Remember a simpler time when the web felt like a playground and we spent our days whimsically sharing listicles of muscled men holding kittens and marsupials (#CuteEmergency!) to each other's Facebook walls? If not, jog your millennial internet nostalgia with a new book that will let you relive your Tumblr aesthete days.
The concept is simple: boys and plants. Plants and boys. Based on the popular eponymous Instagram account @boyswithplants, Boys With Plants is a print version of its soothing collection of luscious green specimens, tenderly cradled by, wrapped around or charmingly obscuring the faces or junk of the men "who love and care for them."
Although the account's bio simply reads, "Because boys. With plants!" the book's appeal is premised on the compelling, Queer Eye-approved notion that it's actually super hot when men care for and nurture living things. It's hard to argue with these photos: the account is a gorgeous, fleshy, verdant paradise. If you're a Call Me By Your Name fanatic, it's definitely for you.
The project began in 2016 with "plant guru" and graphic designer Scott Cain. Originally, it was just an account of reposts, but has since grown into full-blown Instagram phenomenon with 120k followers and professional shoots. Curated by Cain, Boys With Plants brings 50 different plant-boy duos from around the world to a coffee table near you, along with bios for each guy and gardening care tips for how to select, grow, and style each plant. It promises "a fun and lush celebration of the dreamiest dudes with the greenest thumbs."
Enjoy a few boys with plants below, get your copy here.
@gothaigo
Photos courtesy of Chronicle Books