WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS SEASON?

Pine trees are indispensible festive décor plants for Christmas. Without doubt, decorating a tree with twinkling Christmas lights and colourful ornaments is often an enjoyable experience for all in the family. It is a good opportunity to gather the family to shop for the perfect tree and ornaments and to put everything up together! Children can also squeeze their creative juices to come up with something different this year.

Above: An example of a Tillandsia Christmas tree.

Some individuals may find pine trees too common. For those of you who want to have a different kind of tree this season, why not consider putting up a Tillandsia Christmas tree? This novel idea was inspired by the post, which featured numerous Tillandsia plants perched comfortably on a tree branch, made by our fellow Green Culture Singapore (GCS) member, Sandy (nicknamed "TALOS" in the GCS discussion forum).

To create your own unique Tillandsia Christmas tree, the very least you need are a couple of airplants and a sturdy tree branch. You can use a tree branch picked from the park after a routine prune of a roadside tree or hunt for a piece of driftwood branch from the neighourbood aquarium shop.

Make sure that the branch is dry and free from insects, fungi and rot. Secure it by mounting it in a flowerpot of cement or a hole in the ground. If you only want a small Tillandsia Christmas tree and don't want to cement it in a pot then use rocks, pebbles or sand to secure the tree.

Above: Sandy's mini Tillandsia Christmas tree.

For Sandy, his trees are situated in his outdoor garden where he used the branches taken from common trees, some given by a friend while others salvaged from roadside prunings. They include the Simpoh Ayer, Golden Shower and Kedongdong.

The Tillandsia Christmas tree looks good on its own even without the company of colourful Christmas ornaments. One can leave out the traditional hanging ornaments such crystal balls, angels and Christmas stockings. The dazzling and bright colours of such ornaments will look rather out of place on the Tillandsia Christmas tree. Here is a list of airplant species to consider for your Christmas tree:

(a) Blooming tillandsias

When in bloom, tillandsias species such as those of T. stricta and T. tenuifolia proudly present their highly prominent, screaming crimson or shocking pink inflorescenes whose appearance resembles the flames of a candle. These plants, best displayed as clumps, are poised to take over traditional candles in the conventional Christmas tree. Shown below are some more species for one to choose from.

Tillandsias in BLOOM! Above left: Tillandsia tenuifolia var. surinamensis. Above right: Tillandsia bulbosa. Below left: Tillandsia 'Victoria'. Below right: Tillandsia stricta.

(b) Silver-leafed Tillandsia

In large numbers, large and spreading Tillandsia species with fuzzy, silver coloured leaves perched between the branches confer a tree a snow-blanketed look. Tillandsia 'White Star' is a first hybrid that comes to mind. Other suitable hybrids and species include T. 'Houston', T. duratii, T. funckiana, T. tectorum and T. xerographica. Place some plants 'inside' the tree so as to add depth and interest.

Above: A Tillandsia Chrismas tree with fuzzy, silver coloured
species, which confer it a snow-blanketed look.

(c) Tillandsia ionantha clumps

Nowadays, it is not difficult to find Tillandsia ionantha 'Fuego' clumps that come in almost perfect spheres in local nurseries. These clumps can be used to adorn the Tillandsia Christmas tree in the same way as plastic or glass crystal balls on conventional pine trees. These living spheres look their best when they are totally red - do bear in mind that these plants need to be grown in good light to ensure the colour do not fade away. Evenly space these tillandsias around the tree rather than just hanging these spheres at the tip of the branches.

Left: Blushing their way to Christmas is a clump of Tillandsia ionantha 'Fuego'. Right: A clump of glowing Tillandsia ionantha 'Druid'.

(d) Spanish moss tangles

The Spanish moss (T. usneoides) in the form of thick pendulous clumps can be used as space-fillers to cover up any empty spots in a Tillandsia Christmas tree. This relatively inexpensive Tillandsia can come in handy if you cannot afford to buy that many of the abovementioned airplants. The Spanish moss can also be used as garlands to go around the tree.

Above: The Spanish moss can be used as space-fillers to cover up any empty spots in a Tillandsia Christmas tree.