Description
About Tillandsia gardneri
Tillandsia gardneri is a Brazilian species with soft, paper-thin silver leaves. They feel like tissue paper, and they arch outward in a loose, graceful rosette.
The colour is a pale, almost white silver, because the trichome coat is dense. Against green plants it glows.
The bloom is a short spike of rose-pink bracts with pink flowers, and it sits low in the rosette. It is soft rather than showy, in keeping with the plant.
We grade gardneri from 3-inch smalls to 12-inch specimens. Older specimens carry marks of age on the lower leaves, which is stated on the size option.
This is the standard form; our Morro do Chapeu and ‘Rio Deudo’ clones are separate listings. Gardneri is the plant for buyers who want softness and pale colour in a display.
Growing Tillandsia gardneri: Care Guide
Gardneri grows in humid coastal Brazil, and it wants moderate light, humidity and good air circulation together. The thin leaves scorch in hot sun and shrivel in dry heat, so give it bright shade and water it regularly. It is one of the species that does better in a humid greenhouse than in a dry shop, so hold stock in the growing area and bring plants out to sell rather than leaving them on a shelf for a month. A misting every few days keeps the papery leaves from curling.
- Light: Bright indirect light. No hot direct sun.
- Water: Soak 20 minutes every 7 to 10 days. Mist between soaks in dry air.
- Drying: Invert and shake gently. Thin leaves dry fast.
- Airflow: Constant gentle airflow.
- Temperature: 45°F to 90°F. It dislikes extended heat.
- Feeding: Feed monthly with diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer at quarter strength.
- Mounting: Glue or wire to wood. Handle the leaves gently; they tear.
- Pups: Two or three pups after bloom.
Browse more Air Plants, or see our air plant care guide.
