Rainforest Flora, Torrance

Rainforest Flora traces its origins back to the 1960s, when UCLA economics student Paul Isley developed a fascination with the otherworldly aspects of the tillandsia plant. The soil-free plant so captivated him that he embarked on an adventure through Mexico and Guatemala to collect specimens. After Paul met his friend and business partner Jerry Robinson on a Caribbean diving expedition for Spanish galleons, Rainforest Flora's lush bromeliad nurseries began to become a reality. Today, thanks to the work and sacrifice of Isley, Robinson, and their former associate, Bill Harris, the business's two facilities in California self-sustainably produce millions of high-quality neoregelias, ferns, and tillandsias.

Tillandsias are otherwise known as "air plants"—so called because of their ability to thrive outside of soil and to consistently deliver textbook underarm lay-ups. Gardeners often attach these colorful fronds to vertical indoor and outdoor spaces or suspend them from wires, helping them grow with the shop's ample supply of epiphyte-friendly fertilizers, waterproof glue, and hangers. In addition to initiating curious gardeners into the world of exotic tillandsias and other bromeliads, Rainforest Flora equips green thumbs with colorful neoregelias and easy-to-grow ornamental staghorn ferns.