Tiny Garden That Hasn’t Been Watered for 40 Years Still Grows Green

This tiny garden in a bottle hasn’t been watered for 40 years.

Looking at David Latimer’s “garden in a bottle”, you would think he is a gardener with skillful and meticulous hands. However, no one would expect that he has not spent much time on it even though it has been planted for 53 years. The last time he watered it was 40 years ago.

For the past 40 years, the “tiny garden” has been tucked away in a corner of the house, isolated from the world. However, shade-loving plants such as purple jasmine and watercress have still grown well in the spherical bottle.

Mr. Latimer, 80 years old, shared: “I put it 2 meters away from the window so it can still receive sunlight. As long as it absorbs sunlight, the plant can photosynthesize and grow. It may sound unbelievable, but I have never trimmed them. I just let them grow naturally inside the jar and now the jar is full.”

Although he has been growing the garden for 54 years, Mr. Latimer has only watered it once, 40 years ago.

Despite being isolated from the outside world, the plants can still absorb light for photosynthesis. When they photosynthesize, the leaves produce oxygen and water vapor. Humidity accumulates inside the jar. Rotting leaves also fall to the bottom of the jar, decomposing into carbon dioxide, a nutrient the plant needs to absorb through its roots.

In Easter 1960, Mr. Latimer decided to plant a small garden in his spare time just to “satisfy his curiosity.” He said: “At that time, the chemical industry had switched to producing plastic bottles, so a lot of glass bottles were being thrown away. Growing gardens in bottles became a craze. I really wanted to see the sprouts sticking their heads out of the mouth of the bottle.”

The garden created its own little ecosystem inside the jar.

First, he cleaned the spherical glass jar, put some compost on the bottom and placed the seeds in the bottom. He added a quarter of a litre of water. He didn’t water it again until 1972. He put the jar in a cupboard under the stairs at his house. It remained there even when he and his wife moved from Lancashire to Gretchen after he retired.

Latimer’s extraordinary garden became known to the world when he first photographed it and posted it on the BBC’s Gardening section, asking whether gardeners or scientists would be interested in it. “It’s a great example of recycling in nature, a perfect circle of life,” said gardening expert Chris Beardshaw.

“That’s why NASA wants to use bottle gardening to send plants into space,” he added. Plants have the ability to photosynthesize, produce oxygen and clean the air. All they need is solar energy.”

However, Mr. Latimer is not really interested in the meaning of this “garden” of longevity. “Some people may think it is wonderful, but I do not,” he said. “It is not edible or fragrant. It is just a vase, it does nothing all year round, but I am curious to know how long the plants inside can live.” He hopes that his children will help him continue the “experiment” after his death. If not, he wants it to be put into a public royal garden.