Air Plants

A couple of times when I’ve been knee-deep in a cookbook project, I’ve joked that maybe it would just be easier if we were all breatharians, capable of surviving on air alone. Well, I’ve found just that … in a plant. A plant that doesn’t need soil to grow, just air, and a quick dip in water every two weeks.  Meet T. stricta ‘Hardleaf’ and T. aeranthos—only two of many varieties available, brought to market by three guys in Torrance, California.

I have an old truck radiator with a fabulous patina that I’ve been wanting to hang on my wall but it needed a purpose, something artsy, a reason. Maybe some decoupage? Now I know it’s higher purpose. I’m going to adorn it with air plants. Once every two weeks, I’ll take the radiator off the wall and set it in a tub of water overnight and then hang it back up. Note the tiny roots on my first three air plants. They’re like little hooks, perfect for sticking into the fins of a radiator. The blooms are vibrant and gorgeous. Check out the endless variety of plants, grown solely in the U.S., available at rainforestflora.com, a 20,000 square foot greenhouse devoted to the colorful rainbow world of Tillandsia air plants.