Polish artist and designer Alicja Patanowska spent a year picking up litter on the streets of London so she could study the shapes of tossed-away drinking glasses. Then she created a Plantation collection of ceramic funnels to fit snugly into the rims to create a hydroponic growing environment. The result is a very beautiful way to sprout a seed or coax a seedling to send out new roots. And a strong incentive to recycle.

“Use a glass you don’t need anymore, top it with one of the four available Plantation shapes and enjoy your own mini-farm,” says Patanowska.

Photography courtesy of Alicja Patanowska except where noted.

Above:  Available in four sizes and shapes, ceramic Plantation funnels can rest in the rim of a drinking glass or can become the base of a mini-greenhouse beneath a glass cloche.

Above: The funnels are available from shops including Merci in Paris, the MoMA Store in New York, and the Barbican Shop in London.

Above:A Porcelain Seed Tray measures 7.5 centimeters high and 10 inches in diameter and is €29 apiece at Merci. Photograph via Merci.

Above: The collection of handmade ceramic funnels debuted at the 2015 London Design Festival.

Above: A graduate of the Ceramics & Glass program at London’s Royal College of Art, Patanowska lives and works in London and Warsaw.

For more stylish hydroponics, see Small Space Gardening: A Kit to Grow Windowsill Herbs and Roots on Display: Terra Hydro by 10¹².