It occurred to me last night that I need to visit Amsterdam at some point, so naturally I spent a bit of time today researching Dutch gardens. To that end, I came across these heavenly botanical objects, which have been featured on many design blogs over the past few years, but somehow I managed to miss them. So please bear with me if this is old news.
Labeled “String Gardens,” they are based on the Japanese floral art of kokedama, a kind of floating bonsai. When the rootball becomes densely compacted, the bonsai can be released from its container and hung. These photos are all the work of Dutch artist Fedor van der Valk, who has taken this basic idea of wrapping rootballs in moss and tying them round with string to dazzling heights. Plants are liberated from the earth, pots, shelves — the ceiling and one’s imagination are the only limits. These and many more photos can be seen at the site stringgardens. He works out of his Amsterdam shop Pompon.
Some basic instructions can be found here.
An idea full of buoyant possibilities.
Seems like it would work in damp, grey Holland. Here when the Santa Anas blow, not so well. I had a heck of a time keeping my orchid-on-a-stick alive.
Utterly gorgeous to look at, though…
hot damn
I got a fern kokedama last year, and in addition to looking cool it’s easy as pie to care for. I just submerge it in water every two days or so.
Let me know when you go…I’ll tag along…Hummelo, here we come 😉 Those are cool-looking…but don’t seem very practical…and like terrariums…I doubt I’d have the patience to do them well…or keep them alive!
oh the frivolity! What fun. but does it compare to car jack gardens… dunno.
Hoov, but anything that can be dunked in a bucket has to be easy. Ferns hanging in a window?
Kathy, you said it, ma’am.
Rosenatti, a testimonial! Can’t wait to try these.
Scott – seriously, bloggers storm Holland. Noel Kingsbury blogged about driving through France, Germany and the Netherlands, and gave me the bug about doing the same.
Dustin, ha! But I’ve run out of car jacks…
you come up with some great ideas for posts. these are incredible. will have to look up the kingsbury post – would love to be one of the holland-storming bloggers sometime.