Gift that became an obsession — Tillandsia Ionantha

Someone gave me Tillandsia Ionantha as a birthday gift and I barely knew what it was. Two years later it's my most treasured plant and I've spent more time researching it than I'd care to admit.

The key discovery was soaking in water for 20 to 30 minutes once or twice a week — once that clicked, the plant transformed. completely soil-free growth from atmospheric moisture and nutrients is what gets mentioned every time anyone visits. I keep it in a decorative driftwood or cork bark mount which works perfectly. most vigorous growth in warm humid summer months is when I understand why this plant has such devoted followers. scale insects or mealybug in the leaf bases is the one ongoing challenge but it's worth the effort.