Are you as obsessed with air plants as we are? We can’t get over how unique they are, and how much fun it is to decorate with them! Here are a few ideas you can use to integrate your favorite air plant buddies into your holiday decor this Christmas season. Air plants are beautiful on their own, but often attaching them to a mount of some type highlights their unique shape, color, and structure. Need inspo? Peruse a few of these ideas and create some tillandsia ornaments of your own this holiday season!
Air Plants & Glass Ornaments
Possibly the easiest way to add air plants to your Christmas tree is to simply pop them into a glass ball. We’ve got a selection of glass ornaments in a few different sizes with openings that will fit smaller tillandsia. You could also use small decorative glass jars as a holder. A bit of twine around the neck of the jar turns it into a simple rustic decoration, while the tillandsia adds a pop of fresh color. Just the plant alone in glass has a beautiful minimalist look, but you can also add other elements, like a layer of small pebbles or sand, to complement the air plant.
Air Plants & Natural Mounts
Air plants can be mounted to wood, and they look especially beautiful on a piece of real driftwood. The smooth lines and textures of the driftwood are the perfect contrast to the whimsical shapes of air plants. Tillandsias mounted on wood tend to look very natural and effortless since its a similar environment to their natural habitat. You could even try mounting your tillandsia on a pinecone for a more festive look! You can mount your air plant on wood with a tiny dab of silicone caulking, but since our winters are so dry in Iowa, we recommend tying them onto the mount with fishing line. This way, you can remove it to soak it every week without having to soak the mount, too. If you want to hang your mounted tillandsia, use some fishing line for an invisible hanger.
Remember to mist your air plant regularly, the wood may absorb some extra moisture, so make sure the plant is getting watered well. Tillandsia also look really cool mounted on sea urchins or other seashells, or on unique rocks. You will need to glue or caulk them onto these types of mounts if you want to hang them.
Air Plants & Metal Shapes
Simple geometric metal shapes are complementary to the wispy style and matte texture of tillandsias. But, be careful with metals! Copper is toxic to tillandsias, so don’t use any copper frames. If you can, use only stainless steel frames, as rust is also toxic to air plants. You can also use fishing wire to attach your air plant to your metal frame, or you may even be able to just set your tillandsia into the frame; it may have enough foliage to stabilize itself inside a frame.
Air Plant Ornaments
If you don’t want to mount your air plant, you can even hang them just by themselves with some fishing wire or nestle them into the branches of your Christmas tree or into a centerpiece. They add a bold eye-catching contrast to traditional Christmas decor.
Ready to step up your Christmas decor game with some sensational air plants? Come by our garden center for some air plants in Bettendorf for a visit. We’ve got a great selection of tillandsias to choose from, and everything you need to turn them into ornaments for your festive decorating.
