Photograph by BNPS via Daily Mail The Daily Mail has a fascinating feature on David Latimer and his soon to be 54-year-old bottle garden that he started on Easter Sunday back in 1960. Using a ten gallon carboy, Latimer poured in some compost, a quarter pint of water and carefully lowered in a spiderwort…
GIANT STAIRCASE ART MADE FROM POTTED PLANTS Photograph by ANDREA ANNALORO Seen here is the famous 142-step staircase of Santa Maria del Monte in Caltagirone, Sicily, Italy. Each step is decorated with a different ceramic mosaic. Each year for about a month (typically May – June), potted plants are creatively arranged on…
THE GIANT AMAZON WATER LILY Photograph by The Living Rainforest Seen here is the underside of a Giant Amazon Water Lily, growing at the Living Rainforest. In 2002 it set a world record with a leaf that measured 2.65 meters (8 ft, 6.5 inches). The lily is a hybrid between the two…
At a laboratory at Harvard University, scientists have grown complex self-assembling nano- and microstructures using a solution of chemicals and minerals. Some of the structures are smaller than the width of a human hair and have many potential uses in optics and engineering. Researchers have started with flowers, stems and vases as they were…
Guttation is the exudation of drops of sap (xylem) on the tips or edges of leaves of some vascular plants, such as grasses. Guttation is not to be confused with dew, which condenses from the atmosphere onto the plant surface. At night, transpiration usually does not occur because most plants have their stomata (pores…
Echeveria elegans Photograph by Poco a Poca on Wikimedia Commons Echeveria elegans (Mexican snow ball, Mexican gem, white Mexican rose) is a species of flowering plant in the Crassulaceae family, native to semi-desert habitats in Mexico. Echeveria elegans is a succulent evergreen perennial growing to 5–10 cm (2–4 in) tall by 50…
The Netherlands is world-famous for their tulip fields. Every year from March to May the Dutch countryside transforms into a sea of colour. According to Nat Geo, the first tulip was planted in Dutch soil in 1593, and it has become a national symbol ever since. In the series below you will find incredible…
BRUSSELS FLOWER CARPET Photograph by Gaston Batistini The first Brussels flower carpet took place in 1971 on the Grand-Place by the landscape architect E. Stautemans. Since then there have been 18 flower carpets and they have appeared every other year since 1986. The main component of every carpet is the begonia. A…
FRACTAL CAULIFLOWER Photograph by Jon Sullivan Romanesco broccoli, or Roman cauliflower, is an edible flower of the species Brassica oleracea, and a variant form of cauliflower. First documented in Italy, it is light green in colour and approximates a natural fractal. Romanesco broccoli’s inflorescence (the bud) has an approximate self-similar character, with…
Lavender is a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found from Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, southern Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, south west Asia to south east India. Many members of the genus…