Tillandsias are ornamental plants, often called "air plants" because they only use roots to hang onto something—usually a tree or a rock. They are attractive for their wonderfully diverse, sometimes bizarre, forms and textures. The indoor arrangement shown above was created by "her-indoors" 4 years before it was photographed. Tillandsias are ideal for long-lasting displays, indoors or outside in a frost-free position:
All tillandsias flower, often lasting for many months. Sometimes as a bonus the plant's leaves will color up when flowering commences. Some examples:
Tillandsias are not grown merely for their flowers. They come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, and they are valued for their stunningly different form and texture:
Although tillandsias often grow attached to other plants, trees or cacti for example, they do not take anything out of the plant they are attached to. They are not parasites, they are a special type of plant called an epiphyte. They are very hardy, although frost-tender, and are quite easy to grow once you get to know them and how to care for them. They are unconventional, not like most plants you see grown as garden or house plants. Most will die if you try and plant them in soil - they need to be grown up in the air so in cultivation we usually glue or tie them to something.
From here, we suggest you look at some of the photos of tillandsias in our general collection and browse the section on cultivation before heading off to our sales page!
