Laura Kessinger / For The BulletinAir plants are often displayed in terrariums. This is a tillandsia (air plant) and crystals.

Air plants caught my eye long before they appealed to my sensibilities.

The first sighting of these dainty plants, with their fancy foliage, came in a Portland cafe. Several of them were suspended from a single wire, like trapeze artists, with no visible roots or soil. Even after a touch test and brief investigation, the presumption was these spunky little plants were fake.

Alas, that was incorrect.

Air plants’ popularity continues to grow. Here in Bend, we have more than a handful of sources for plants and supplies as well as specialists who are masters at air plant design.

Whether you hang them from wire, place them in a terrarium or use them in numbers for a coordinated theme across a room, their visual simplicity and minimal space requirements give these low-maintenance plants an eco-chic edginess and a practical, modern look.

Air plants come in many forms. Some have wispy, twisting tendrils reaching upward . Rounder varieties appear as strange, terrestrial oddities, while others appear as shrunk-to-scale aloe vera or pineapple plants. In colors ranging from green and silvery gray to flaming red, they can be firm, needlelike and symmetrical as well as soft, broad and irregular.

Properly called tillandsia, air plants are part of a larger family of bromeliads, which also includes the pineapple plant. They are known to live for several years. If they aren’t divided after reproducing, the collective can thrive for decades. From tiny grasslike varieties to ball-shaped, spikier specimens, air plants bloom in bright, striking shades of red, pink and purple. But according to experts, each plant flowers just once, after which the plant will send out baby offshoots called “pups.” If left attached, pups can bloom again and again, but alternatively, they can be detached from their mother to form new plants when they are about a third as big as she is.

Considered epiphytes — plants that grow harmlessly on another plant or tree for physical support — air plants have minimal roots and don’t need soil to survive. Small, wirelike roots function exclusively as anchors, as water and nutrients are absorbed through the leaves.

Air plants do need to be watered, however. Even if their name suggests otherwise, they cannot survive entirely off moisture from the air. Highly adaptive when it comes to their water needs, they can withstand moderate times of drought, according to the Bromeliad Society International. But they come naturally from Central and South America and the southern U.S., where heavy — even if infrequent — rains sustain them. They may survive dry periods, but they won’t grow or thrive without regular access to water.

Giving air plants brief “showers” with a spray bottle or by rinsing in the sink can be a supplemental watering method, but according to experts, weekly “baths” are essential in our dry climate. Instructions from local garden shops were to simply place the plant in a bowl of water and soak for 20 to 30 minutes once or twice a week.

Tillandsia International, one of the largest air plant growers in North America, also recommends a longer, two-hour soak every few weeks. It cautions, however, that plants should never be kept in standing water, and should be shaken of excess after a soaking and placed where they can dry completely within four hours. Water left in crevices between leaves can cause rot.

The most important requirement of air plants is plentiful, indirect sunlight. Place them near windows that get bright morning light, underneath skylights for diffused midday rays or in western-facing windows where afternoon sunshine is sufficient. Artificial light, especially the fluorescents you might have in your workplace, can also be a suitable light source.

When it comes to fertilizing your air plants, the Bromelian Society of Houston says it isn’t necessary for survival.

“But if you want to see them grow and bloom, they need food on a regular basis,” they say. “Adding a few drops of fertilizer to the soaking water is a perfect way to feed them.”

Tillandsia International recommends using a Bromeliad fertilizer (17-8-22) or a fertilizer with a similar nutrient breakdown twice per month.

Local prices for air plants range from about $5 to $10 each for plants ranging in size from 2 to 6 inches tall. The Green Leaf Garden Center had more than 100 small to medium plants to choose from in this price range. The largest plant I found in town was nearly 9 inches tall, resting in a goblet at Moonfire and Sun Garden Center, $22.

The healthiest-looking selection was at Cosmic Depot, which is a fun curiosity shop, but not a garden center. It also offered many different ways to display them, from clear glass terrariums to place or hang to tiny, birdlike cages to keep a new air plant pet in.

For design ideas in the home, websites such as Pinterest offer endless inspiration.

If you’re considering air plants for a commercial application in a restaurant or store, or for a more cohesive and elaborate display at home, you could also consult a designer such as Stringsoil, a plant art company here in Bend specializing in air plant designs for home, work, weddings and events.

Try placing individual plants in antique glasses with sand and seashells or spacing the plants along a wire like a string of lights to span a room.

Create a centerpiece for a holiday table or dangle plants from the top of a window frame using fishing line — not only will the plants get the light they need, they will appear as if they are floating in midair. You can even affix air plants to an empty picture frame, a fancy rock or a small log suspended from the ceiling.

Using nontoxic glue to attach plants to a permanent surface won’t harm them at all. In fact, several sources recommend permanent placement, citing that plants grow and flower more easily when the plants have a steady place to call home. Trim roots or leaves with sharp scissors to create a flat base, which is also harmless to plants, add a couple of drops of glue to the surface and gently press and hold in place until the glue begins to set. Just make sure to choose an object that can be easily inverted or submerged into a sink or bowl of water for regular soaking.

Unconstrained by the need for soil, air plants will thrive nearly anywhere there’s enough sunlight. With regular basic care, the plants will reward you with their unique shapes and colors for years to come.

For larger design ideas or a broader selection of varieties, the Internet offers dozens of wholesale and retail options to meet your needs; the more you buy, the less you’ll pay for each one.

As striking alone as they are in groups, air plants are as simple as they are profound. It’s up to you to decide how to use them — for a tiny flair of the unusual or a bold mark of modern garden artistry.

— Reporter: laurakessinger@gmail.com