Bromeliad species do not have roots as we normally expect. Instead they have "hold fasts" which are used only to hold the plant in place, normally on the trunk or branch of a tree but in some cases also in soil. The Tillandsia are primarily epiphytic meaning they grow on a tree or other plant. In the wild they collect rain water in the central cone so the only way to water them is to keep them damp and fill the cone with clean water on a regular basis. Most of the plants you have shown can be caused to attach themselves to a piece of cork bark if strapped in place for a long enough period. I have also used just a tiny dab of Liquid Nails glue to cause them to attach but they still need to be wired in place for at least 6 months or longer. We have a large artificial "tree log" in our tropical atrium almost covered with bromliad and and other epiphytic plants. All are watered via an overhead misting system. Misting on a regular basis is best but don't forget many of these have periods of dryness in the wild as well. You can see a few photos of our log on the homepage of the link below. Steve Here is a link that might be useful: The Exotic Rainforest

For a good budget floor, $4-$5 a foot is your range. For mid range, $5-$8. For upper mid range with specialty finishing, $8-12. Upper end $12+ to +++. Stay away from box stores and ''liquidators'' and other sellers of seconds. Stay away from solid wood if you have a slab foundation. Find a good pro who does nothing but floors and get his recommendation on where to shop. Square yards of carpet doesn't translate to square feet of wood because carpet generallly has more cut waste. Generally though, to get square feet from square yards, multiply by 9. 450 square feet + 15% is 517, and round to the nearest full bundle or box amount. More accurate though is Length x Width in inches, and divide by 144.

Yep, avoid that seller. You are likely to get better plants if you shop at a site that actually specializes in selling Tillandsias (there are quite a few, from some with a fairly good selection to others with many different plants). Sometimes they, too, will offer blooming plants, which means the plants are mature probably, but they won't lie to you about lack of oxygen. Hmm, maybe we should start a thread talking about Internet-based Tillandsia sellers? Plants that have bloomed and the blooms have faded usually begin pupping quickly, sometimes even before blooming (or maybe we missed the bloom if we were away a few days?), but some plants bloom and then don't pup, which I think is the exception to the rule (I'm thinking it was a Concolor that failed to pup after blooming for me), but most do pup and some also offer seeds. The mother plant will hang on for as long as she needs to, to make sure the pup(s) have a chance on their own, then she'll fade and it's obvious she's ready for the compost pile. This process takes most often months, but maybe years, too. Ionanthas are usually fine puppers, as are soft gray strictas, caput medusa, aeranthos, bergeri, and many others. Several Internet-based vendors have good descriptions of their plants and can help you decide. Do a web search for "Tillandsias" and you'll not only get sellers, but sites that simply like to tell you about the plants.

Can you return it and get a smaller one? (I admit I think your fireplace wall is lovely and I personally wouldn't ruin it with a television. But I am a tiny minority who has lived without television for almost 30 years.) Is there another room in which to put it, or do you prefer to use this room for watching it?