The Japanese gardening technique of kokedama will bring a touch of magic into your home. But here's where it gets controversial: it's not just about the plants. It's about the story they tell. Imagine yourself in a cafe in Peckham, London, a place that once held memories of your youth. Suddenly, you're a tired woman in her late 30s with two kids, and also 22, unemployed and making the most of happy hour. And on the table, a kokedama. This Japanese gardening technique, dating back centuries, is a side-product of the art of bonsai. Kokedama are easier to create at home than bonsai trees. They're a lot more than just a ball of moss; they're a living, breathing story. The technique involves removing the plant's rootball from its pot, packing it tightly with dense moss, and binding it with string. This string can be used to hang them up, creating a unique and contemporary version of the traditional Japanese gardening technique. The kokedama in the cafe was a squat little mound, sitting quietly as if growing straight from the table. It was home to a few artfully placed sprigs of limonium (sealavender) and dried sanguisorba, a non-polluting answer to florists’ foam. This made me think about how I could use them in and outside the house at this bleak time of year. The Chelsea Physic Garden's Heralding Spring festival traditionally kicks off my gardening year in late January. There, among the miniature theatres of irises, crops of snowdrops rise from kokedama hanging in the trees; a welcome dose of magic at this time of year. Kokedama can be made at home with moss, soil, twine, and a good bit of patience and practice. You'll need to mix peat-free potting soil with bonsai compost or sharp sand to make a mixture that feels mud-pie-ready. Remove the plant from its pot and make a coconut-sized ball from the compost mix around the rootball, squeezing out excess moisture. Wrap it in sheet moss, then crisscross the twine around the ball, tying and leaving some excess to hang it from.
