A version of this story first appeared in Gear Patrol Magazine. Subscribe today for more stories like this one, plus receive a $15 gift card to the Gear Patrol Store.
Cacti are photogenic in the most unphotogenic way. Bending arms, misshapen pads, random bumps — these are features that solidified the cactus as a plant to be cursed at, not owned. But now cacti’s unpredictable weirdness has people embracing them with open (albeit covered) arms.
“Plants are all unique and imperfect and the shapes are what makes them so wonderful,” says Christan Summers, cofounder of the Brooklyn plant store Tula. When it comes to cacti, their all-around resilience goes a long way, too.
Cacti are capable of living and growing in extreme environments and on apartment windowsills alike. What’s more, they can live to be incredibly old, and they wear their age like a badge of honor. From scars to growth patterns, a cactus’s life is reflected in its looks. There’s gratification in watching them slowly grow into the looks that are unique to their upbringing.
Summers also thinks the sheer variety of species and shapes has drawn a new wave of prospective plant parents to cacti. And with upwards of 2,000 species to choose from, there’s a cactus for everyone. “It expands far beyond the common plant or tropical-oasis vibe into a world of shapely, blooming beauties that don’t demand too much attention to thrive,” she says.
Here, see select pieces of the desert that Summers brought into a little corner in Brooklyn.
