Tag Archives: flower

Glow-in-the-dark petunias could usher in a new trend in indoor gardening

Posted on by

Indoor gardening and plants gained momentum around 2-3 years ago as people sought ways to cope with boredom and insanity while cooped up at home. Since then, it has become fashionable to raise greens inside homes, whether for food, aesthetics, or both. But as captivating as green living things may look during the day, their aesthetic value drops completely when you can no longer see them at night or in the dark. Of course, you could buy one of those hi-tech planters that have built-in lights, but that costs money not just for the product but also for the electricity it consumes. It would definitely be enchanting and magical if the plants could glow on their own, and that’s exactly the marvel that these glowing petunias are bringing to the table, literally.

Designer: Light Bio

There are some things that naturally glow in the dark, and, no, we’re not just talking fireflies and some iridescent rocks. Bioluminescent plants actually occur more often in nature, except they aren’t exactly the type of plants that you’d proudly display in a pot on your shelf or coffee table. But what if you could have that same magical ability on indoor plants and flowers? You’d probably be the talk of your friends and the town for as long as the plant is alive.

The Firefly Petunia is exactly that, a new and regulation-approved breed of the popular garden flower that, if you haven’t caught on yet, glows in the dark. This isn’t the first attempt to breed a bioluminescent houseplant, but it seems to be on track to being to most successful to date. Unlike previous experiments, this first mixed the genes of a glowing mushroom with a tobacco plant to great success. Of course, you wouldn’t want to grow that inside your home, so it’s a good thing that petunias are a close and, more importantly, compatible cousin.

What makes the Firefly Petunia even more special is that it requires no extra care or steps to make it glow since it’s all part of the plant’s growing process. Simply make sure that it gets enough sunlight during the day, which is something you should be doing anyway, and then watch it light up in the dark of night. The bioluminescence can even be an indicator of the plant’s health, because parts that are growing faster, like flower buds, also glow the brightest. When the plant starts to dim, it’s time to check its condition or prune dead parts.

This glow-in-the-dark flower is just the first step in the company’s grand plan, which includes making the petunias glow in more colors other than plain white. Research is also underway to extend the capabilities outside of this species, so it might only be a matter of time before we see all kinds of plants and flowers glowing in the dark, turning your home into a magical garden every night.

The post Glow-in-the-dark petunias could usher in a new trend in indoor gardening first appeared on Yanko Design.

Pen blooms when pressed as you write down your dreams

Posted on by

While I’m basically a digital person, I turn analog when it comes to my journaling habit. This means I have a lot of tools like notebooks, stickers, washi tapes, and other ephemera to help me journal. But probably my most important “weapons” are my pens. As someone who likes colorful things, I collect different colored (both ink and the pen’s actual color) pens that I can use when I write in my various journals. So whenever I see a new kind of pen, whether it’s the design or the features, I pay attention.

Designer: Seung-Wan Nam

This concept for a pen called Bloomstick is based on the idea that writing down your dreams is an important part in making them come true. So the pen can metaphorically help your dreams to “bloom like flowers” when you write them down on paper using it. The tagline of the product is “click to bloom your dream”. It is basically a pen with a silicone-covered button that when you press it opens to a flower-like shape and turns it into a blooming instrument.

The product renders show different colors available for the pens like green, blue, and pink. The flower part of the pen is white while the “bud” part seems to be of a different color that matches the main, silicone part of the pen. When closed, it looks like just any ordinary pen and you’ll still be able to use it of course but it’s without its blooming design. There doesn’t seem to be any other function that it can do aside from write and look pretty.

As someone who collects pens and who likes flowery, pretty things, this is something I’d probably buy if I see it in a stationery store. Now if it can actually make my handwriting look nicer or make my dreams come true, I’d order it as soon as it hits the market.

The post Pen blooms when pressed as you write down your dreams first appeared on Yanko Design.

DIY LED Flower is the perfect geeky gift that will never wilt

Posted on by

It’s that time of year again when the prices of flowers skyrocket as demand far outpaces supply. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with gifting flowers this week or on any other day of the year, but the sad truth is that those flowers will eventually wilt and die, at least the real ones will. Their ephemeral beauty is actually part of their appeal, but those who want to preserve the memory of the gift will have to resort to other strategies that don’t involve cheap plastic. What better gift is there, then, than a flower that was made by your very own hands? Especially one that will never wilt nor wither away and only requires replacing the broken parts, presuming the recipient is equally adept at electronics.

Designer: Marcel (potblitd)

It won’t be the prettiest flower, admittedly. Not unless you’re actually the type to fall head over heels for the raw beauty of naked electronics. If so, FloLED will definitely be up your alley, but that’s not an assurance that your recipient will have similar tastes. Regardless, it is both an interesting project you can undertake on your own as well as a distinctive piece of decoration should decide to keep it for yourself instead.

This wouldn’t be the first LED-illuminated flower, but the project sets itself apart with its flexibility. The flower has six petals, each with 20 LEDs for a grand total of 120, and each petal has its own microcontroller, which means it can operate on its own independently of the others. That also means that should one petal go awry, it’s a simple matter of replacing that part rather than redoing the whole flower.

Of course, you have to make everything yourself, from the custom-shaped PCB (printed circuit board) to soldering the LEDs down. The circular base, itself a PCB, has slots that make the petals connect at an angle, giving the impression of a flower in mid-bloom. The base also has a single large LED that glows the brightest, representing the head of the flower.

FloLED is definitely a sight to see, especially at night. Given the almost translucent makeup of the petals, you can also see the circuit lines glowing in a yellow light against the red surface. And since each of the petals can be controlled and programmed individually, you could create an animated light show with one or more of these LED flowers, a spectacle that’s sure to enchant anyone, regardless of their aesthetic inclinations.

The post DIY LED Flower is the perfect geeky gift that will never wilt first appeared on Yanko Design.