Inside Eric Wareheims Rare Plant Wonderland And Botanical Atelier
Comedian, writer, and director Eric Wareheim, widely known for shaping contemporary comedy through his surrealist work in Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, has established an appointment-only plant art atelier called Serpentine in an industrial stretch of East L.A., where he curates rare, otherworldly botanical specimens sourced from around the globe.
Inside Serpentine: The East L.A. Botanical Atelier
At the entrance to the sprawling indoor-outdoor compound, Wareheim brandishes an ornate walking stick topped with a snake’s head, greeting visitors to his botanical workspace. According to reporting from Showbiz, the multi-hyphenate creator spends hours at the property managing a collection of dramatic flora characterized by a Seussian effect, shaped by nature or cultivated through bonsai practices. “I just had this awakening of putting a crazy tree in a cool vessel,” Wareheim said, as noted by Showbiz.
The collection focuses primarily on misshapen and unusual specimens featuring coiled trunks, torqued branches, and odd leaf forms. Among the plants populating the compound are a thick, palm-like cycad described by the comedian as a “serious chunker” and a moringa tree displaying delicate new leaves sprouting from a prominent stump, along with a dog-legging specimen with a zigzag form. Wareheim works alongside a small professional workshop team to curate and maintain the plants, noting that the unique forms are often the result of natural or imposed constraints. “They’ve all had, shall we say, a unique upbringing,” he told Showbiz. “They have to struggle to find the light.”
Industry Response and Cultural Impact
The transition from postmodern sketch comedy to rare plant curation represents a natural extension of Wareheim’s artistic sensibilities, according to collaborators and friends in the entertainment industry. Film producer and plant collector Matt Dines, who has purchased specimens from Serpentine, described the project to Showbiz as “an extension of the same pursuit of wonder we know from his comedy,” adding that Wareheim “is clearly afflicted. He’s beyond choosing to do this. Something has taken over. He can’t help it.” Actor Bob Odenkirk, reflecting on an initial visit to the compound, recalled being overwhelmed by “Eric’s energy and his poetic expression of his own delight,” noting that Wareheim “sees the world from another plane — through these plants, of all things — and he’s able to get you to see it, too.”
Before establishing Serpentine, Wareheim influenced the comedy landscape two decades ago alongside creative partner Tim Heidecker by pioneering an offbeat anti-humor style prioritizing nonsense, awkwardness, and the grotesque. Their sketch series on Adult Swim blended the sensibilities of creators like John Waters, David Lynch, Pee-wee Herman, and Andy Kaufman, laying foundational groundwork for modern internet meme culture. Through their production company, Abso Lutely, the duo produced breakout projects for comedians Eric André and Nathan Fielder, alongside ventures in advertising, music video direction for artists such as Charli XCX and Major Lazer, commercial campaigns for major brands, and the co-founding of the critical success winery Las Jaras.