Awesome Plants

Aussie developer Matt Newell is working on an interactive plaything called Lushfoil Photography Sim. Matt’s goal is to envelop players in the most realistic grass, trees, and other environmental elements across detailed landscapes. From the looks of this French Alps demo, we think he’s on the right track. There’s an 8K version here.

Giant water lilies are as aggressive as they look. They clear the way for growth by crowding out other plants with their spiky, club-like buds, then blocking light beneath the surface with their enormous leaves. This footage from BBC Earth’s The Green Planet provides an up-close look at these plants which can grow 8″ a day.

There’s nothing quite as soothing as aloe vera when you get a sunburn. Business Insider visited the world’s largest aloe farm in the Dominican Republic. There’s an incredible amount of manual labor that goes into harvesting and extracting the insides of each plant leaf before it’s ready for use in products.

Filmmaker Thomas Blanchard captured this series of macro time-lapse images of insects being born juxtaposed with the carnivorous plants laying in wait for unsuspecting creatures to wander into their sticky and deadly traps. According to Blanchard, all insects captured were released after filming.

Simone Giertz was tired of looking at the boring IKEA ceiling light she had hanging from her ceiling, so she decided to replace it with something more interesting – a combination lamp and a hanging plant basket. She managed to keep the water and electricity away from each other with a bit of epoxy.

Scandinavian outfitter Fjällräven updates its classic Kånken Daypack with a plant-based fabric made from sustainably-grown spruce and pine trees. It’s still the same simple pack as always, with handles for toting, and a spacious main compartment. It drops 8.2021. Their recycled plastic and wool variants are also eco-friendly.

Volvox (aka “globe algae”) are a genus of bright green algae that like to hang out in freshwater. Now spend a minute living in their world, courtesy of Shigeru Gougi, who shared this amazing footage of the spherical green lifeforms dancing about under the lens of a microscope.

Green thumb or no, you should have no trouble keeping these little indoor plants alive and happy in your home or office. These grower’s choice plant sets from Costa Farms include an assortment of succulents, each in a 2″ pot and ready to flourish with a little sunlight and water when their soil is dry.

Take your love for The Child from The Mandalorian and channel it into nurturing a living thing. NECA did a great job capturing the adorable and mysterious Jedi creature as he peers out from his floating terracotta baby stroller, nestled among a blanket of lush greenery.

We’re suckers for just about anything in the shape of VW’s iconic Type 2 vans from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Cedar and Stone Garden’s 5″ x 3″ concrete microbus planters are perfect for growing all your indoor succulent hippie plants. They’re available numerous colors, including tie dye.

In a bold leaf of faith, Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu opera house staged its first concert since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown… to a full house of houseplants. The UceLi Quartet performed Giacomo Puccini’s “I Crisantemi” for 2,292 plants, one in every red velvet seat. Conceived by Spanish artist Eugenio Ampudia.

Fans of “Weird Al” Yankovic finally have a Chia Pet to call their own. NECA’s officially-licensed clay head lets you grow the novelty musician’s iconic ‘fro atop his noggin, so you can watch your plants grow as you crank up some White & Nerdy. We wonder if you could get some seeds to sprout from his mustache.

Chicago-based Etsy shop Pixelixir makes these adorable 8-bit pixel art flowering plants, perfect for video gamers who lack green thumbs. They’re made from fused beads and each one includes a planter and rocks so they’re ready to display.

Californian sequoia trees have been known to grow to heights over 400 feet. But that’s about where they top out. TED-Ed’s Valentin Hammoudi explores some of the biological and physical constraints which may mean that’s the tallest a tree ever could be.

Don’t think you have a green thumb? OrchidBox wants to make anyone a plant pro, offering a desktop mini garden that automatically provides the right amounts of light and water to ensure your plants live. Register your interest in purchasing one here.

Artist Wyatt Little presents a truly unique way to cultivate a houseplant. This handmade, rust-colored ceramic vessel looks like an old-school desktop computer and monitor. Measures 8″(l) x 7.5″(w) x 9″(h). We suppose you could attempt the same with an actual computer case.