Sy, tilly's do not need soil to grow, that is the fun part with them. I used to live in Torrance in Los Angeles county and there is this tillandsia nursery called Rainforest. I immensely enjoyed visiting there often.
Here is their website, quite informative about tilly's. Try to see the video section they have, lots of good samples and explanations.
http://www.rainforestflora.com...
Looking at the photo you have, that is one really pretty bromeliad! But I don't think it is a tillandsia.
