EBOOK
About
"In this beautiful book, artist Zenaida Sengo has provided inspiration for designing and living with tillandsias." -Flora Grubb
Air Plants shows how simple and rewarding it is to grow, craft, and design with these modern, easy-to grow houseplants. Stunning photographs showcase creative ideas for using tillandsias mounted on walls and suspended from the ceiling. You'll learn how to use the plants in living hair accessories and jewelry and in unique containers, like dishware, leather bowls, and baskets. Six step-by-step projects include a wood mount, a wall hook, lasso-and-hook wiring, a ceramic-frame garden, and three unique terrariums.
Known for their spiky shape and extremely low-maintenance needs, air plants are growing increasingly popular for crafting, design, and décor.
Because they don't need soil, you can learn the best tips and tricks in Air Plants to dangle and perch tullandsias almost anywhere in your home.
Zenaida Sengo is an artist and horticulturist in San Francisco. When she was an art student, her love of the natural world inspired her painting and drawing, and now in her tiny San Francisco apartment she suspends orchids and bromeliads from the ceiling and nestles them amidst other epiphytic plants, rocks, and minerals. She works with tillandsias at the acclaimed Flora Grubb Gardens, creating designs that integrate plants in and around the home. At other times Zenaida can be found farther afield, rock climbing and alpine camping in Northern California.
Caitlin Atkinson is a photographer of places, spaces, and all things botanical. She was the photographer for the books Dry Gardens: High Style for Low Water Gardens and Designing with Palms, among others. Her photographs have appeared in Elle Decor, Dwell, Martha Stewart Living, and Architectural Digest. When not photographing gardens, you can find her digging in her own patch of dirt. See more of her work on Instagram @caitlinatkinson_photography or at www.caitlinatkinson.com. A Tillandsia Primer
Seeing your plants flourish every day is one of the intimate joys of indoor gardening. But for many people, caring for plants, let alone a species as exotic as air plants, can be daunting. I've been immersed in the world of air plant cultivation for quite a while now, and my work at the nursery has given me the opportunity to refine my knowledge about these quirky plants and their care. When people come into the nursery and ask for assistance with picking out an air plant, I enjoy providing them with information that helps them choose a plant that suits their creative sensibilities and lifestyle. To get you started with your own air plants, on the following pages you'll find background information about the species and its native habitat as well as practical guidance on everything from providing your plants with the right amount of light and the best method for watering them to recognizing signs of ill health and choosing good companion plants.
Understanding Air Plants
Classification
Tillandsias, more widely known as air plants, make up the largest genus in the bromeliad family, encompassing more than 600 species. While the pineapple is the most well-known-and only edible-bromeliad, it is a diverse family of plants with a vast array of colors and patterns in its foliage and a strong tropical appearance. Tillandsias are unusual members of this plant family. Their primary distinguishing features are their limited root function (tillandsia roots are used strictly to attach themselves to a host, such as a tree, to gain optimal light exposure) and sole reliance on leaves for absorbing water. The rest of the bromeliad family collects water through an internal reservoir, or central cup, created by the tight overlapping of their centermost leaves, and are referred to as tank-type bromeliads. These bromeliads are typically seen planted upright in soil.
It is a common misconception that air plan
Air Plants shows how simple and rewarding it is to grow, craft, and design with these modern, easy-to grow houseplants. Stunning photographs showcase creative ideas for using tillandsias mounted on walls and suspended from the ceiling. You'll learn how to use the plants in living hair accessories and jewelry and in unique containers, like dishware, leather bowls, and baskets. Six step-by-step projects include a wood mount, a wall hook, lasso-and-hook wiring, a ceramic-frame garden, and three unique terrariums.
Known for their spiky shape and extremely low-maintenance needs, air plants are growing increasingly popular for crafting, design, and décor.
Because they don't need soil, you can learn the best tips and tricks in Air Plants to dangle and perch tullandsias almost anywhere in your home.
Zenaida Sengo is an artist and horticulturist in San Francisco. When she was an art student, her love of the natural world inspired her painting and drawing, and now in her tiny San Francisco apartment she suspends orchids and bromeliads from the ceiling and nestles them amidst other epiphytic plants, rocks, and minerals. She works with tillandsias at the acclaimed Flora Grubb Gardens, creating designs that integrate plants in and around the home. At other times Zenaida can be found farther afield, rock climbing and alpine camping in Northern California.
Caitlin Atkinson is a photographer of places, spaces, and all things botanical. She was the photographer for the books Dry Gardens: High Style for Low Water Gardens and Designing with Palms, among others. Her photographs have appeared in Elle Decor, Dwell, Martha Stewart Living, and Architectural Digest. When not photographing gardens, you can find her digging in her own patch of dirt. See more of her work on Instagram @caitlinatkinson_photography or at www.caitlinatkinson.com. A Tillandsia Primer
Seeing your plants flourish every day is one of the intimate joys of indoor gardening. But for many people, caring for plants, let alone a species as exotic as air plants, can be daunting. I've been immersed in the world of air plant cultivation for quite a while now, and my work at the nursery has given me the opportunity to refine my knowledge about these quirky plants and their care. When people come into the nursery and ask for assistance with picking out an air plant, I enjoy providing them with information that helps them choose a plant that suits their creative sensibilities and lifestyle. To get you started with your own air plants, on the following pages you'll find background information about the species and its native habitat as well as practical guidance on everything from providing your plants with the right amount of light and the best method for watering them to recognizing signs of ill health and choosing good companion plants.
Understanding Air Plants
Classification
Tillandsias, more widely known as air plants, make up the largest genus in the bromeliad family, encompassing more than 600 species. While the pineapple is the most well-known-and only edible-bromeliad, it is a diverse family of plants with a vast array of colors and patterns in its foliage and a strong tropical appearance. Tillandsias are unusual members of this plant family. Their primary distinguishing features are their limited root function (tillandsia roots are used strictly to attach themselves to a host, such as a tree, to gain optimal light exposure) and sole reliance on leaves for absorbing water. The rest of the bromeliad family collects water through an internal reservoir, or central cup, created by the tight overlapping of their centermost leaves, and are referred to as tank-type bromeliads. These bromeliads are typically seen planted upright in soil.
It is a common misconception that air plan