Tillandsia purpurea var. shooting star
Tillandsia purpurea 'Shooting Star' is a special cultivar variant of the species Tillandsia purpurea, which is native to Peru. This variety comes from arid coastal regions and has been selected for its striking flowers and attractive leaf structure.
The additional name "Shooting Star" refers to the star-shaped arrangement of the flowers and their vibrant color effect.
Features:
This variant forms slender, upright rosettes with gray-silver, heavily trichome-covered leaves. Characteristic are the strongly fragrant, lavender to violet flowers that appear star-shaped from a mostly simple inflorescence. 'Shooting Star' often exhibits a more compact growth form than the typical purpurea and is particularly popular due to its easy care and aromatic flowers.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright to full sun; ideal for south-facing windows or outdoor locations in summer.
Water: Spray 1–2 times a week or occasionally soak. Tolerant during dry phases.
Humidity: Low to medium (from about 40%); good ventilation required.
Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1–2 times per month with our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form.
Temperature: 18–30 °C; keep dry and well above freezing (not below 8 °C).
Note: Tillandsia purpurea 'Shooting Star' is excellent for dry, bright locations – for example, in airy display cases or on pieces of wood and cork. Its delicate fragrance and elegant appearance make it a popular choice for collectors of structurally interesting, fragrant Tillandsias.
Our greenhouses are equipped with modern energy screens and double glazing to efficiently save on heating costs. Additionally, we collect rainwater over the entire roof area of 9,000 square meters and use only this water to irrigate all our crops. We collect the rainwater in underground tanks with a total volume of 600,000 liters.
Since 2007, we have been heating our entire operation with a fully automated 850 kW wood chip heating system and a 100,000-liter buffer storage tank. Environmentally friendly and CO2-neutral. Only to support during very cold winter days and nights is a conventional oil heating system available.
Since 2014, the heating has been supported by a solar thermal system with an annual yield of about 20 megawatt-hours.
In 2020, we installed a photovoltaic system with 30 kW peak and have been producing more green electricity per year than our entire operation requires.
Since 2021, we use exclusively pots for our self-produced plants that are not only 100% recyclable but are also entirely made from recycled pots. To this end, we collect all used pots that arise in our operation and have them picked up in big bags by our pot supplier Göttinger. There, the pots are cleaned and processed in a water-free recycling facility into new pots that come back to us.
