Long live summer—that is, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere. Coinciding with the high point of the antipodean calendar is the arrival of online journal The Planthunter, brought to us by Sydney-based design studio Reid & Friends.
Above: "I hope to turn my readers into planthunters," says editor and founder of The Planthunter Georgina Reid. "I want them to fall in love with plants; to see the beauty in them, to cultivate themselves through cultivating plants, to realize their importance in our continued existence."
Above: One lavishly photographed story is a visit to a garden near Sissinghurst, nearby in locality yet so different in style. Georgina refers to it as Charlotte's Garden: "What I loved about her garden was that it was so joyful. It was so obviously a big part of her. It was eccentric, unpretentious and fun." A bit like The Planthunter. Photograph by Georgina Reid.
Georgina is a writer and photographer as well as head of landscape design studio Reid & Friends. She is motivated by her love of plants but also the people and ideas around plants. "These were the stories I wanted to read," she says, "so I made an entire website devoted to them."
Above: Photograph from Birdy via The Choirgirl Hotel.
The Planthunter is more about inspiration than instruction. Try the "Beauty and Madness" post about The Choirgirl Hotel. If Birdy's words are a little incomprehensible, the photos are not: follow @thechoirgirlhotel with few words, on Instagram.
Above: A poignant story, 36 Edward Street. Photograph by Georgina Reid.
Georgina spent most of 2013 "obsessing" over The Planthunter and now this obsession is shared. "It seems many people are as enamoured with plants as I am," says Georgina. "This has made my year of Planthunter building madness seem worthwhile."
The launch issue was called "Death." The thinking behind this is a good insight into The Planthunter's ethos: "Death is such an interesting topic. Plants, in many ways, illustrate the circle of life and death with such elegance and matter-of-factness."
Above: "Plants are my muse," says Georgina. "The Planthunter is my ode to plants."
For some garden visiting with Georgina Reid, see Wendy's Secret Garden in Sydney, Australia.