How To Decorate With Air Plants
Driftwood Planters For Air Plants
There are so many creative ways to integrate air plants into your home decor because, unlike most house plants, they don’t need a pot full of soil to survive. This gives you the freedom to pretty much toss them around wherever you want, provided they get enough sunlight. Bookshelf needs a pop of color? Boom, air plant. Mason jar hanging from a string? Instant hanging container for your air plants. Got a crystal collection? Throw a handful of these bad boys into your display. Practically any corner of your home can benefit from a little bit of greenery added into the mix, and the air purifying effects are great for your health.
This member of the bromeliad family has long, stringy leaves and comes in countless different sizes and colored varieties, so there are plenty of options to match your plant display to your vibe. Sometimes they’ll even surprise you with a bright purple and pink flower!
These popular houseplants, also known as tillandsia, are actually a pretty broad category of plants, featuring many distinct styles you can experiment with in your decorating. While they are quite versatile, certain varieties are better suited to the hot, dry conditions of Houston. So, when you’re shopping for tillandsia, you should try to pick a variety you’re confident you can properly care for. Though none of them are excessively high maintenance, some varieties are accustomed to the humid conditions of the Amazon where they naturally grow, so they need a little extra moisture in the air.
One sneaky rule of thumb is to check the leaves. If they’re thicker and have a bit of a silvery sheen, they’re well suited to our dry climates. Green or red air plants with slender leaves need more moisture, but they can still handle our desert climate with a little extra maintenance on your end.
Misting your tillandsia with a spray bottle every day or two is one way to keep it hydrated, but if maintaining a consistent watering schedule isn’t your strong suit (no judgment!) there are other ways to keep it from drying up. The alternative methods are either dunking it in a bowl full of water 2-4 times per week or letting it soak for 2 full hours once per week. After removing it from the water, give it a good shake to get any droplets out from the leaves, and let it dry for a couple hours in a spot with good airflow, so it doesn’t get funky. If you ever notice the leaves getting yellow and dry, the soaking method should help it bounce back.
If you want to make a hanging display for your tillandsia, it’s really quite easy. You know those gorgeous glass globe planters and geometric terrariums that are all over the internet? They’re perfect for this kind of project because they won’t get all mucked up with soil. Attach air plants to the wall or hang them near a window—just make sure they don’t get too much direct sunlight because these guys thrive in low light. They’re from the rainforest, so they’re used to a big canopy of trees providing constant shade. Our scorching hot Houston sun is a bit too extreme for delicate air plants, and they could quite literally get sunburnt. Remember that gnarly burn you got in Cancun back in 2007? Yeah, don’t let your poor air plant go through that same agony.
If you want to perch a tillandsia on a shelf or some other display in your home, try to nestle it into a divot or add some kind of barrier so it doesn’t blow away. Sometimes a little piece of fishing line tied around one leaf can help affix it to a surface. They’re pretty lightweight, so you don’t want it catching a breeze and turning into a tumbleweed.
Driftwood Planters For Air Plants
One of the most popular DIY displays for tillandsia is the oh-so-trendy driftwood planter. The twists and crevices in the wood are great for keeping the plants in place, and a tiny little drop of glue on one leaf will help keep them secure so they don’t fall out. The wood is nice and dry, so it shouldn’t soak up too much moisture when you do your daily misting. They make gorgeous centerpieces for coffee tables and credenzas, but you can also attach them to the wall for a seriously swoon-worthy piece of living art. Search for ‘air plants’ on Pinterest for tons of design inspo!
If you want to freshen up your living space with tillandsia, visit Plants for All Seasons, the best air plant store in Houston! We’ll hook you up with some colorful varieties to complement your home’s aesthetic. With so many cool varieties to choose from, it’ll be tough to settle on just one. Don’t worry, we won’t judge if you take one of each!
Where can I get my air plants? I live in Houston Texas.
Hi Sherry, our address is 21328 highway 249, Houston, Texas 77070