British garden art, air plants and yes, driftwood. RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2010

Air plants are very chic and if you can work out a funky way of suspending them from something as equally funky you may assist in creating the new drive for air based gardens. It always amazes me how cheap air plants are to purchase. What fab garden art.  They are so beautiful and sculptural. Heavens they don’t even need soil  – why aren’ there airplants everywhere (indoors)?

Perhaps a jewellery range is waiting to happen – its probably already happening at ETSY somewhere.

Anyway I found one airplant retailer at Hampton Flower Show but he had not kept up with the air plant craze happening in in the US.  Yep in true British style the Brits are still attaching their tilliandis to driftwood ….except he was from Europe ….but he was selling to the British market…

I like that ….just observing that is all……cultural application of air plants

Air plants for weddings by Flora Grubb

These pictures have been taken from the very lovely Flora Grubb Website. http://floragrubb.com/idx/index.php. How beautiful are these air plant arrangements? For further information on Tillandsia refer to my previous blog on Flora Grubb.

A roof garden suspended in a basket. Clever Hanging Planter Solution Collects Water From Leaking Roof.

Look at these hanging baskets. Its a new version of a roof garden. Always on the hunt for clever wall planters I was surprised to see these plants hanging from the roof of Tide Tables cafe  under Richmond Bridge in London.

And what a great idea. The owner of the cafe was interested in a green wall but opted for this clever design solution. The baskets are the wire shopping baskets that can be found at most supermarkets. The plants are then suspended from the basket facing downwards.

But how do you water the plants? Well the baskets are actually holding containers to collect water from the leaking roof. The baskets are really designed to collect water rather than just being an aesthetic consideration. Ah very clever. A new planter pot idea.

But doesn’t the soil drop out? Nope, there is no soil. And they are not air plants. The plants are fake.

Air Plants (Tillandsia) with Love – a Key Essential to Garden Art

If you live in America and can not bear the concept of buying another chunk of chocolates for your beloved you can buy a gift box filled with growing love – an airplant (Tillandsia) from Flora Grubb’s on-line store. Apartment Therapy have recently done a few article on air plants as well and mentioned fernseed as another artist who works with these plants (see her image below).

Garden Beet loves this idea and has hunted down a UK retailer who specialises in air plants.

Key Essentials is run by Maria Isaacs in Dorset. The family company sells an overwhelming number of air plants that make great gifts. Some plants are grown in the UK and others are nursery grown in Guatemala and then shipped to the UK.

Isaacs has been growing and selling air plants for 15 years and advises that they are really an indoor plant in the UK.  Some species are hardier than others and whilst most can survive outdoors during the warmer months it is best to bring them inside during winter. They dislike frosts.

Air plants do not need soil to grow and therefore can be located just about anywhere providing its not too cold. These plants provide great sculptural opportunity (as shown in the previous article on air plants) .

Garden Art, Air Plants, Tillandsia and Airspace in Contemporary Gardens

Airplants (genus Tillandsia) offer much garden art inspiration. Tillandsia create amazing shapes with their tentical like leaves. They do not need any soil and are therefore able to be fixed to various materials and locations.  Landscape Architect, Flora Grubb in San Francisco has become well known for her arrangements of these plants. The idea of arranging Tillandsia is not new but Flora has certainly moved these plants from their original 70’s wood and rock arrangements (as shown below) .

Given the current trend of architecture morphing with the garden in a Patric Blanc style it is likely that we will continue to see  different garden typologies develop.

Flora has also been responsible for some beautiful succulent green walls. These wall planters have been inspiring many internet gardeners and she now has the product available for purchase .

Biospheres by Artist Tomas Saraceno uses the airplants in his art to explore ecology. For a full explanation on these Globes please refer to RETHINK Contemporary art and climate change .

Flora Grubs Green Wall

Vertical Gardens, Flora Grubb and Thigmotropism

Thanks to Woolly Wally Pockets I am now aware of garden designer Flora Grub in San Franscisco (she also stocks the Wally Pockets). Flora Grubb has some amazing vertical garden installations (called ‘thigmotropes’) in her store. She creates them with Kevin Smith. They are artful arrangements of air plants known as Tillandsias.  I think they are mounted to what looks like corten steel (pre-rusted steel). Wow. check them out

They are known as air plants, because they don’t need soil to grow. They are epiphytic and absorb water and nutrients through their leaves. They do have roots, but these are used only for anchoring to other plants or structures. Although tillandsias often grow on other plants, they are not parasitic, they depend on the host only for support.

 Very beautiful indeed

A vertical gardens using airplants