Awesome Plants

Director and visual designer Hiroshi Takagishi created this mindbending short film, which takes the organic forms of succulent plants and imagines how they might move if they weren’t stationary organisms. It first glance, we thought it was photographic macro footage, but it was created with CGI.

It’s amazing how plants mature from tiny seeds into full-grown flowers, bushes, and trees. Boxlapse has recorded numerous time-lapse videos of plant growth and compiled some of the best examples. The video of 39 different plants includes 5583 days – or over 15 years of growing time, condensed down to 30 minutes.

Plants need to spread their seeds to procreate. While some rely on birds or the wind, others use explosive force to send seeds flying. Ze Frank explores a variety of plants that blow their tops and shoot their pollen, spores, and seeds. It’s fascinating to see how they store the mechanical energy needed to explode.

This unique tabletop display uses the natural properties of moss to improve air quality. Mingled with its plants is a grid of LED-backed tubes that can display the time and animations while providing light to help the moss flourish. It’s also a Bluetooth speaker and alarm clock, and its smart sprayer triggers images and sound effects. From the makers of the Moss Air.

With the holidays upon us, the fragrance of pine is in the air. After buying some pine cones from the market, Boxlapse plucked and planted one of their seeds to see if it would grow into a tree. This captivating time-lapse footage condenses 300 days of growth to about two minutes. Perhaps it’ll be big enough to use as a Christmas tree in a few years.

If Bob Ross and Dr. Zoidberg had a kid, it might look something like this Cthulhu Chia Pet. H.P. Lovecraft’s creepy creature is ready to drive you insane with its beady eyes and tentacled face. Simply coat its head with the chia seeds, and in two weeks or less, your nightmares will come true.

There’s something magical about nature guidebooks filled with illustrations and insights about the flora and fauna around us. From mountains to ocean shores, wetlands to deserts, How to Read the Wilderness: An Illustrated Guide to the Natural Wonders of North America blends art and science to reveal intimate details of wild places.

Give your cacti or other small houseplants a special place on your shelf in these spooky resin skull planters. The trio is based on the classic Three Wise Monkeys image, also known as “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” Though if you had a cactus instead of a brain, you wouldn’t have to worry about any of those things.

Digital artist and illustrator Markos Kay created this captivating short film that features surreal and otherworldly life forms that look like nothing we’ve ever seen before. They definitely look organic, though, combining elements of plants and animals. Markos’ Vimeo channel is loaded with many more strange beings.

Located high atop a mountain in California, a bristlecone pine tree has survived longer than any other living thing on Earth. The tree, known as Methuselah, has defied all odds to outlive billions of people despite its lack of nutrients and minimal water and oxygen. David from MinuteEarth explains why the tree has lived for so long.

Ideal Idea set out to build a unique terrarium inspired by infinity cubes. By upping the complexity to a 20-sided shape, he provided enough space for the plants to thrive. He cut the sides from acrylic and 3D printed the structure, which is held together with cord. The infinite illusion was created using reflective film and LED lights.

Traditional ropes are made by winding hemp or other strong plant fibers. NightHawkInLight got his hands on an industrial machine he found on AliExpress that can take fibers like tall grass and braids them together to create rope. It required a bit of fine-tuning to make it work properly, but it did its job in the end.

Winter is upon us, so for those with a green thumb, that means more indoor growing. This lovely copper tray from Garrett Wade helps you get seedlings started in a controlled environment. It comes with 24 square, bottomless containers so young plants can sip water from the tray and slide out easily for potting.

German design firm Nui Studio created these large handcrafted hanging lamps, which incorporate a closed ecosystem for growing and nurturing a plant inside of a glass jar. The water inside of the lamp evaporates and condenses to keep the plant wet. For more information on ordering, contact Nui Studio.

Artist and maker Peter Brown found some western salsify, a plant that looks like a gigantic dandelion and dipped it in a vat of clear resin. After a couple of failed attempts, he managed to keep one of the seed pods intact and centered, then gradually shaped it into a perfect sphere.

Add a little green space to your office with this unique planter that wraps around your computer monitor. The Monitree is a clear tube that holds small, vine-producing plants. It has watering holes for a syringe, and it comes with a full-spectrum LED light source. Available in 90º Single and U-shaped Double versions.