Move over, orchids. Tillandsias have taken over as the hottest tropical flowering houseplants. Part of the bromeliad family, the Tillandsia genus is beloved for its quirky shapes, exotic flowers, and easy maintenance. When you first see a tillandsia, you might think the plant is fake. After all, what kind of terrestrial plant grows without roots or soil? However, the specialized scales on a tillandsia’s leaves are what allow it to survive from the ambient moisture, and are what contribute to its popular nickname “air plant.”


Air Plant Care

Although air plants get what they need from the atmosphere on their natural tree branch perches in nature, this won’t happen indoors. Plunge your entire air plant in tepid water twice a week, but don’t leave the plant submersed for more than a minute or so. Using a water-soluble bromeliad fertilizer once a month will greatly increase the vigor of your air plant, and will encourage it to bloom. This fertilizer should have a low phosphate number (the middle number on the container) compared to the nitrogen and potash numbers.

Keep your air plant in bright, but filtered light. Artificial light from bulbs is fine, as long as the light is full spectrum. If you grow your air plants outdoors, keep them out of the direct sun, which can scorch their leaves. Bring your plants inside when temperatures dip below 45 degrees F.

Air plants don’t require any pruning, but you may trim away dead leaves that develop at the base of the plant when new growth occurs. Over time, your healthy air plant will produce new baby pups, which you can remove to give to friends or to increase your collection.

Air Plant Varieties

The foliage of air plants alone is very ornamental, but the exotic blooms of air plants are extremely showy and last for weeks. Aeranthos species are increasingly available at nurseries, and produce a fantastic pink and purple bloom spike in the spring that attracts hummingbirds. Many of the Ionantha species are reliable bloomers, and also may exhibit bright red tinged foliage. Caput Medusae has the crazy-haired foliage the name implies, and will produce a red flower spike with purple flowers if you give it the bright indirect light and high humidity it craves.

Air Plant Ikebana Design

Blend two cultures by introducing a South American air plant to the Japanese design of ikebana. The unusual form of tillandsia plants lends them to this type of arrangement, which values simplicity and restraint. Try combining your air plant with one of the symbolic flowers often used in ikebana, like peach, iris, or chrysanthemum. Unlike cut stems, your living air plant should not be immersed in water or impaled on a kenzan flower frog.

Air Plant Terrariums

The miniature world of terrariums is fascinating, but the absence of drainage holes makes terrariums tricky to care for. Solve your care problems by creating a terrarium dedicated to tillandsias, which require little water, no soil, and can be easily removed for their irrigation needs. A tiny hanging glass ornament terrarium comprised of one air plant and some reindeer moss perks up the view in an office window. If your love of tillandsias has your collection growing, a grouping of three or five individual plants in a glass urn with some wood mulch chips or colored sand makes a dramatic statement in a bathroom, bedroom, or kitchen. Personalize your terrarium by adding river pebbles or shells you’ve gathered from nature walks.

Air Plant Gifts

Air plants make welcome gifts, as unlike some gift plants and bouquets, they are long-lived, don’t shed any leaves or petals, and can fit on the most narrow ledge. Because of the rugged nature of tillandsias, you can even attach them to a wrapped gift with a piece of ribbon or a dot of glue from a hot glue gun. Use some florist’s wire to create a hanging air plant pomander, or tuck some air plants into a fairy container garden. A bit of gravel or sphagnum moss will anchor an air plant into an antique glass dish for gift-giving, but don’t overlook the potential of an air plant for a child’s gift as well; many children are fascinated by these ancient looking specimens. Fasten a tillandsia to a piece of driftwood, and hot glue a toy lizard or frog alongside for a whimsical effect.