I have wanted to go to the TPIE (Tropical Plant Industry Exibition) for a long time. This year was the year! Where else would a houseplant lover want to be?! This is the tropical plant/houseplant showcase for the garden center and nursery industry. All the new and exciting plants are showcased. In Florida, of course, they are landscape plants, but for me, living in Michigan, they are all houseplants. I was in heaven!

I was impressed by the displays as soon as I walked in the door. The emphasis this year was integrating design trends with plant trends. The three themes represented were children’s rooms, modern, sleek design and rustic, re-purposed designs. The first picture is the modern minimalistic design and I was told from a very reliable source that the couch was a $30,000 piece of furniture. While I appreciate this style, it isn’t for me. I do love the chicken wire frames with the grape wood and Tillandsias, but It is too stark for me. My husband would probably appreciate the uncluttered look.

The next vignette incorporated the rustic, re-purposed look. Using pallets and other wood pieces is definitely a hot design trend right now. Adding plants such as succulents and air plants makes all the difference.

My picture of the whole kids design area was blurry so here are some pics of some individual elements of the whole.

There a lot of great ideas that can be copied in these three vignettes.

The American Institute of Floral Design designed this amazing re-purposed shutter with Tillandsias and palm sheaths holding all kinds of plants and flowers.

This display by a vendor had a vignettes incorporating all three themes. Such eye candy with some really great ideas; terrariums, bonsai, air plants, and wall planters. These exhibits were my favorites.

Check out the lamp with plants inside it in the picture below!

I loved all the wall planters I saw at the show. These pink earth star or Cryptanthus really make a statement on this wall in black planters. The earth stars wouldn’t stay this pink unless they had a ton of light, but you could easily use Philodendron or Pothos or ferns in their place in your homes. Here are a few more pics of this vendor’s displays.

There were many demonstrations at the show and the one that stood out to me was presented by Jenny Thomasson. She was fun, energetic, and young and  had already opened her own business at age 23. Her presentation included  using found things to make beautiful flower arrangements. Check them out-

The rustic, re-purposed theme was used all through the show and this painted wagon was so awesome.

There was so much to see at the TPIE and I will be sharing many posts in the near future about the many things I was impressed with. Stay tuned!