It all started with a planted wine globe in a concept store in The Hague. Anja Dölker, a trained social pedagogue, was captivated by the idea of cultivating plants in sealed bottle gardens. Driven by that passion, she acquired the expertise and launched her own venture. By 2020, after successfully nurturing over 20 glass and bottle gardens, Dölker founded DschungelGlas. Since then, she's been creating hermetospheres—the technical term for closed-system bottle gardens—well beyond her circle of friends and family. Today, her striking botanical creations are available at trade shows, online, and at her locations in Metzingen, Esslingen, and Reutlingen.

Each jungle jar houses its own self-contained ecosystem—nutrients, oxygen, and water exist in perfect balance. The jar essentially runs itself, requiring watering just four times a year. It's the ideal solution for anyone without a green thumb. At her plant studio in Metzingen, Dölker cultivates and propagates a diverse range of mostly tropical plants: coffee plants, fittonia, peperomia, and various moss species among them. Each plant is handpicked and carefully arranged to create a harmonious, expressive composition. Gentle handling during assembly is essential—it ensures the plants establish roots and flourish for years. Want a custom jungle jar? Dölker takes orders, with a four- to six-week lead time before your ecosystem is ready. Or join one of her workshops and create your own.

www.dschungelglas.de

Photos:
Anja Dölker

(Published in CUBE Stuttgart 02|22)