With a new ‘Arid Room’ focused on rare cacti and succulents, Tula is growing its roots in Greenpoint

Less than a year after opening their new flagship in Greenpoint, Tula Plants & Design has expanded its lush storefront with a dedicated space for cacti and succulents. Owners Christan Summers and Ivan Martinez recently completed a 400-square-foot expansion in the nearly 100-year-old warehouse at 59 Meserole Avenue, adding a desert plant oasis to complement their tropical plant offerings. The “Arid Room” is packed with varieties young and old and specializes in sourcing rare, hard-to-find species.

Arched windows offer glimpses of the Arid Room from Tula’s tropical side. 

As Designboom reported, the shop was designed to feel like a botanical garden with two distinct spaces in which visitors can feel the difference between tropical and desert environments. Upon entering through the tropical side—which was inspired by Cuban courtyards in its design, featuring dark red walls and hand-painted tiles—you’ll immediately note the warm and humid feel, while the large south-west windows in the adjacent Arid Room foster a noticeably hotter, drier climate.

To achieve this effect, Summers and Martinez stripped the walls down to the original brick and installed large, wrap-around windows. Everything else was designed and custom-built around the existing infrastructure. Details like the red pipes from the building’s original water sprinkler system create a juxtaposition against the greenery.

Large, conservatory-style tables wrap around the room with a plethora of smaller cactus and succulent varieties, many of which are already pre-potted. There’s a section with large, mother plant specimens, where you can find 50-year-old euphorbias and other statement pieces. And if you’re more hands-on, a cutting table offers customers the chance to choose a small cutting (keep an eye out for rare finds here) and pot it themselves for just $2.

Tula is one of our go-to’s for finding unique, unexpected houseplants, but if you need additional inspiration for your next shopping trip, check out our roundup of NYC’s best plant shops.

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Images courtesy of Tula Plants & Design