Follyage

Nature's funny business

The Folly Tree Arboretum is a botanical garden located in East Hampton, NY. They have nurtured a cultural archive of trees, promoting environmental stewardship via art and science. They produce projects that address our human relationship to the natural world, and support artists and creatives developing new approaches to ecological storytelling. This speculative project proposes the creation of a new line of planter pots based on the charismatic trees in their collection. Available for purchase at the gift shop, they should connect visitors to their time spent at the arboretum, and provide enrichment opportunities for them to connect more personally with nature at home.

Osage Orange

Also known as ‘Cannonball’, this tree produces oranges almost the size of a bowling ball. The wood has a lovely orange cast to it, and it is extremely dense and strong. This pot features a base made from osage orange wood and a ceramic bowl made from the mold of an actual fruit. The bowls are set atop one another, and the bottom functions as an internal reservoir that channels water into the soil via corded rope.

Serbian Spruce

A coniferous tree with a wandering leader and weeping branches. Outside its native range, Serbian Spruce is of major importance as an ornamental tree in large gardens, valued for its attractive crown form and ability to grow in a wide range of soils, including alkaline, clay, acid and sandy soil, although it prefers moist, drained loam.

Red Horse Chestnut

An artificial hybrid between red buckeye and horse-chestnut. Its origin is uncertain, but probably appeared in Germany before 1820. It is a popular tree in large gardens and parks. This particular specimen came close to killing someone, but thankfully did not. After the tree itself died an untimely death, it was turned into a pollinator hotel by its caretaker.