Plants & Flowers Hotel: Renting A Place For Your Plants And Flowers. An Opportunity To Stay In Countryside

Vintage Greenhouses & Potting Sheds - Victoria Elizabeth Barnes

I love plants and flowers. I have so many of them! Some are really huge, and I have to
improvise where to keep them, so I move them around the house. I also organize yearly
plant-giveaways. Sometimes people can’t grow plants because they don’t have enough
space in their homes. Usually growing plants in the summer is not a problem. People keep
their plants outside on the balconies, terraces, in backyards. But during winter, many are
worried where to put their plants as their homes are too small. When people travel for a
holiday or have to go somewhere for a few days and longer, they must find someone who
would visit their house and take care of their plants while they are gone. I've seen many
caffe and restaurants having gorgeous and big plants in their front gardens when the
weather is nice, but I keep wondering what happens with these plants when it gets cold?
Last year, I made a little green corner of my own. I often sit there and think: what if I'd make
a hotel for all these plants?

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It could be like a greenhouse, a facility purposely made and equipped to extend the
vegetative period throughout the year. On one hand, the greenhouse would store and
maintain adult, primarily tropical plants of large dimensions. The greenhouse hotel would
offer space, nutrition and care. In addition, the cultivation of rare and exotic plants would be
done, to which the greenhouse conditions would suit and for which there would be market
interest.
The basic preconditions for the formation of such a greenhouse exist within my agricultural
farm. There is space, basic infrastructure, abundance of materials for compost production
and so on. To this can be added: the formation of nurseries under the open sky, for growing
seedlings of fruit and ornamental trees in a wide range. There are also optimal conditions for
this, like space (plot up to 2 ha), composting, watering, existing mechanization for
processing, human resources (experts and manual workers). Also, this could be an
opportunity for more employment of a number of locals. Maybe this could be another
reason for some people to stay in the countryside or at least re-think?

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brilliant idea @Daliborka . how cold it gets in winter in your area?

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Thank you @Wolha :slightly_smiling_face: . Depends, not too cold. A few days ago it was -13 C. It is windy, due to the felling of trees, so it gives the feeling that it is colder than it actually is.

@irene_1 sounds like something you might like! Also, @matteo_uguzzoni regarding coping mechanisms, for me cats but maybe hiding out in the countryside with plants and friends?

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Watering plants and taking care of them is really relaxing during pandemic, I got few of them and it’s great!
Amazing idea @Daliborka I think it will be amazing for a lot of different reason, I can see it as a destination for humans, kids etc…
In Italy we have very local and unknown (and straight out of Wes Anderson aestethic) bath or wellness center, were people used to go in the past and just spend one or two weeks to breath “good air”…usually they were connected with activities and curative springs. I can see a similar model to your idea!

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Thank you @matteo_uguzzoni :blush:

I agree, it’s really relaxing and productive. My ultimate goal is to have a small forest, a park, a nursery, whatever I call it, and a greenhouse in the heart of it. Soon, people will really need “fresh air centers.” First of all, I want my child to grow up in such an environment. I want a “green world” no matter how small it is.

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So it is similar to Poland. Could you imagine there are folks still working in bicycle food delivery on the streets by such low temperatures? Ski food delivery would look more natural :).

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I guess the delivery is very fast now. It’s cold, the adrenaline is working :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

Is bicycle important for your village infrastructure?

Yes it is. The village is small, and in fact every house has a bicycle.

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hi @Daliborka,

how are you? In Poland I hear that many people who live in the village are not feeling well, and even some eco-markets were cancelled. That is surprising because apparently in the city the risks for various viruses are higher.
How is the situation in Serbia in the rural area?

Hello @Daliborka and @matteo_uguzzoni !
Jumping very late in time in this conversation … would love to know whether you advanced in any of this @Daliborka . I recently fell in love with the ‘interior jungle’ project from Evor, a French artist that lives in Nantes and decided to colonize some ‘in-between’ spaces of his apartment building with thousands of plant pots. After 14 years of climbing and seeding / planting any possible neighbor wall and rooftop (and thanks to a supportive neighborhood) he got to this:


image

It’s very weird to think that all those plants are in pots! It has a super wild effect… which I guess is what he was researching.
What I like the most is that he basically upcycled all tools and pots, sort of transferring the ‘apartment plants leftovers’ of his city together with any possible cutting into something beautiful that is now enjoyed by all the neighbors. One of them even decided to get married in the middle of it.

Which is very weird if you think that the rooftops looked like this before his intervention:

He says he ‘works’ on it on most of his free time and that since the last few years he has started to have some support from the Municipality that included the garden as part of one of its tourist paths proposed and supports the garden as a ‘municipality garden’ when necessary. They installed a pathway so to be able to cross the jungle:


Any case just some inspiration, rather pertaining to urban enclosed ‘sad’ places turned into something unexpected… in your case I guess that space constraints are pretty different. Or finally not so much?

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True. Already where my family leaves people are flocking to the countryside, buying land around the cities - I myself have two friends who are now selling their apartments and buying land to build their houses on, and they are in their early 30s! We suspect this is the pandemic effect partly, but also the general fatigue with an unsafe and polluted environment.

I wonder if this rural greenhouse would provide service to someone? Are many people from outside moving into the village? In cities nowadays, plant nurseries are a thing because as a city dweller if you’re going to go on a holiday or needing to get rid of some plants, you would need such a service. In a rural setting, I can imagine that you could do education around this, or community stewardship (but that is not a paid model that allows you to employ people, no?)

Sending a bit hug, thanks to you all for the wonderful photos!

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Hey everyone!

I am very happy to give you a little update on this project (and using this opportunity to ‘‘nudge’’ its creator, @Daliborka to visit this topic soon :wink:), as it became a real thing! :smiley:

I won’t get into details, I’m sure Daliborka would like to share the story, but I think it’s alright if I just let you know that Daliborka has opened her Plants & Flowers Hotel, or more precisely translated, Hotel For Trees and Flowers in a small village she lives in and I think that it’s awesome!


Having such an original idea for this community, her story has been covered by the local media :slight_smile:

(Original text is in Serbian language)

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Hi everyone!

Yes, after fantasizing about it for a bit, a couple of months ago, I decided to restore an object my parents used to have a shop in many years ago and open the first Hotel For Flowers and Trees in Serbia!

It needed some work, like painting the walls and installation of new windows and doors. It’s not big, in fact, it is perfect for a start! I got some shelves in and some plants as well and it gets greener and more jungle-like day by day! :smiley:

I started doing promotions on social networks and the word about the place you can rent for oversized or just sensitive plants is spreading. I emphasize that I don’t have just one group of potential clients, as they can be the restaurant owners as well as the granny next door, really anyone who has the same problem of moving and keeping their plants safe and healthy during winter days. People can bring in their plants on their own or I can come and pick them up, whatever is more convenient.

I’m writing a Plant Diary, for all the hotel guests and each of these plants has a record (or a file). When the new plant arrives, I photograph it and write down all about the state the plant is in. Also, every new plant goes to 2-weeks ‘’isolation’’ to a separate room, where I can check it thoroughly and clean it from all the pests and potential diseases. Once the newcommer seems fine, I move it to a fancy salon where all the others are :wink: In this way, every plant stays healthy and safe. During their stay in hotel, plants are being nurtured to the fullest – I even cut and shape them and take care of offsprings. The plant is being returned to the owner when the spring comes, on the date we previously decided on.

I really don’t have to share a lot, as it all just started. People seem interested, asking questions, but also asking advices on how to grow plants in their homes and I don’t mind helping out, as I really love this. I also have in mind to adapt and restore another, much bigger space with high ceilings, if this goes really well…

And even if this project of mine fails to be what I’ve imagined for it, I would still have the coolest green place of my own :slightly_smiling_face:

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Congratulations @Daliborka! I can relate to that: for lay people who don’t really have much knowledge about plants, getting advice and help with keeping theirs in better state is a big part of getting closer to the natural world of plants. I actually do that with any shopowners, even if I just go in to have a look and don’t buy anything I immediately ask them for advice about my own house plants. Might be a bit annoying, but they always give me some precious brief advice.

I assume you do charge people for the plant rental or holiday care, no? I really hope this model could be sustainable for you too, because the plants and the community are already winning big having you around :slight_smile:

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Also curious: does anyone know of a homy and caring plant hotel concept in Brussels?
I’ve seen some generic ones in the city centre, but I would like it if there was a community oriented space somewhere - also for learning!
cc @irene_1 @kajafarszky @bojanbobic @AndreaSuDS @Emmanuel @manuelpueyo @BaobabUrbain?

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Wow @Daliborka. This sounds amazing indeed. I wish you all the best of luck to develop it into a sustainable business and grow your Plants hotel further.

@noemi unfortunately I don’t know any similar concept as I was never looking into these things. I know there are common gardens in Brussels and similar stuff. For a plant hotel no idea…

Hello again!

I must admit, the first heads up I got was from people on this forum, when I published my story on here, it was the first time I ever spoke about my idea outloud and you guys were so nice and supportive. Thank you!

@noemi yes, I charge for a plant rental, in a very reasonable price, just to cover up my expences and to earn clients. I’m still far from earning money doing this.

In last few weeks, my story got covered by all local medias, but also by the most popular national papers and TV as this is the first ‘‘hotel’’ of this kind in Serbia.

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Even a few plant tours are planned with the local kindergarten and a Retirement Home (free of charge, of course!) .

Exciting times ahead. Currently, I am facing a problem which will require of me to ask for help or advice, as my enthusiasm won’t be enough. As people are getting more interested, and I’m providing temporary home for more and more plants, the space I adapted myself is becoming too small and inadequate.
I have an old object which I believe can be reconstructed into something like in a photo below, without a glass roof though, as it would cost really a lot. It’s a space of 120 m2 and the reconstruction idea is based on RRR principle. I would also like to make my backyard adequate for some plants and trees which can grow outdoors regardless of weather conditions.
HB-Bespoke-Glasshouse-Wynyard-Hall-at-dusk-HP_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqdODRziddS8JXpVz-XfUVR2LvJF5WfpqnBZShRL_tOZw

But, this idea of mine has a price, and preliminary calculations show that I’d need to invest around 40 thousand euros. I am not in a situation to get a credit from a bank, and there are no financial opportunities for projects like this in Serbia, so I feel as if I hit the wall at this stage. If anyone here knows how can I apply for some international funds or has any advice for me, I’d be more than thankful.

Hope you guys are all good and healthy! And thanks again! :green_heart:

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