Air Plant Display IDeas
The air plant display detailed below may be extremely quick and simple to assemble, but I think it looks great!
I started with an air plant which had been sitting in a disposable plastic cup on my windowsill for some time, looking rather sad.
And then I found out about pink gravel. Hot pink gravel. Yes that's right...
Hot. Pink. Gravel.
I was rather excited about this new discovery (I know, I should seek help) and so I devised a plan to combine it with my poor neglected air plant.
And this is what I did...
Firstly, A Little Bit About Air Plants...
Air plants (also called Tillandsia), will die if planted in soil like other plants. The roots of an air plant must be exposed to air. This makes it a bit more difficult to display them in comparison with other plants, since soil is usually what keeps them upright and in position. So you therefore need to get a bit inventive :)
I personally use a spray bottle to mist water over the plant leaves most days, and soak the roots thoroughly from time to time too. I've never had any problems with this method, but if you'd like a more comprehensive care guide, click here.
F i n d A i r P l a n t s o n A m a z o n :
Now are you ready for the very complex instructions? Good.
1) Pour a layer of gravel into the base of your terrarium.
2) Put your air plant in the terrarium and nestle the bottom of it into the gravel.
3) Position your terrarium in pride of place.
4) Admire your hard work.
And that's it!
In terms of cost, I bought a 2kg bag of gravel for £6 off Ebay (and used about £2 of it), I bought the terrarium second-hand off Ebay for £14, and the air plant was about £4 and also off Ebay. Isn't Ebay great?!
Total cost = approx. £20
F i n d T e r r a r i u m s & G l a s s C o n t a i n e r s o n A m a z o n U . S . :
There are so many possible variations for terrariums like this, so you can get creative with it - and maybe even build up a collection of air plant terrariums :)
Apart from choosing a different size or shape of terrarium, or a different variety of air plant, there are all kinds of objects you can use as decoration inside the terrarium, including: reindeer moss, a multi-coloured mix of gravel, shells, aquarium props/models, charcoal, coral, pottery pieces, pebbles, different colours of sand, driftwood, sea glass, and miniature ornaments of anything from toadstools to fairies!
Remember, don't use any copper or soil in your terrarium; these will kill your air plant. Also don't use anything which will retain water; water must be free to drain away.
Photo by ProFlowers.
Photo by Goatling.
These two photos show examples of how you could display your air plants - in a classic glass terrarium and in a sea urchin - but there are so many other ways you can house an air plant too.
In addition to the range of glass terrariums, cloches and vases which are available, other methods I have seen include: hanging air plants from the ceiling using neon string, cutting the top/back out of a plastic dinosaur toy to make a container, wall-mounted pockets, a coffee pot terrarium, and vases made from lightbulbs, large shells and a disco ball!
I hope this page has given you a few ideas, and I hope you have fun with your project.