Germany: the fate of Christmas trees in January

What’s this? Could it really be a polar bear getting ready to eat a discarded Christmas tree? Indeed, our friend and faithful Urban Plants reader Phyllis alerted us to a strange and amazing January urban plant tradition that takes place each year in zoos all around Germany.

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Brooklyn: Nighttime weeds along the Gowanus Canal

On a recent warm night while traversing the Gowanus Canal, I spied a couple suspicious green characters lurking about, like this many-headed ivy monster…

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Brooklyn: Trees wearing sweaters

The weather has been very mercurial lately, swinging from warm summery days for short sleeves to gusty days like today when I go back inside to get my sweater. The weather is whipping the trees around too and I bet some of them would be happy to have sweaters too, like these trees I saw [...]

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Brooklyn: Oak treeling discovered in windowsill garden

My housemate, who tends a garden in our backyard along with a few pots inside the house by her window, recently discovered a volunteer sprout in one of the indoor plant pots. But when she pulled up the “weed,” she discovered it had taken root from an acorn! A tiny little oak tree had developed [...]

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Drainpipe tree sealed up

On November 16, 2009 it finally happened. Two men went to work clearing out the drainpipe tree and sealing up the corner of the church on 17th Street at 5th Avenue. This “tree,” really at least 2 or 3 young trees growing out of the side of the building through cracks created by a broken [...]

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Plant gang violence

Despite the long silence since our last post, our loyal reader Timothy in Brooklyn is still on the lookout for interesting urban plants and sent us in this scene from Park Slope, 11th Street between 4th and 5th Avenues.

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A great closing to a great time at Open Source gallery

Now that we’ve had a breather after our breathless and beautiful residency at South Slope’s Open Source, I want to start sharing images and footage of what we did there for those who couldn’t make it – and also for those who did visit and contribute, but want to revisit! This video captures just one [...]

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Our residency at Open Source has begun!

Urban Plant Research’s first New York exhibition and residency began last Saturday at Open Source Gallery in Brooklyn! It kicked off with an opening party filled with friends, neighbors, fellow artists and plant lovers, pizza and beer.

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Brooklyn: Urban Plant Videos!

On July 12, in the high noon sun, I caught sight of a plant living down below the street, underneath the subway grates at 9th Street and 6th Avenue.

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Brooklyn: Climbing plants (in and out of control)

With the ivy-graffiti still on my mind, I’d like to share some more amazing instances of climbing plants I’ve discovered in Park Slope. This photograph that I took a little while ago, with its lush, dark ivy, reminds me of Leslie’s photograph of Juncker’s Hotel Garni, minus the beautiful way the ivy flows into windowboxes.

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