I’m in Florida at the TPIE or Tropical Plant International Expo and today we went on a landscape tour of exceptional private gardens in the Miami, Coral Gables, and Homestead area. I love all the tropical plants and especially the many different kinds of trees. I always get close to look at the bark and when I drew near to this palm I immediately noticed these tillandsias. I thought the homeowner had placed them there, but he said they just appear.

Tillandsia on a palm tree

Baby tillandsias on palm tree

I especially loved this one below because of the lichens on the trunk. We have lichens on the trees in Michigan, too and it is a beautiful combination with a tropical plant. I wasn’t expecting that. Mother Nature really does grow them best and places them right where they should be.

Lichens and tillandsia

These tillandsias below were on trees in other gardens we toured. Notice how the roots of the orchid are growing up the tree with the tillandsia growing in among the roots.

An orchid growing on a tree

Tillandsia growing among the roots of the orchid

Tillandsia on a branch

A whole clump of tillandsia

Baby tillandsia grwoing on a tiney branch

I love how they just grow on the bark of trees. Some of them were so tiny and cute! You never know what you will find when you get up close to a tree trunk.