Air Plants (Tillandsias)

Want to start your day with a smile? Then surround yourself with these fun and unique air plants - super cute, easy to care for and even make really creative gifts!

Air Plants Tillandsia - beautiful tropical plants for indoors, outdoors and gifts

Air plants, also known as Tillandsia, are a genus of the Bromeliaceae (bromeliad) family indigenous to the highlands and deserts of Mexico and the Southeast United States. Their nickname “air plants” is derived from their ability to cling to wherever conditions allow: branches, tree bark, bare rock, maybe even your chandelier. Their leaves have a covering of specialized cells that allow them to absorb water that lands on them, eliminating the need for much of a root system. In fact, these plants will not even grow in soil.

There are around 650 species of air plants, all of which are evergreen and perennial flowering. Most have a silvery-green or silvery-blue thin and long leaf that comes to a point. Flower color can vary immensely including reds, purples, yellows, or pinks and are often vibrant. Much like the woman in the red dress standing at the top of the staircase, these flowers' brightness and beauty attract the interest of pollinators. These cute potted air plants are great gifts for all your friends and family.

It's like having your own tropical plant nursery...  

The amount of water and sunlight needed depends on the silverness of the variety’s leaf, with more sunlight needed for those with a more silvery and harder foliage. Air plants, like most members of the bromeliad family, are incredibly robust and very easy to move between inside and outside as the season (or your design mood) changes. Often you can simply take a piece of string and tie an air plant to a tree or structure and have that be the extent of your planting. Eventually the plant will start to wrap itself around the structure. If only all gardening was as easy as just tying a plant to a tree or gluing it to your computer screen!