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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Foliage Follow - Up a Day Late

Sincere apologies to the fabulous Pam Penick, host of Foliage Follow Up for starting my post with a flower and for talking about plants that are inside for the winter.  The rain has been coming down sideways outside so I decided not to venture out to see all of the foliage out there.  Do visit Pam's blog  and look at the responses area to see foliage from lots of other gardens!

I've been aware of Tillandsias for quite some time and have admired them on blogs and at nurseries but  it wasn't until recently that they really started speaking to me.  Maybe it's a midlife crisis romance sort of thing. (Oh right, mid life.  How many 104 year old men do YOU know?)  It all started with this one looking so gorgeous at Molbak's house plant sale last month.  At the time, none of the purple flowers were present, just the big pink whatchamacallit from which individual blooms emerge.


She's been putting out blooms one or two at a time, since we brought her home. 
 
Then, at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, they seemed to be everywhere this year. 
 

They've always been used at the show, especially in the hanging glass terrariums but this year they seemed to be telling me that some of them wanted to come to Tacoma to live. 



It's easy to love a plant that requires no soil, grows and blooms and can make a quick centerpiece by throwing it in a bowl of oranges!
 
Ownes Gardens, a Tillandsia grower from Monroe, WA was once again at the show and I was ready to adopt some pups!  These don't need paper training, won't bark at guests, and don't leave hair all over your house.   They're not much fun to cuddle with though and don't even try to teach them to fetch a toy, it's a huge waste of time. 
 
Sylvia at Dig Nursery had some of these in slightly larger than a thimble sized terra cotta pots last year - very sweet and I kicked myself for not getting some then .  Here they were without the pots but easy to throw in a bag!

Once I started putting these in my bag, it was hard to quit.

A lady who seemed fascinated by these little gems asked me what I was going to do with them, would they all be used together, etc. I had no idea but remembering a comment that Loree made "I looked around the house for a tillandsia."  made me think that it was a good idea to get them anyway just to have on hand for any tillandisa emergency that might come up.

I kep seeing interesting varieties of these, I found T. seleriana (left) at Swanson's Nursery on Saturday.  It bears a resemblance to an artichoke.  

They work well in shells, on wood,  clay and glass.  They're even happy to sit on soil and some will even throw anchoring roots down.

A great part about not needing soil is that these can sit atop glass vessels and still allow light to play through the glass. 

Some of you may remember the jade trees, stripped of their stone leaves and blooms that I wrote about here.  They ended up going to the basement until I could do something with them.



Here's what I did with a couple of them with finds from Owens Gardens and Alpine Nursery.
 


 
I've added a few more tillandsias to the trees since I took these pictures but you get the idea.  Have you grown tillandsias?  Do they thrive for you & increase in number? 

26 comments:

  1. I like the way that it's so easy to get creative with Tillandsias! We have Tillandsia aeranthos growing in a birdcage and it bulks up gradually. Apart from not forgetting to bring them in during the colder months we give it very little care and just let nature provide what it needs :)

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    1. They are a fun group of plants to play with and they look greatjust about anywhere

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  2. I love all your Tillandsias, and what you did with them on the jade trees. They look great. There are so many cool, inventive ways to display them.

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    1. They look great just about anywhere you decide to throw them!

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  3. Oh those trees are fabulous!!! And wow, you really bought some tillandsias! 25+? Not that I was counting. I have had a few of mine develop pups, but I've been leery to break them free. Maybe someday I'll work up the courage.

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    1. Thanks Loree. So easy to just place the tillandsias on them! I haven't counted but only some came from the show, some came from Alpine Nursery, People's, Jungle Fever, Molbaks (30% sale) and Swanson's over a period of time.

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  4. I think that pink thing is called a quill? I have three pups from last year's Tillandsea. In the interest of wintertime space, I just left them in the pot together. I wonder if putting them in a bowl of apples instead of oranges would force bloom?

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    1. Quill is a wonderful name for that! They say that the apple thing works. Glad that you've had success with tillandsias as I'm hoping not to kill them. Do you keep yours inside or in your greenhouse?

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  5. Funny heads and I like those succulents. Happy new week, Peter!

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  6. Well you certainly got carried away with your Tillsandias. You have some very creative ways of displaying them. What fun! I'm just going to look round the house and see if I can find one.

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    1. I tried looking around the house and thought I'd found some but a friend pointed out that I was trying to grow dog hair. Some houses must just come with tillandsias.

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  7. I've never even thought of growing Tillandsias! After seeing your display, especially the jade trees, I might have yo rethink that.

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    1. It was a new idea for me this year as well. They seem so versatile and undemanding.

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  8. Your bonsai tillandsia trees are terrific. The ones at the show hanging upside down look like the jellyfish at the Newport aquarium. I took the low-care thing a little too literally and neglected mine to death.

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    1. Thanks Ricki! You're right, those do look like jellyfish. I'll be on the lookout for urchin shells to copy that idea. I'm hoping that I don't over do the care thing and get similar results.

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  9. I love those tillandsia trees! I'm really going to have to buy/build something like them for my tillandsias! Good choices, too. I see ionantha typs, fuchsii var. gracilis, and possibly a few small abdita? All tough and easy to grow. I love tillandsia, in case you couldn't tell. I summer mine outdoors and bring them in for the winter. In summer I use a pump sprayer to give them a good shower at least 3 times a week. In winter I have to take them to the sink or shower and spray them 1-2 times a week. Actually, I've been watering them more frequently this winter but I've been living in North Carolina (back to WA soon) and it is dryer and sunnier here in winter. In Washington I'd stick to 1-2 times a week in winter unless the house is really dry, and then I'd do lighter, more frequent waterings. Those trees really are fabulous. I know what I'll be looking for next time I'm in garden center or thrift store!

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    1. I'll ask my friend to save all that she deflowers (?) so that I can pass them along! Thanks for the advice about tillandsias as I've never grown them before but figure that I should be able to handle it.

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    2. Goodness gracious me! What's this talk of "deflowering?" Haha! That gave me a good laugh. One thing about tillandsias for first-timers, they can look perfectly fine until they fall apart in your hand to show a dead center, leaving you to wonder what went wrong. As with any plant, there is a bit of a learning curve. Usually the falling apart is from overwatering and/or poor air circulation. Some people immerse their plants in water, rather than spraying them. I advise against total immersion when keeping tillandsias indoors as it can get water deep into the crown and cause rot. Other than that, pretty easy-care plants. Even my parents can keep them alive! You should be fine.

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  10. Tillandsias are on FIRE these days. I love the tillandsia trees -- well, really, all those arrangements are pretty eye-catching. I can see why they tempted you.

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    1. I've been seeing them in just about every nursery that I visit these days! Thanks, they're so easy to get creative with!

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  11. I looooooove tillandsias!!! I´ve had some but they don´t like the dry summers from Madrid.
    I really like your jade trees with tillandsias!! so artistic!

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    1. The jade trees do all the work, I just laid the tillandsias on them.

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  12. I have to admit I'm rather unenthusiastic about Tillandsia. But then my eyes lit up when I saw what you did with it. To me it looks like magnificent Ikebana, except it's elements are still alive and growing. I love how it looks and you must promise to show us if it blooms in this arrangement.

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    1. Thanks, Chavliness. I was very lucky to have these given to me. They literally showed up on my front porch one day last summer. I'll ask that any future discards come my way as well if you'd like one. Some of the tillandsias are blooming but wouldn't it be cool if they all did it simultaneously?

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  13. Thanks Peter but I'd rather not add to my house plants (I'm down to 3 survivors) and concentrate on the outdoor garden, which consume most of my weekends anyway. I appreciate your kind offer though. You seem to be very luck to be gifted all kinds of plant. We may be able to do other trades in the future. If you have extra Chief Josephs you'd like to find a home for, I'm your girl!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.