Have you ever had a beautiful flower
that you wished would live forever? Take a close look at this Silver
Beauty. What you are seeing is not a flower but the shape of this
plant. The leaves open from the center then cascade down in
delightful curling spirals. An incredible living plant that grows
even larger and more beautiful for years to come.
A perfect name for this fabulous plant
is “Silver Beauty”. The Tillandsia xerographica is native to
Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The name is from Greek
words meaning Dry Writing. What? I have turned this plant upside down
and sideways, trying to see where this name could have possible come
from. Do you see it? Growers call it the King of Tillys, but to me
“Silver Beauty” fits perfectly.
A majestically slow growing plant with
silvery gray leaves that are wide at the base, then taper to curly
points. They can reach to over 3' in diameter and 3' in height in
flower. I can hear you now, “I have no place in my house for a
plant that big!” Don't worry, it takes many, many years to grow
that big.
If you have read that this plant takes
special watering care, well it really doesn't. It is the basic care
that works for all Tillandsias. Soak your Silver Beauty for
15-30minutes once every 5-7 days. Rain, pond or fish tank water is
best, but if these are not available use a bottle of spring water. No
chlorine or distilled water. Tip it upside down, give a shake to get
water out of center and let dry bottom up. This will insure that no
water is trapped, which causes rot. Misting every day or two in
between soaking especially when humidity is low is very helpful.
Give it good light, but no direct sun.
Fertilize with a bromeliad fertilizer at half strength once a month.
Fertilizer is not necessary to keep your Silver Beauty alive, but if
you want it to grow and bloom......
And remember, the bloom will last for
months and then it will give you babies!
After reading all this, you are saying,
“I gotta have one”. You will see them available on my site
Creation-in-Clay, and if you leave a comment you will receive 10%
off!
Have a great weekend!
Barb
Creation-in-Clay
I'm wondering if you can tell me why my tillie's silverness is coming off in little patches here and there? No discoloration (brown or yellow), just missing patches of the silver, showing the 'darker' green underneath. Almost looks like it was scratched (though it wasn't).
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