I just found this thread again and it always makes me smile hearing folks talk about "Air Plants" (Tillandsia). We have a few different types that grow wild here in Florida.
Tillandsia usneoides (Spanish Moss) ........ T. recurvata (Ball Moss) .......................... T. setacea and ..................................... T. utriculata (Giant Air Plant):
I was in San Diego last week and went to Balboa Park and visited the Botanical Gardens there and in one corner of the botanical structure they had a large display of Air Plants, it kind of surprised me that anyone would find them interesting but I guess it's because they are so common here in Florida. This is the only photo I took, just one corner of the very large display:
I volunteer at our little Botanical Gardens here in town and after storms we are always finding tons of Spanish Moss and Air Plants on the ground. We sell some at our sales tables, give some away and sometimes we just pick them up and stick them back in the nearest tree. We have "Christmas in the Gardens" and "Spring in the Gardens" where different vendor's set up tables all around the gardens to sell their wares (all types of plants, crafts, home made honey, jams etc.). Last year on one of our work days I saved a couple of bags of air plants and spanish moss and made natural wreaths for our raffle table. I wish I had photo's but unfortunately I must not have taken any but the wreaths were very popular. I think the most popular was one a lady from out of state won, it was a grapevine wreath, wrapped with spanish moss and little air plants stuck here and there, and I glued different seashells all around, wove a ribbon through and tied a bow at the bottom.
This past spring the raccoons stole the top to one of my suet feeders when I forgot to bring it in at night and I hated to throw it away when I knew it could be used for something ... so I stuck a few air plants in it and it's still hanging in the magnolia tree.
It only gets water when it rains, or once in a great while if I aim the garden hose in it's direction.
