My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Tillandsia Usneoides - Spanish moss, Florida moss, long moss, or graybeard

Tillandsia Usneoides

Detail of my Stringing in the Rain design with Spanish moss, wool, hydrangeas and lilies.

Common name

Spanish moss, Florida moss, long moss, or graybeard

Origin

Central and South America and the southeastern United States but it will grow wherever the climate is warm and humid such as South Africa, Hawaii and Australia

Varieties

Colors

A mass of grey green with tiny greenish blue flowers and brown seedpods. The moss can also be dyed.

Vase life

Spanish moss can be arranged without a water source as it absorbs moisture from the air. It will even withstand long periods of absolutely no water when the plant becomes dormant.

Scent

Uses

Roll in a ball and use as a water retaining mechanic. It is also great to use as a natural stuffing to add bulk or cushion delicate objects. Can be used as mulch in planted designs or draped as insulation or a natural screen or even as fibres.

Conditioning

Wearing gloves dunk the moss under water and lightly wash it with a little bit of dishwashing soap to remove all bugs. Rinse well and spread out the moss to dry in full sun. Or seal the moss in an airtight container (or bag) for a week in a cool shaded area. This should also draw out any bugs hiding in the moss. Take care not to sweat or heat the moss. Rinse out and your moss is ready to work with. Do not microwave. Use dry or hydrate the moss for a few weeks before using in an arrangement

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Related Designs

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An easy to do, budget friendly, craft ahead- use many times floral armature.

17 June 2020 Lei-way

Allow for a bit of variation by crafting a sturdy armature.

24 January 2018 How to make a stack of just enough:

Stack two vases to create a small gap at the side to keep a leaf upright

29 March 2017 A Twirl

Suspend a wire chandelier design to twirl

17 August 2016 Hanging Tillandsia

There are many ways to hang your air plants in a design. In this Tutorial I explore three

6 July 2016 Floral Monogram Seating Plan

Wrap Spanish moss around a monogram wire frame to create a creative seating plan

29 June 2016 Make the design

Weave a reed cradle to suspend orchids from

13 April 2016 Veiled Tillandsia glass container armature

Create panels of Spanish moss to cover a glass container

13 April 2016 It keeps me going and I love it.

Hang a veil of Tillandsia Usneoides to create an armature

23 March 2016 Celebrate!

A closer look at my design at the 20th anniversary of Canada Blooms and The Toronto Flower Show

13 January 2016 Once Upon A Time

Stack and glue a Grass Pyramid Armature

30 April 2015 Layer

Design One from my Inspiration Video: Use the same floral ingredients, willow twigs, Lichen, Spanish Moss, Kalanchoe and Gypsophila to make three distinctly different contemporary...

29 October 2014 Spin a Single Strand Spanish Moss Spider Web

Weave a barely there all natural spider web.

29 October 2014 Frightfully Pretty

Weave a single strand Spanish Moss spider web

9 April 2014 To think of that

Create a natural, swinging test tube holder to keep flowers hydrated

10 January 2013 A quirky kind of Love

Retail florists and wholesalers are already designing, ordering and preparing their product range for Valentine's Day. This is my article that I wrote for the December 2012...

8 August 2012 Stringing in the rain

A veil of green wool, Spanish moss and dried hydrangeas hang over white lilies