MICRO GARDENING:

TREND ANALYSIS
By Liza Mackenzie, WGSN-homebuildlife, July 2011

With Japanese apartments being extremely

small, and gardens hard to come by, a slow but
steady movement towards micro gardening
has started to come to the fore. Coincidentally,
radiation fears among the Japanese have led
to an increasing demand to know the origins of
food and water, so being able to grow things on
your window sill can, in a small way, bring some
peace of mind.

www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com Complex building proposal for Nagasaki by Suppose Design Office

NOVELTY

The Merry Farming project was initiated to

get kids excited about gardening

Each Merry Farming kit contains a packet

of basil seeds, an instruction leaflet and a
tablet of compressed soil

Micro gardening is not an entirely new

concept in Japan - previously we’ve seen
the craze for Green Capsules, which contain
tiny plants that can be hung from your
mobile phone, only now people want
something more sustainable or
recyclable

Merry Farming Source: merryproject.com (x2), Green Capsule phone strap, Source: www.akiba-sta-
www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com tion.com (x2)
In an exhibition in Matsuzakaya department
store in Nagoya, Koshi Kawachi transformed
old manga comic books into a medium for
cultivating plants. Kawachi is a Tokyo-based
artist whose work often features recycling
and waste as a theme.

www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com All images this page: Koshi Kawachi, Source: www.koshikawachi.com

PACKAGING

The trend for reconnecting with

nature has been bubbling up over the last
year, and giving plants as gifts has become
the natural next step.

Recently spotted at Tokyo’s 2011

Interior Lifestyle expo was Green
Supermarket’s gift concept of a large story-
book containing edible
illustrations.

www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com All images this page: Green Supermarket at Interior Lifestyle 2011, Tokyo, Source: WGSN
People want to interact with nature on an
everyday basis, not just on weekend trips to
the mountains.
Giving plants as a gift has spawned cute,
packageable plants that can be picked up in
trendy interior boutiques and not just local
garden centres

Francfranc seed packet, Source: shop.bals.co.jp, Francfranc Vegemug, Source: shop.bals.co.jp, Flower
Muji plant-bag, Source: flower-muji.net, Eggling pots ,Source: As seen at www.yoshiyukimaeda.drop-
www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com tokyo.com, Francfranc Vege Trio, Source: shop.bals.co.jp, Tse Tse
SPACE SAVERS

Bringing agriculture into small Japanese

apartments can be a challenging task

Specially-designed plant holders that can

be hung flat on the wall are key

Midorie Design, Source: www.suntory.co.jp x3, Urban Outfitters Home Accessories spring/summer 2011,
www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com Midorie Design, Source: www.suntory.co.jp, Daisuke Motogi Architecture, Source: www.dskmtg.com
Nano-boxes can be stacked together or
spread out between small spaces

Orné de Feuilles, Source: www.ornedefeuilles.com, LisLis hanging bucket, Source: lis-lis.com, Orné de
www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com Feuilles hanging pod-vases, Source: www.ornedefeuilles.com
JAPANESE GARDEN

At the 2011 Interior Lifestyle expo green

living was a central trend, with a variety of
ways of implementing green into the
everyday on show

Naft showcased a variety of Japanese-

inspired micro gardens, adding a touch of
zen to the home

The Japanese gardens feature peaceful

water elements and pebbles in silver and
black burnished metal

Nagae, Source: www.ginga-do.jp, Nagae at Interior Lifestyle 2011, Tokyo, Source: WGSN, Naga,
Source: www.ginga-do.jp, Nagae at Interior Lifestyle 2011, Tokyo, Source: WGSN, Bonsai tree
Source: www.neogreen.co.jp (x2)
www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com
With energy saving being a high priority this
summer, the government has introduced
the “green wall” project. Goya plants – a
bitter vegetable normally used in Japanese
cuisine – is being given out to local
residences and businesses as a way to keep
buildings cool and to lower air
conditioning usage during the hottest
months of the summer

Not only do they hope to lower energy

consumption, but to also raise awareness
of energy saving Japan has seen green walls
before but it’s the first time it’s become a
real priority, and instigated at a local level

Complex building proposal for Nagasaki by Suppose Design Office Source: www.suppose.jp (x2), Green
www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com wall, Source: kurashiki.okayama.jp, Goya plant Source: www.superstock.com
At the recent TEDxTokyo convention, Dr
Yuichi Mori unveiled his latest breakthrough
in hydroponics (growing plants without
soil). His futuristic agricultural system
demonstrates that things can be grown
anywhere, even in space. Dr Yuichi’s
method means less soil-borne diseases will
occur in the plants, thus the need for
pesticides is greatly reduced. The doctor
is excited about the potential to radically
change Japan’s agriculture and ecology,
which has suffered much damage since the
tsunami

More can be found out about Dr Yuichi

Mori’s hydroponic technology here: www.
tedxtokyo.com

Fukuoka ACROS building, Source: www.japantrends.com, Green vending-machine, Source: pingmag.

jp, Dr Yuichi Mori (right) shows plants being grown on the surface of a specialist film, Source: www.
www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com japantrends.com, Hydroponics, Source: bettergardeningtips.com
SUPERFICIAL GARDENS

For those unable to grow real plants inside

the house, a variety of interior accessories
are available to bring a bit of nature into
the home

WGSN loves Di Classe’s green umbrella

stand - a humorous play on what’s real and
what’s fake

+d have created the soothing Kusa plastic-

plant accessory, which rocks gently in the
breeze in a way reminiscent of rice grass

Di Classe, Source: www.item.rakuten.co.jp (x4), +d Kusa rice plant, Source: www.thejekyllandhydeproj-

ect.com (x2)
www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com
 www.wgsn-homebuildlife.com

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