The Plant #9
Last week the latest issue of The Plant was launched with a party at the Momosan shop in Hackney. It was the start of the current hot weather in London, a summer’s evening with people spilling out into the quiet, sunny street. And the magazine cover matched the mood perfectly.
Co-founder Carol Montpart described the cover to me as ‘exactly what the world needs right now – some colour and happiness.’ But she could have talking about the whole issue; the bright, happy tone of Yoshinori Mizutani’s cover image is echoed throughout the new issue.
The photography is universally strong, from the 12 more images by Mizutani of London parks (above) to Scheltens and Abbenes’ photographs of painted flowers at the world’s largest flower auction in the Netherlands (below).
Such bold representations of the magazine’s core subject are countered by a remarkable set of pictures of ‘A World Without Plants.’ Chris Hatherill’s written description of one of the most hostile regions on earth, in northern Ethopia, is accompanied by images of the thick mineral deposits left after what was once a sea has evaporated (shot by Kuba Ryniewicz, below). Nothing can live here, yet some of the images are very beautiful.
A set of pictures by Frederik Vercuysse (art directed by Clarisse Demory) mark the passing of various singing stars (David Bowie, above), a clever way to acknowledge the often ignored art of flower arranging. Kurt Cobain, Minnie Riperton and Nina Simone are also among those represented.
There’s strong writing too — an interview with Tom Ungerer adds depth to the issue as he and his family discuss their Ireland home/farm (above). We learn about seaweed harvesting from a young family in Cornwall and the regular one-colour plant section looks at growing and caring for geraniums (below).
The Plant has really grown into its own skin with this issue. We highlighted issue eight earlier this year, an issue that reflected its late winter publication with its cold blue cover and cool colour palette. Issue nine lands with an explosion of colour, as these pictures show, and positions The Plant neatly as the hip garden culture magazine.
It hits a subtle balance between sharing a passion for looking at and enjoying plants and flowers and encouraging gardening. In that respect it’s the cool sister to the more grown-up and sensible rakesprogeress mag we reviewed here last week. Keen gardener or not, you can enjoy The Plant and might just get inspired to get your hands dirty. At the very least it’ll cheer you up in this crazy times.
Editor-in-chief: Cristina Merino
Art directors: Isabel Merino & Carol Montpart