Makers, markets and interiors

Scene Notes

Light dispatches from the wider world of small-format planting: society shows, craft markets, independent vessel makers and moss in contemporary interiors.

Scene Notes3 August 2026

Japanese Moss Gardens and What They Teach Indoor Growers

The moss gardens of Kyoto are the most sustained body of practical moss knowledge anywhere, developed over centuries by people who were never trying to make terrariums. Their techniques do not transfer wholesale to a sealed jar, but their principles transfer completely, and several of them run directly against what indoor guides usually recommend. This feature looks at what those gardens actually do and what a desktop grower can take from it.

SceneDesignComposition

Scene Notes26 July 2026

Scene Notes: Small-Format Plant Fairs Worth Travelling For

The moss and terrarium scene lives at small events rather than large horticultural shows: craft markets, aroid and fern fairs, bonsai gatherings and specialist society meetings where the interesting material actually changes hands. This dispatch surveys the event formats worth your time, what to expect from each, how to buy live material safely at a market stall, and the etiquette of trading cuttings with growers you have just met.

CommunityEventsBuying Guide

Scene Notes15 July 2026

Scene Notes: Kokedama Studios and the Return of Moss-Wrapped Roots

Kokedama has cycled from Japanese nursery technique to craft-market staple to something more interesting: a small network of studios treating the moss ball as a serious horticultural object rather than a gift item. This dispatch looks at how the good studios build them, why so many market kokedama die within a month, what the technique shares with moss landscape work, and how to judge one before buying.

CultureKokedamaCommunity

Scene Notes9 July 2026

Scene Notes: Moss Landscapes in Contemporary Interiors

Moss has moved from hobby shelf to interior feature, appearing in preserved wall panels, restaurant installations and residential built-ins. This dispatch separates the living from the preserved, examines where each genuinely works in a home, considers what interior designers get wrong about maintenance, and looks at how to integrate a living build into a room without turning it into a piece of equipment surrounded by cables.

InteriorsCultureDesign

Scene Notes20 June 2026

Scene Notes: Vessel Makers, Limited Runs and Small Collaborations

A small economy of independent glassblowers, potters and joiners now produces vessels specifically for planted work, often in runs of a few dozen. This dispatch looks at what distinguishes a purpose-made planting vessel from a decorative one, the collaborations between makers and growers that have produced the most interesting recent pieces, how limited releases are typically sold, and what to check before committing to a handmade container.

ContainersCommunityCulture