Last week Sarah gave us instructions and inspiration for a great air plant display using reclaimed berry boxes. Before reading this post, her post is a great place to start for an overview of the plants, how to care for them, and a reliable source for placing wholesale orders.

As soon as Sarah started talking tillandsia, I got so excited about the idea of putting some in the outdoor shower! It’s a great way to add something unexpected to the space while increasing our garden’s vertical reach. I know this seems like a unique project, but we’re hoping it’ll inspire some more creative uses for these versatile plants. What about adding some air plants to your porch posts, up the trunk of a tree, or to the supports on a swing set? As long as the location is getting some nice bright, but not direct, light and a regular misting from either the rain or a hose, then your plants should thrive.

Before hanging plants, I thought about light conditions and the shower’s layout. The shower stall has a bench along one of the inside walls. Between people sitting on the bench and hanging their towels and clothes over the walls above the bench, I knew I wanted to avoid this half and hang plants in the shower area. The showering area is also ideal in terms of the plants to getting a daily mist. The plants outside of the shower are next to the hose, making it easy to give them a good spray whenever they need it.

I placed three hangings in each area, some are a single plant while others are a grouping of 2 or 3. I’m excited to observe these plants for a while to see how they do, specifically wondering if we have the light and water conditions just right. For each hanging I nailed a tack in the wall and then used some thin jewelry wire to hang the plants. Looking straight on, you can’t see the tack or wire, but if you get up close, you can see the hardware. It should be easy to move the tacks if we have to make adjustments. It will also be easy to take these down and move the plants inside for the winter.

Since the surprise of plants on the shower wall is exciting in itself, you’ll notice that I kept the total number of plants low, going for something understated, but if we have everything right this year, I’ll be excited to add even more plants to the shower next year!