Can a plant ever really be surprising? The bird that was devoured by a pitcher plant in Somerset, England earlier this month probably thought so in its final moments. Generally, though, plants don’t have a lot of tricks up their sleeves. Which means that in order to create interesting, unexpected design with plants, one must manipulate other things about them—such as where they appear. Following are some intriguing examples of plants in strange places.
In A Table
At Five Feet From The Moon’s generous warehouse space on Fair Avenue, Dominic Boinich makes sleek, modern furniture using poured concrete. Among his inspirations: smooth tabletops split by cracks from which sprout tiny succulent gardens. The organic shape and unexpected botanic element makes these tables as stylish as they are functional. “He’d always wanted to make a table with a crack down it,” says partner Katrina King, whose gorgeous metal patinas fill the shop. “The first one was kind of a geometric shape and we looked at it and thought, ‘We should plant something in it.’ Succulents, with their scant space and water requirements, fit the bill. Tables start at $375; vertical cement wall hangings start at $275. Available at Five Feet From The Moon (Fair Avenue between Mission and Ingalls in Santa Cruz) and DIG Gardens (420 Water St., Santa Cruz).
On The Wall
In the handful of years that it’s been open, DIG Gardens has established itself as Santa Cruz’s headquarters for vertical gardening. Besides providing beautiful design possibilities, the forward-thinking concept melds nicely with a low-carbon future in which cities build up, not out, and urbanites garden anyway—on their walls. Owner Cara Meyers has introduced us to Woolly Pockets (around $40), wall-hanging pouches that hold enough soil for an artful array of plants. The store also carries terrariums like the Recycled Tear Drop ($59) and holds workshops on making spectacular vertical succulent pictures, pretty much the definition of living art (the next one is Sept. 3). These and many more innovations exploring the art of flora are on display at DIG Gardens, 420 Water St., Santa Cruz.
Up on The Rooftop
Unlike Chicago and Brooklyn, where vertical buildings are the rule and arable land is at a premium, Santa Cruz doesn’t have a ton of rooftop gardens—yet. Architect Mark Primack installed one on his Westside house in July. Thirty yards of soil weighting 12 1/2 tons were hoisted onto the roof to a soil depth of 5-12 inches—perfect for many garden veggies. Rooftop gardens also act as insulators, cooling structures in summer and slowing heat loss in winter. No word yet on the Primacks’ actual veggie harvest, but we can confidently say the style dividends are substantial.
Outside The Kitchen Door
OK, finding culinary herbs growing on a back porch isn’t unexpected at all. Still, the herb bowls from Cole Canyon Farm ($15-45) deserve a mention for their unique combinations, not to mention the sleek rice-hull Ecoform pots they come in. The Tiny Thyme Bowl comes with two types of thyme and rosemary or sage, depending on the season. The Herbs de Provence Bowl comes with basil, summer savory, sweet marjoram, rosemary and lavender. Thai Chef comes with lemongrass, Thai basil, a chili pepper and Vietnamese coriander. And the Love Potion Bowl comes with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. “If you mix those herbs you can create great love gris-gris,” says Pamela Cole, using New Orleans-speak for “spell.” Can any of them be grown on the kitchen windowsill? Sadly, no, says Cole: even kitchens with lots of light don’t get enough sun for culinary herbs. “We encourage people to keep them right outside the door,” she says—and to transplant them into larger pots after two or three months. “Most perennial herbs you can keep going outside beautifully all year long.”
