If you thought gardening had to be constrained by flower beds, plant pots and, you know, gravity, then think again. Patrick Morris, one half of the brains behind GROW London favourites Boskke, has shared the secrets behind his ceiling-first approach to gardening.
Where did your passion for creating hanging planters come from?
When I was studying at Central St Martins I had dozens of pot plants covering the floor and most of the horizontal surfaces in my tiny two bed flat. I loved plants, but decided I’d try to design something that would allow me to have as many as I wanted without using up my valuable floor-space. Whenever you enter a space, more often than not the ceiling is an entirely empty landscape, ripe for planting!
How did Boskke start?
I started Boskke with my brother, Jake, immediately after graduating. Thankfully he had a sales and marketing background, so our two areas of interest complemented one another.
Where does the hunt for creating the perfect product take you?
We manage our own network of manufacturers. These are largely centred in Thailand, because this is where we started with our first ceramic Sky Planter and is where I chose to manufacture as I’d spent several months working in potteries there as part of my apprenticeship in my early twenties.
What has been keeping you busy since GROW?
We’re based in the Royal College of Art and are lucky to have great prototyping facilities for product development so I have been flat out working on our new product ranges for launch this autumn. We have also had several factory visits bringing on a new porcelain supplier and a new sheet metal supplier to work with us on some of our new products.
Other than design and supply related work, research and sales visits seem to take up the rest of my time.
What are you working on at the moment and what’s coming up over the next few months?
We have some really exciting developments in store! I am working on several new product ranges, which we aim to launch during London Design Festival in September. These will include several new plant containers, as well as a watering can, tool set and a few other interesting pieces.
What did you have you eyes on at GROW London?
I absolutely love what Barn Carder (“Barn the Spoon”) is doing. I had a really good chat with him and what I most want to buy from GROW is a spoon-whittling session with him!
Describe your own gardening style
Where I grew up at home in New Zealand we have 30 acres of land on the banks of a muddy river, most of it wooded and otherwise beautifully gardened. In London, I live in a two bed flat on the fourth floor with no outdoor space whatsoever, so my garden is almost 100% upside down and from the ceiling!
Which garden has had the greatest impact on you?
I recently met a friend for coffee at the Chelsea Physic Garden next to the Royal Chelsea Hospital, which I found a quietly powerful experience. Today, we are so used to medicine coming in tablet or ointment form that it has become easy to forget how much we owe to plants for our health and well-being.
Your life motto?
The mind is everything. What you think you become.
Favourite plant?
I’m not sure what kind of grass it is, but our lawns at home in New Zealand always smelt slightly of mint. Beautiful!
Best music to garden to?
Puccini!
Join us at GROW London this June to see more of Boskke’s beautifully designed planters.