Planting DesignDiscover the right plants for your garden.
The gravid genus in thebromeliadfamily , tillandsias can be found from jungle to desert , clinging to tropic trees , cactuses , rocks and even might strain . Native from South America to the Carolinas , with over a dozen species from the United States , including Spanish moss , most genus Tillandsia need no soil , collecting water and nutrients from the air through their leaves . These knotty slight opportunists have pucker themselves into niches in an amazing range of habitats , and their adaptation make them perfect even for mass without light-green thumb .
pic by : Pam McLean .
1.T. xerographica
A native of arid regions that mature on cactus and bush in Guatemala . Gray leaves bend and Robert Curl and form a decorative dome over a base across . Three - foot bract is green and orange with purple blossom . Sensitive to stale ( 38 degree Fahrenheit ) and does n’t wish to oblige water .
2.T. Capitata
Makes a dramatic color transformation when in bloom , the Granny Smith apple - green leaves turning crimson . Blue tubelike prime glint from foliage in fountain . One of the tanking genus Tillandsia ( plan to hold water like many bromeliads ) , it makes a striking container specimen .
3.T.‘Mystic Albert ’
A hybrid that blends the thick , fan - shaped leaves and ruby flowers of T. albertiana with the soft , proportionate foliation and pink flowers of T. stricta . Showy , wine-coloured - colored clustering of flowers bloom for several week during the summer . Small single plant with soft , gray - unripened , narrow leaves mould fist - sized colonies 4 to 5 inches across .
4.T. leonamiana
Unusual orangish flowering with belittled whitened blooms . Gray - unripened leaves . A native of South America accustomed to dry conditions . turn to 6 to 8 inch across . A honorable prospect to tie to a plane section of bark or add to a tillandsia lei .
5.T. vernicosa
Stiff , spiky , grey-haired - light-green leaves look like a miniature yucca . Architectural bract is ruby-red to orange and can hold back its color for up to a class , long after the small white efflorescence have faded .
6.T. funckiana
Small bottlebrush of silvery , sensationalistic - light-green leaves form at the end of stolon . Eventually form a ball - shaped settlement of plants that can be hung like a hanging hoop ( without the basket ) . Tubular scarlet bloom are long at 1 1/2 inches . When in efflorescence , the ticklish leaves become red - tipped .
7.T. brachycaulos
A miniature figure collected in Mexico by tillandsia expert and former owner of Russell ’s Bromeliads John Russell . Lime - light-green leafage turns bright cherry during bloom . conformation soft bonce of linear leafage , 4 to 6 inches across . tube-shaped flowers are bright blue and appear belatedly in the time of year .
appealingness : Tillandsias add a touch of the exotic . Though a few are large , most are small , with a variety of colors and grain that makes it enticing to collect them like shell on the beach . give their stature this is easy to do , even in a little place .
Zones : In general genus Tillandsia need protection from temperature below 35 degrees Fahrenheit , though some are fearless than others . For most of the country genus Tillandsia are considered houseplants .
Exposure : The more silvern or snowy the tillandsia , the more trichomes it has ( the cells that collect and store water and food from the air ) and the more arid and undimmed the native habitat , so the more sunlight it can take . Trichomes also have a reflective timber . Greener tillandsias call for more nuance . Most tillandsias favor partial shade or bright but indirect light . Protect all tillandsias from direct Dominicus vulnerability for extensive periods .
land : Most tillandsias grow as epiphytic plant attached to Tree , shrubs and rocks , using their roots for anchoring . Some , such asT. capitata , can be grow in containers but require gravid drain . Plant these in a unaffixed potting medium containing plenty of perlite .
Care : Though in the unwarranted most tillandsias are drouth - tolerant and can go periods without water system , this is a survival manner . To be at their best , they need even lachrymation . As houseplants , hook them in bottled urine or rain pee for 12 hour every 10 days to two hebdomad . If plants are outdoors , irrigate them when you irrigate your potted plants . grey or livid Tillandsia ( from arid habitats ) opt less water ; greener , softer - leaved type need more . To thrive , genus Tillandsia benefit from unconstipated feeding . Every week or two implement a liquid fertilizer low in copper , such as 10 - 5 - 5 , thin out to one - quartern strength .
plan With Tillandias
