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Hotel Plant Shop

Green Hotspots in New York City

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Ok let’s be frank: New York is always worth a trip! No matter your interests, your likings, your plans. The city that never sleeps offers it all – for everybody. So if you are a plant freak like us, you will enjoy the city to the max too. Just like we did a few weeks ago when we went to New York City for an exciting upcoming plant project (stay tuned). We snapped away with our smartphones and brought back some of our favorite green tips for New York – bookmark these if you plan a visit and love plants. Let’s roll!

Let’s first start with some plant shopping. It’s very easy to find some nice plants in the Big Apple! You can go to the Chelsea Flower Market, or visit one of the cool urban plant shops in town. Our list was long and between meetings & lunches we managed to visit quite a few. Our first stop is at the beautiful Green Fingers Market, by talented Satoshi Kawamoto, the Japanese plant artist and creative director behind Green Fingers also known as Satie San. If you like his signature style of unique vintage treasures and plants, make sure to also check out our post about the Green Fingers plant shop in Milan HERE.

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Green Fingers Market – 5 Rivington street – New York, NY 10002
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We received so many DMs from friends & Urban Jungle Bloggers that we HAD to visit Sprout in Brooklyn. One of their stores in Grand Street is all about dressing a beautiful table and kitchen ware, paired with beautiful greenery. And just across the street you can find their XXL shop with anything planty and floral.

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Sprout Home Kitchen & Table – 44 Grand Street – Brooklyn, NY 11249
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Houseplants in every size, shape and color, a repotting station, cooled flowers, airplants, a really nice selection of ceramics, glassware, plant pots, plant hangers, tools, soils, stones & gems, terrariums and more at this XXL shop with exposed bricks and bright yellow, pink and black accents. The design of the shop is spacious, clean and makes the plants stand out really well. We loved it and fell hard for the Etch planters by Capra Designs, but also purchased some nice smaller ceramics and citrine stones!

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Sprout Home – 59 Grand Street – Brooklyn, NY 11249
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Coffee and plants are always a good idea! Welcome to Plant Shed where you can sit down for a coffee, treat yourself to a new houseplant, or purchase a freshly picked bouquet for a friend. Or buy one the fun planters, like the Modernica large Mushroom planters:

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Plant Shed –  1 Prince St. (at Bowery) – New York, NY 10012
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More plants, coffee and flowers… different style! You can shop for all of it at one of the locations of Homecoming. They also stock some really nice books and magazines, ceramics, candles, watering cans, glassware, plaids. Everything to make coming home even nicer!

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Homecoming – 92 Berry St. – Brooklyn, NY 11249

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Plants and coffee are nice, but what about really good vintage designs and plants? The spacious shop of Other Times in Brooklyn has a fantastic selection of vintage furniture (like Danish Design sideboards), lamps, mirrors, planters and books, paired with tall Sansevieira, cereus cacti, Stromanthe triostar, fiddle figs, palms and more… Oh and make sure to check out their cool selection of vintage books as well. The titles are hilarious!

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Other Times Vintage – 48 Bogart St – Brooklyn, NY 11206
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If there is one shop that doesn’t need an introduction, it’s The Sill. They are the best in online marketing and make ordering plants online so easy! They propose the most easy going common houseplants, delivered in their own The Sill ceramics. We visited both locations, on in the Upper Westside, the other one in Chinatown. They just opened a shop in Los Angeles as well. Welcome to The Sill jungle!

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

The Sill – 84 Hester Street – New York, NY 10002 & 448 Amsterdam Ave – New York, NY 10024  (new location in LA: 8125 W 3rd Street)

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Also in China town: this not very fancy, but oh-so-interesting Plant shop called Dahing Plants where our friend Brian took us one night before a just-as-fancy meal (Mac & Cheese spring rolls anyone?!). At Dahing Plants they have a surprising selection of bigger plants, like the XL blooming Jade plants you see in the picture below, for hard-to-beat prices. Definitely worth a visit when you’re looking for something big and affordable in New York:

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Dahing Plants – 289 Grand St, – New York, NY 10002

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Plant shopping makes you hungry! Time for a break and indulge in a green café, like at Stonefruit Espresso in Brooklyn. Yummy food and drinks that you can enjoy at the large communal table in the back where you can create your own bouquet of dried flowers, buy a new houseplant, find nice planty accessories, like the pins and keyrings by our friend Samantha from Hemleva.

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Stonefruit Espresso – 1058 Bedford Ave – Brooklyn, NY 11205

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In the back of the Williamsburg location of Juice Generation you’ll find a huge glass window that gives you a peek into a large urban jungle with real tropical plants. A good idea they put all plants behind glass, because you could get tempted to snap a cutting of one of these 😉

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Juice Generation – 210 Bedford Avenue – Brooklyn, NY 11249

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The best freshly roasted coffee, with a large vertical garden with as a backdrop? Go to Devoción Coffee. They roast their own coffee blends, their vertical garden features 150 Colombian native coffee plants and their granola bar is to die for!

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Devocíon – 69 Grand St. (at Wythe) – Brooklyn, NY 11249

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At Little Park restaurant, in the heart of TriBeCa, they serve seasonal food that highlights local farmers, anglers, vintners, ranchers and foragers. From farm to table, in a nice setting with lush Golden Pothos that create a green curtain in front of the windows:

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Little Park Restaurant – 85 West Broadway – New York, NY 10007

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If you are looking for a fun place to stay in Brooklyn, consider renting a room in The Funky Loft. We met with owner Marcella in her spacious loft in the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn that looks like a quirky and funky home where you can feel at home, play some funky tunes on the piano, admire the many thriving plants, hang out with other guests, pin your hometown on the custom map, or just relax in your own private room. Funky and good vibes guaranteed!

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

The Funky Loft B&B – Bushwick Brooklyn, NY

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When you think of visiting your dentist, you probably don’t think of cool plants, stylish design, a home-y feel or staff that makes you feel like friends, Yet, it is exactly what you’ll get when your dentist is called Dr Jennifer Plotnick. Her state-of-the-art practice on Grand Street (neighboring Sprout Plant Shop), called Grand Street Dental makes you want to hang out at your dentist every day. Their selection of plants by the famous Putnam Flowers, are just gorgeous.

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Grand Street Dental – 57 Grand Street – Brooklyn, NY 11249

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And one thing that is on our list wherever we go: to visit the local botanical garden. The NYC Botanical Garden requires some time to get there, but a visit to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden was easier to fit into our schedule. The park outside was in full hibernation mode, but inside the greenhouses it was green and lush, humid and dry. Very inspiring and very Instagrammable too!

Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc
Urban Jungle Bloggers in NYC #urbanjunglebloggers #hotspot #nyc

Brooklyn Botanic Garden – 455 Flatbush Avenue or 990 Washington Avenue – Brooklyn, NY 11225

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Other green places in NYC you shouldn’t miss:

– The High Line – An elevated freight rail line transformed into a public park on Manhattan’s West Side. It wasn’t very green when we visited this February, but we were told it’s really nice in Spring and Summer.

– Rooted – 81 Quay St – Brooklyn, NY 11222, USA – The guys that deliver a curated collection of pre-potted plants delivered straight to your door, now also have a brick & mortar shop!

– Greenery NYC – 91 West Street – Brooklyn, NY 11222 – Freshly opened, just days after we left NYC: the world’s first biophilic design store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

 

 

Photography by Urban Jungle Bloggers
This blogpost was not sponsored, we genuinely enjoyed all these green spots!

Categories
Hotel Plant Shop

8 Botanical & Green Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland

Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers

A few weeks ago we were in Zurich, Switzerland. We were invited to attend the “Textile & Fashion Days” of the Swiss Textile College in Zurich. Why you might wonder? Because their topic this year is called: Urban Jungle! We brought in our plant expertise and spoke about the Urban Jungle Bloggers community and our book and we also hosted a plant hanger workshop. In the evening there was a Slow Fashion Performance in a cool underground urban jungle, full of lush grasses, hostas, greenhouses and soil. You can have a look what that looked liked in our highlighted story on Instagram.

We spent the weekend in Zurich soaking up the first sunshine of the season, made a boat tour on Lake Zurich, indulged in Swiss traditional food (at Zeughauskeller), we enjoyed the finest chocolate and visited some of the greenest places of the city. Read on to discover the places we think you should not miss when you’re planning a trip to Zurich. Get yourself a Zurich Card for free or reduced access to 41 museums, unlimited tram, bus, train and cableway, boat trips and more. Ready? Here we go!

Where to go if you love plants?

Old Botanical Garden

Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
photo by Roland zh

We start with a walk in the park in the Old Botanical Garden in the middle of the city. The small greenhouse (closed to the public) houses a nice collection of tropical plants that you can admire through the glass. For more parks and gardens in Zurich, check out the Visit Zurich website here.

Botanical Garden and the Greenhouse Domes

Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
photo by Botanical Garden at the University of Zurich

With around 7000 different plant species spread over an area of about 53,000 m2 there is always something to see in the Botanical Garden of the University of Zurich. The most interesting part of the garden for us Urban Jungle Bloggers are the tropical greenhouse domes with their lush foliage and desert plants. Make sure to visit before 17:00, as the tropical greenhouses close earlier than the garden. A bummer, because we missed visiting the inside of the domes, which looked gorgeous from the outside!

Sukkulenten Sammlung

Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers


This is a succulent lover’s dream! Open since 1931, the “Succulent Collection Zurich” houses one of the largest collections of succulent plants in Europe. In the seven greenhouses you can walk past the entire collection that consists of 4500 different species from 78 plant families. Take at least an hour (or better… a few!) to wander around the greenhouses and admire the huge variety of textures, shapes and colours of all the plants on display. The Sukkulenten Sammlung is located at a 20 minute walk from the city center, and a nice break from the buzzing city life.

Masaola Rainforest in the Zurich Zoo

Zoo Zürich

In this tropical “mini rainforest ecosystem”, you get to experience animals in their natural habitat. Covering a total area of 11,000 m2, it is home to geckos, turtles, snakes, parrots and many other rainforest creatures. All information about the Rainforest in the Zoo, can be found HERE.

Where to eat & drink?

Pause

Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers

This is what you would call a real Urban Jungle Bloggers café: a nice selection of yummy sandwiches and salads that you can enjoy in a hip urban jungle with dozens of (real!) plants. The vibrant color of the interior of Pause match the green of the foliage. Not to be missed if you’re in the neighborhood!

Neni Zurich West

Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
photo by Neni

In the cool 25 Hours Hotel Zurich, with its jungle-ish hotel lobby, you’ll find the Zurich West location of restaurant Neni  (they also have a location at the Langstrasse). Neni serves dishes from all around the world, but have a slightly Oriental vibe. Think: humus, spring rolls, hamshuka, Tel Aviv streetfood, falafel, Korean fried chicken, Romanian Sakuska… Yummm!

Hiltl

Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
photo by Hiltl

The world’s first vegetarian restaurant according to the Guiness Book of Records is in Zurich! And it is named Hiltl! No wonder their various spots across the city boost with plants and greenery for an extra cool and healthy lunch break! Also check out their rooftop terrace and bar in the city center as well as their cute café/bar in a flower shop. All locations can be found HERE.

The Artisan

Urban Jungle Bloggers - Botanical Hotspots in Zurich, Switzerland #urbanjunglebloggers
photo by The Artisan

When a place is called “The Artisan – Kitchen & Urban Garden” you know it is the right spot for any Urban Jungle Blogger, right? Delicious food, good coffee, a relaxed atmosphere and of course lots of greenery define this place. Go check it out when in Zurich – you can find The Artisan HERE.

photography by Urban Jungle Bloggers, except credited above