check out Portland’s own horticulturist Zenaida Sengo’s Air Plants: The Curious World of Tillandsias (Timber Press, 2014).

Shop
While Home Depot will have a few popular varieties, try sustainably sourced air plants from Botanica Floral Design (735 SE Morrison), or Hammer & Vine at Goose Hollow (2190 W Burnside).

See Slideshow Below: Tumbling Over Tillandsias - Top 10 Tillandsias

Related Slideshow: Tumbling Over Tillandsias: Top 10 Tillandsias

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