Air Plants: The Ultimate Low-Maintenance Indoor Garden

Air plants (epiphytes) get their name from seemingly living on air. Though they appear to need no water or food, they actually gather nutrients and moisture from the atmosphere.

While not at every garden center, air plants are increasingly easy to find at specialty nurseries as popularity grows. Great for self-professed black thumbs, they require practically no care — just ample sunlight and protection from freezing temperatures.

Debra Prinzing captured this impressive shot at the Tropical Plant Indoor Expo. Tillandsia climb a wall in a unique planter by John Lamos for Viducci's Garden USA.

With curving gray-green foliage, Tillandsia xerographica is a versatile air plant that grows quite large.

Anna Marra Flowers' walls feature wall-mounted staghorn ferns, creating an indoor garden in the Schoolhouse Electric factory building.

Shane Powers Ceramic Wall Planters ($19) by West Elm turn air plants like staghorn ferns into living art.

Clear glass planters by Shane Powers for West Elm hold tiny air plants for a hanging indoor garden. Hang where they'll receive natural light.

When placing air plants in vessels like glass orbs, ensure the opening accommodates your plant. Spritz dusty leaves with water.

In this sleek DKOR Interiors bathroom, three staghorn ferns grow from a wood-grain tiled wall. A nearby window provides preferred sunlight.

Flora Grubb Gardens' wooden display showcases slender-frond air plants. "Our inspiration was the amazing qualities of the plants themselves — their ability to survive without roots, without soil," says Grubb.

More on Grubb's air plant displays

Blogger Justina Blakeney displays air plants in a surprising way: a pine apothecary chest from a Los Angeles thrift shop.

More:
Air Plants for Wall or Tree
The Indoor Gardener: Crazy for Cacti