Berlin: Restaurant plants before opening time

In this restaurant in Berlin-Friedrichshain the other day, in the morning before the restaurant had opened for the day, a crew of plants were chilling in the window, from oranges to orchids.

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Kyoto: No Parking (except for plants)

Only plants may park on this driveway, on a small street of souvenir shops and lunch spots on Kyoto’s famous Philosopher’s Walk, leading to Ginkakuji, the silver temple. The Philosopher’s Walk is full of cherry blossoms in the spring, they say; in winter, there are other plants to be seen.

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Kyoto: Very organized plants

For lack of yards, many Kyoto houses and apartment buildings feature jury-rigged container gardens instead. These usually consist of rows of motley pots and crates lined up along the building walls, adjoining the sidewalk. This container garden had a different feel.

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New Haven: The plants of City-Wide Open Studios

Among the hundreds of artists opening their studios in New Haven at Artspace’s month of City-Wide Open Studios festivities, I spotted a few art-loving plants. Above, a potted ensemble at Megan Craig‘s studio in an old warehouse…

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Berlin: Incidentally observed Friedrichshain plants (or, Instaplants)

Taped-off scene of destruction: urban plant carnage at Boxhagener Platz in Berlin.

Now that Urban Plant Research has an Instagram feed in addition to this here blog, some plants I see wind up landing only one on platform or the other – it’s hard to keep tabs on them all. Here’s a trove of Berlin summer plants that I’ve recently posted on Instagram.

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Berlin-Friedrichshain: Nomadic cactus, abloom

This laid-back cactus must have an interesting life. A glam little character with its bright red color and gold spray-painted pot, chilling under a disco ball, it lives on the dashboard of a van that clearly goes places. Well stocked with maps and music, this little guy is living the dream. Spotted recently at Boxhagener Platz in Berlin-Friedrichshain.

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Brighton and Hove, UK: Primulas in the urban jungle

“Some gangsta primulas hanging tough in the urban jungle of Hove,” as described and captured by new contributor Alberto Schiannini.

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Berlin: Two small pots of urban herbs

Spotted yesterday at Prince Charles, a bar in the Aufbau Haus at Moritzplatz.

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UK, US, DE: Plants love laundromats, around the world

I’ve decided that plants love laundromats. I used to think I was just projecting my own feelings onto them, as I happen to adore both plants and laundromats. But whenever I’ve seen a plant within one of these bustling, fragrant and white-tiled spaces, it seems to be thriving in its warm, humid habitat. Now that I’ve met another photographer who’s documented the same thing – Nicolas Cook, who took the above picture in Birmingham, England – I’m sure we can’t both be wrong.

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Austin, TX: She spots plants in low places

These two urban houseplants have very unusual pots. The photograph, entitled “pisspots,” was taken by Alana Mandel in Holy Cross Hall at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Read on for the logical explanation behind this situation…

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