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The plant shelter of Bezuidenhout

The Bezuidenhout plant shelter is now located on Sillestraat 131, where "Sigarenmagazijn 't Vosje" used to be. Here are more than 300 plants on about 76m². From sage to mint, banana and avocado plants, you'll find it all here. We spoke to Sam Bankert, the owner.

'I've always loved plants, and I often picked them up when they were in the trash. I heard about the phenomenon of plant shelter through others and I thought that was a very good initiative. Now I take in plants myself and if they are sick I make them better. I think it will be more than 300 plants by now. How many are brought and taken is fairly balanced. People often bring their plant to me, for example because it has become too large or is not doing well. People who have just moved here often come to pick up plants for their new home.'

'I also try to teach people about caring for plants. Sometimes local residents send photos of their plant via the NextDoor app and I tell them what to do to take good care of the plant. I also try to show people how you can live more sustainably by reusing things. For example, I make feeding troughs and bird houses from empty coconuts.'

'In fact, just like people, plants prefer not to be alone. That is also the reason why the plants are doing so well here'

'People quickly think that it is a lot of work, but in itself it is not that bad. At some point you will feel it. Taking care of plants also has a lot to do with focused attention. When I walk through the plants, I automatically see what the plants need. Most people look, but don't see anything. For many people it would therefore be good to just stand in front of a plant for 5 minutes a day and just look. Plants are especially important in these hectic times, because caring for plants often calms us down.'

'People often wonder why the plants grow so well here. That's because plants, like humans, prefer not to be alone, they can even communicate with each other. Quite a lot of people really see plants as a piece of furniture, but they are really just pets.'

Would you like to visit the Bezuidenhout plant shelter? Then take a look at the Instagram page: @plantenasielbezuidenht

De Sillestraat 131, "Sigarenmagazijn 't Vosje"  - 1934