Tillandsia AKA Air Plants - Plant Pick of the Month

Tillandsia, better known as the air plant, is a fabulous way to spruce up your home.

These little cuties (and some are not so little) are about as low maintenance as you can get.

But, they pack a WOW factor anywhere you display them in your home.

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Tillandsia (Air Plant) Styling - J Dub By Design™

A FEW FACTS…..

Air plants are a species of the bromeliad family.
There are approximately 500 species of Tillandsia all over the world.
Tillandsia are epiphytes. This means, in nature, they do not grow in the soil, but rather attach their roots to other plants or trees.
Air plants receive their nutrients through their leaves from the air.
Tillandsia make an excellent low maintenance specimen house plant.

How to Care for Your Tillandsia

There are only two variables that you should consider when nurturing your air plant – light and water.

Give your Tillandsia lots of bright, indirect light.
You air plant will depend on you for moisture and water, not Mother Nature.

How to Water

Many vendors and greenhouses suggest misting your air plants a few times a week.

However, here in the South, I have found that misting is not enough moisture for my plants.

MY METHOD…….

I place my Tillandsia in the sink and spray them heavily with water on both the top and bottom.

Then, I allow them to air dry in the sink for a few hours.

After a few hours have passed, I turn each plant upside down and give it a good shake so that all of the hidden water droplets in the crevices fall out.

Then, I allow the Tillandsia to finish drying (either in the sink or on a towel) before I place them back in their spot.

Tillandsia air drying in sink - J Dub By Design™

Tillandsia watering technique - J Dub By Design ™

Additional Care Tips

The size of your Tillandsia will dictate how often you should water it.

Most of my Tillandsia are rather large.

I soak mine in the kitchen sink, once a week during the summer. In the winter, I soak them every 10 days to two weeks.

I set my phone alarm with a weekly and biweekly reminder to check them so that I don’t accidentally forget.

If your Tillandsia are smaller than mine, they will need to be watered more often.

Small (diameter less than the size of your palm) Tillandsia, will need to be checked on several times a week.

Styling your Tilandsia Air Plants

The sky is literally the limit.

These plants look fabulous sitting at the edge of open shelving on a bookshelf in your living room/kitchen/library/bathroom.

air plany with fiddle leaf - J Dub By Design™

They look fabulous piled in a bowl.

Tillandsia in copper planter - J Dub By Design™

tillandsia in bowl on table - J Dub By Design™

Tillandsia also look amazing placed on top of a stack of books on your coffee table….or any other design elements that could use a pop of green.

Tillandsia on stack of books - J Dub By Design™

Place these cuties inside unique decor elements like these metal antler sheds.

Tillandsia placed in decorate antlers - J Dub By Design

Place one inside a cloche and watch your friends and family stare at it, mesmerized.

You can also use them in your tablescapes.

……and even at individual place settings.

Tillandsia used in tablescape - J Dub By Design™

Don’t forget the option of placing them in a lantern in a bathroom. The added bonus is that they love the humidity in a bathroom.

Tillandsia in lantern in bathroom - J Dub By Design™

And, finally, they look fabulous tucked into the bottom and spilling over the edge of a pot housing another plant. I have one of my Tillandsia hanging out with one of my fiddle leaf figs.