Culture
‘The universe is a continuous web. Touch it at any point and the whole web quivers.’ – Stanley Kunitz
Here, we explore the nuances of the relationship between humans and the natural world. We share provocative ideas and thoughtful opinions, and ask plenty of questions about what it means to be here, now.
263 Results
My Dad Bill, the Tree Planting Obsessive
CultureA story of a man, his spirit level and a tree museum.
Gamma Gardens: Atomic Plant Breeding
CultureLiberty Lawson explores the fascinating phenomena of post Cold War atomic gardening.
Tulipomania: A Tale of Obsession, Greed and Flowers
Botanica, CultureThat time when tulips were more expensive than houses.
River Diaries: A Book in a Boatshed and Pondering Place
CultureA musing on the power of place, and news of a Planthunter book.
Wild Motherhood (Orchid Hunting in Cyprus)
CultureA tale of orchid hunting in Cyprus with a baby botanist.
Ecosexuality: Earth as Lover, not Mother
CultureBe an ecosexual. Love the earth.
The Lusty Origin Story of Perfume
CultureStick your nose into ancient stories of scent.
Abandon Floral Foam. NOW!
Culture#nofloralfoam. Get on board.
Life, Death and Mandalas: Lessons from Flowers
CultureAn incredible story of love, loss and healing through flowers. Read it!
Landscape is Destiny: A Chat about Home with Author Holly Ringland
CultureWe chat to the author of 'The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart' about home and landscape.
The Call to Home
CultureA story about finding home, by Lucy Munro.
Talking Shop: Lisa Lockhart from Garden Objects
Art & Design, Culture, GoodsA chat with the co-creator of one of our favourite online garden ware stores, Garden Objects.
A Home Among the Gum Trees: the Pull of the Treechange
CultureFreya Latona muses on our innate desire to find home amongst nature.
Redefining our Animal Nature
CultureFreya Latona suggests it's time to redefine our animal nature as a means of re-connecting with the natural world.
The Human Animal and the Garden. Why?
CultureWhat drives us to create gardens?
The Victorian Language of Flowers
CultureLearn the mysterious language of flowers with us!
Murder in the Garden!
CultureDid you know there's an entire literary sub-genre devoted to crime in the garden?!
Musing on Nature’s Mysteries as a Pathway to Mindfulness
CultureA celebration of the relationship between mysterious nature and the cultivation of the human spirit.
The Plot Thickens – the Allure of Gardens to Children’s Authors
CultureA writer's musing on the relationship between the magic and mystery of the garden and children's fiction.
On Identity and Gardening
CultureNatasha Grogan found her true identity in the garden.
Botanical Names are Hot! A Love Letter/Explainer
Botanica, CultureWant to be on trend in 2018? Start learning the language of plants NOW!
Wild: the Healing Relationship Between Nature and Grief
CultureWriter Freya Latona explores the healing power of nature in the face of human suffering and grief.
In Linnaeus’ Garden: What We are Made of Will Make Something Else
Art & Design, CultureArtist Penelope Aitken went to Sweden to imbibe Carl Linnaeus.
Nature as Metaphor
CultureAn exploration of nature's gentle spiritual teachings on the human capacity for renewal by Freya Latona.
The Art of Frugal Hedonism
CultureBecome a frugal hedonist and be free!
Thrift is my Middle Name
CultureGeorgina Reid's life of thrift.
The Nature of Revolution
CultureClimate change, humans and a big fat green revolution. It's time.
New Shoots: Plants, Poetry and Place
CultureA garden of poems is sprouting in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens this spring
A Fertile Yarra: Celebrating a Revolutionary Gardener
CultureIn Melbourne’s inner north in early 2017, a whole community was mourning an exceptional gardener and activist.
Talking Shop: The Plant Room
Art & Design, Culture, GoodsWe chat to the owner of the best little plant shop in Manly, Emma McPherson.
The Benefits of Barefoot Wandering
CultureTake your shoes off!
On Creativity, Isolation and Nature
CultureAn exploration of the relationship between solitude, nature and creativity by writer Freya Latona.
Wild Cherries and Moonshine in the Albanian Alps
CultureAlecia Wood samples the culinary and alcoholic delights on offer in the Albanian hills.
SEED: The Untold Story
CultureA new documentary following the defenders of global seed diversity. Watch it!
The Hunt for Purple November: Grafton’s Jacaranda Festival
CultureA nostalgic and personal celebration of Australia's longest running floral festival.
Naming the Rose
Botanica, Culture“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare asked. Quite a lot actually, according to Lucy Munro's mother.
Fear, Hope and Ending Ecocide
CultureAn international law of ecocide has the power to change the world.
Anxiety and the Garden
CultureA gardening tool kit to help prune anxiety.
Landscape Maintenance and the Fear of Death
Culture, GardensWe keep our gardens neat because we fear death, according to David Godshall.
Banking Soil: A Thought Experiment
Botanica, CultureWhat's the real value of the dark, 'dirty' world beneath our feet?
Botanical Harmony: The Interplay Between Plants and Music
CultureCan playing music to your plants make them happy?
We’re all Made of Dust (An ode to Humus)
Botanica, CultureIn the beginning there was The Word. And that word was Humus.
The Plants we Play
Botanica, CultureAn exploration of the role plants play in the creation of music.
Burning Time: Incense Clocks
CultureUsing scent to tell the time?! Yep.
Street Libraries: Books on the Footpath
CultureGrow community, grow literacy, grow hope. Grow a book garden on your street.
Brilliant Green: Plant Intelligence Explained
Botanica, CulturePlants are WAY more brilliant than we realise. Be surprised!
Surprise! A Five Minute Survey + Competition
CultureHelp us shape the future of The Planthunter.
PLANT: Exploring the Botanical World
CultureThis beautiful new botanical art book is full of surprises
Love Kills: A Short Story
CultureA short story about a heart leafed philodendron caught in the crossfire of a failed relationship.
Living Legacy: From Grief to Growth
CultureHonouring death with life. And trees.
Book Review: The House and Garden at Glenmore
CultureA review of The House and Garden at Glenmore by Mickey Robertson.
Nightshade Flights
Botanica, CultureEscaping with help from the plant kingdom can be dangerous business indeed.
Meditative Photography in the Garden
CulturePhotographer Christopher Phillips is leading Photography and meditation workshops in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.
Fabric Dyeing with Algae: A Watery New Frontier
CultureDyeing fabric with algae? Yep, it's happening.
Water: Liquid Gold
CultureWho cares about fancy cars, diamonds or big houses if there's no water?
Mary Oliver’s Wild and Precious Life
CultureMary Oliver is a woman of the wilderness and one of America's most celebrated poets.
Women and Henna: an Intricate Cultural Dance
CultureA fascinating story connecting the history of henna use with women, Pythagoras's dislike of fava beans, and much more.
Tulita the Plant Truck Interviews her Driver. What?!
CultureEach week Tulita the plant truck prowls the streets of NYC, driven by leafy lady Christan Summers.
Plants & Prayers: Ancient Healing Rituals
CultureAn exploration of the plants used to perform medicine against 'the evil eye'.
The Artist and the Botanical Collector
Art & Design, CulturePassion, plants and money ain't good bedfellows.
The Plant Society: A Network for Plant Lovers
CultureMelbourne rare plant collector and architect Jason Chongue is having a plant party and you're invited!
Petrol Station Plants: The Bold and Un-Beautiful
Botanica, CultureAn investigation into the horticultural merits of petrol station 'gardens'.
Amanita muscaria: A Cautionary Tale
Botanica, CultureA cautionary tale about reindeer urine, an Angelina Jolie-like fungi, and a bad trip.
Marfa, Texas. A Travel Guide
CultureOtis & Otto's Kirsty Davey takes us on a tour of Marfa, Texas!
Life Lessons from a Frankincense Tree
Botanica, CultureThe exquisite scent of the desert is borne of hardship
The Great American Desert
CultureWe tour some of America's great deserts with photographer, Claude Harvey.
Almería: How We Made the Desert
CultureA thought-provoking visit to El Arbardinal Botanic Gardens in the Spanish desert.
Plants on Pink: An Instagram Community
CultureThe humble hashtag can build a whole community!
Tree Wars: There’s a Battle On in the Suburbs
CultureA privet can start a war. Tomatoes can lead to murder.
Food, Culture and Community
CulturePatrick Honan takes a look at immigration, community gardens and changes in food culture.
When Families Become Trees
Botanica, CultureWhat if we thought about community in terms of trees?
John Cage: The Mushroom Man
CultureJohn Cage was a composer, author and avid mushroom hunter.
Mapplethorpe’s Flora
Art & Design, CultureWe take a look inside the epic book, Mapplethorpe Flora.
What’s in a Name? A Guide to Shameless Erections and Plant Taxonomy
Botanica, CultureHave you ever wondered why plant names are in Latin?
My Boyfriend, Basil
CultureLisa Marie Corso shares a personal tale of summer loving all gone wrong....
The Half-life of Plants
Botanica, CultureIn 'The Chernobyl Herbarium' an artist and author reflect on nuclear disaster, 30 years after the event.
Masienda in the house: Bringing landrace corn to NYC (and beyond)
CultureJorge Gaviria is a modern day plant hunter.
Read & Grow: How Books Inspire Lifelong Plant Love
CultureHow children's books can influence a 'life with plants'.
Indigenous Agriculture: Australia’s hidden past
CultureBelinda Evans looks at Bruce Pascoe's latest book, 'Dark Emu', about pre-colonial farming practices in Australia.
A Feast of Creepers
Culture, PeopleSophie McComas has a thing for creepers. Naturally, we're intrigued!
Honeybees: Five Cosmic Facts
CultureFive cosmic facts about the honeybee - from the sun dance to spiral galaxy-shaped honeycomb!
The Great Cosmic Lotus Dream
CultureThe Universe is one "great cosmic lotus dream" and we're living right inside it.
Book Review: The Baron in the Trees
CultureThis month's book review is 'The Baron in the Trees' by Italo Calvino.
Break it Good! Four Pattern Breaking Plants
CultureNeed to break a pattern or two? We've got the plants for you!
Renting and Gardening: Should You Commit?
CultureShould you make a garden in a rental property? Of course you should. Here's why.
NYC’s Park in the Sky
Art & Design, CultureHow NYC's derelict freight line became a wilderness in the sky.
Finding Nature in the City
CultureA meditation on finding space in an urban environment from The Fortynine Studio's Sarah Spackman.
Dear Coal, We Need to Talk
CultureA very considered letter to coal, marking the end of a relationship.
Ellis Rowan: Plant Hunter
CultureA radical Australian plant hunter who broke all the rules.
Rousseau in the Jungle
Art & Design, CultureHenri Rousseau painted exotic jungles, but he was really the ultimate city dweller.
Oh, van Gogh!
Art & Design, CultureVincent van Gogh painted sunflowers, olive orchards and lemons – and he's up next in our artist series.
Camille Pissarro: The Impressionist Gardener
Art & Design, CultureWe're exploring artists who depict nature this month - first up is Camille Pissarro.
The Ritual & Magic of Altar Making
CultureMake some everyday magic by building yourself an altar. All you need are flowers, focus, and crystal power!
Sorry, I Love You: The Ritual of Giving Flowers
CultureA visit to Flowers Vasette in Melbourne, and an exploration of the ritual of giving flowers.
Oliver Sacks: Fern Crazy
Botanica, CultureAs well as a regarded neurologist and author, Oliver Sacks was a mad fern lover!
Zen Garden, or No Zen Garden?
Culture, GardensGorgeous images of Japanese temple gardens. And a musing.
On Seeing (Or Why The Planthunter Exists)
CultureNature. It's simple and complex and fragile. And it's why The Planthunter exists.
Foliage Fantasies
CultureOur readers share their ultimate outdoor love making fantasies!
First Date? Get Outside. Go!
CultureOur list of over 30 great outdoor places to take a first date.