Two surprises awaited me this past Saturday as I took a walk from Neukölln to Kreuzberg, getting acclimated in Berlin again after a week in the heat of Spain. First, I realized that one of my favorite greenmarkets, the “Turkish market” (held on Tuesdays and Fridays on Maybachufer), has spun off a third, Saturday market dedicated to fabrics and handcrafts. There, I was doubly surprised to find an airy, minimal stand in shades of dusty green and creamy white, offering an array of strange air plants with nary a root or speck of soil in sight.
The women behind these spiky little plants call their effort Till – Air Plants. They provide not only the plants and tips on how to care for them (indirect light and a few sprays of water per month is all they need, but also a variety of holders for them, from glass and ceramic globes to hand knotted string nets.
Their aesthetic is absolutely charming. I love the color palette of the plants and the containers.
On the card I was given about Tillandsia, a genus of over 450 ephiphytic air plants, I read that many species only blossom once in their lifetime. So perhaps I was treated to a rare sight in the glass globe above!
Till – Air Plants regularly appear at greenmarkets and flea markets around Berlin, and also offer their wares in a few shops around town. Their website is also lovely, with tender watercolors of each species. If you are looking for a very low-maintenance houseplant in Berlin, this might be your source. As for me, I’ve been adding houseplants faster than I can care for them, but when I’m ready for some new ones I will have to visit Till at the next open-air market.
There’s lots of indirect light in my city apartment!
Hipster plants! These have been very popular in San Francisco.
Check their new website on http://tillairplant.com :)
Hi Mariano, thanks for alerting us and our readers that the Till Air Plant website has been updated. It looks good!