Meet Pierre, plant enthusiast and geek at heart

When Pierre created his store, Le Temps des Plantes, he wanted above all to share his knowledge and love of houseplants. Today, this geek offers rare varieties at short sales that can't be found anywhere else... Except in Japan!

I live in Lorraine and I'm the creator and manager of the boutique Le Temps des Plantes.

I've been into plants since I was a child. It started when I was very young, thanks to my grandfather and my mother. When I was three or four, I was planting tulips in the garden. Seeing things bloom, discovering new species... That's always been my thing.

I also have a geek side. I'm fascinated by Japan. I try to go there every year. Today, I'm combining these two passions - Japanese culture and plants- with Plant Time.

Plants have always been part of my life and my career path. In ninth or eighth grade, I did internships in garden centers, and I liked it. At the same time, I liked the contact with customers. So I chose to study business, while continuing my internships in the plant world. I worked in nurseries, flower markets, florists, pet shops, hothouses... I realized that what I liked best was houseplants. I went on to do various jobs, but my passion for gardening was always in the background. For example, I used to organize plant workshops for children.

At the time of COVID, we started to see big plant sales everywhere. I wanted to take over the concept, but adapt it to my philosophy. I wanted to work with small growers and sell plants that you couldn't see anywhere else. So I organized my first sale, in a room I'd rented. There were both indoor and outdoor plants. I opted for a thematic layout, as a change from the rolls of plants piled up in a warehouse.

Today, I continue to organize about one sale a month in Malzéville, in my parents' house. They have a large veranda where I display the plants and advise customers. I also take part in other events, particularly those linked to geek and Japanese culture, such as manga conventions and the Japan expo.

On a personal note, I have a frangipani tree that I love. In winter, it doesn't look like much. It makes up for it in summer, when it blooms. I'm also a fan of Hoya andI also grow a few philodendrons.

I live in the east and it's rather cold. But I'm lucky. My parents' garden faces due south. I've managed to acclimatize a pomegranate tree, an Olivier, an apricot tree and some umbrella pines. I do a lot of testing to see what works.

I try to offer plants that you don't see everywhere else. I sell pothos, Monstera, Caladium, Calathea, Maranta and Hoya, but I also try to find original varieties. For example, for Hoya, I'll have Hoya Sunrise, Hoya multiflora or Hoya fungii. Sometimes, we sell vegetable plants that are out of the ordinary: sweet potatoes, wasabi..

I also offer plants found in Japan. Japan has the same kind of climate as France. Their plants can therefore acclimatize here. In particular, I sell real Japanese maples, with changing colors such as red, white, yellow..

I also have real Japanese cherry trees. Their flowers, sakura, are very popular in Japan. They're different from the ones we have here.

This year, for the first time, I also have Japanese fruit trees, such as Japanese grapes and pink raspberries.

Last but not least, I'm one of the few to sell marimo. The marimo (Aegagropila linnaei) is a small ball, half-sponge, half-alga, found in Japan. There's a whole symbolism to it.

First of all, get informed. When people come to one of my sales, I take the time to advise them. Do they have light? Do they live with a cat? These are important things to know if the plant will hold up in their home. Ask the salesperson questions about how to care for the plant. If he can't give you any answers, run away!

Also pay attention to the conditions in which the plant is stored. Often, plants spend several days in light-free warehouses and then on the shelf, under artificial lighting. Sometimes they aren't even watered. These plants won't last. If you want to buy a carnivorous plant, ask what it was watered with in the store. If it's been watered with tap water, it won't last either. The water is too hard and your plant won't survive.

You can also find out where the plants come from. Specimens from the Netherlands are interesting. Over there, there's a winter, just like in France. If you live in the North, the plant will acclimatize better than a specimen from Spain or Italy, where winter is less marked.

I'd like to share my knowledge and passion for plants, for example by running workshops for children. I've also recently been working for companies, landscaping their premises and making them greener. This is an activity I'd like to develop.

Finally, I'll soon be offering my own products in addition to plants, such as fertilizers for marimo, terrariums..

Find the dates of upcoming Temps des Plantes events on their Facebook and Instagram accounts: