Tropical nights in Europe are considered those too warm summer nights, in which temperatures don’t drop below 20-degree Celsius. Oftentimes, these nights come with bad sleep, physical discomfort, restlessness, sweating and the wish to take a cold shower this minute.
Local houseplants are mostly imported from the eponymous tropical areas and decorate our living spaces. As silent witnesses of colonization, they are continuously multiplied and only manage to thrive because of the particularly warm temperatures inside. After careful observation, the absurdity of the term “houseplant” becomes apparent. No plant is made for a life indoors. Numerous exotic species, when treated with good care, can survive many years, as they nearly grow in the dark.
What can we learn from our green housemates? How do they adapt to these inhospitable living conditions? What kind of coping mechanisms will humans require in a world that soon will be one, two or three degree Celsius hotter? Those and other questions, Käthe Hager von Strobele explores in “Growing in the Dark”.