String Gardens

Product design

While most people choose to display their plants in pots or vases, Fedor van der Valk has designed a series of self-supporting, hanging plant containers.

By Cassandra Pizzey /asdf 26-05-2011

A strong fascination for plants and research into 3-D crocheting techniques has resulted in String Gardens; a new and inventive way to 'hang' plants and flowers.

Reminiscent of the Japanese botanical style and kokedama - planted, moss covered balls - Fedor van der Valk has created a series of hanging gardens for indoor (or outdoor) use. "They were designed out of a need for potless plants," explains the designer who experimented with crocheting techniques for this project.

He continues: "For a while I wanted to make animated videos with crocheted landscapes which were a kind of 3-dimensional spider webs covered in moss and grass. The idea was to create bonsai-esque plants. To keep the landscapes really airy, I decided to work with hanging plants." And so the String Gardens were born.

Experimenting with various materials, plants and compositions, Van der Valk eventually decided on a specific crocheting stitch combined with different types of moss and earth. "The most challenging part of the hanging 'pots' is figuring out what kind of soil and conditions the plant needs," something that differs for each one.

Once installed, the plants form a green landscape in the house, allowing a completely different viewpoint than traditional planters. By hanging the greenery at eye level the plants seem to interact with the space around them, instead of being part of the background. Flowers and small indoor plants and trees alike appear to be hovering in the room, making them both impressive and vulnerable at the same time.

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