We took the terrariROOM to RHS Chelsea 2025 - a life-size, immersive installation built around a single idea: dedicate a space to plants, and you dedicate a space to yourself.
A sweeping carpet of Blue Star Fern covered the floor, roof, and walls of the structure. Mature specimen plants stood proud above the ferns. Kokedama – plants suspended in moss balls from the trees – drew visitors deeper into the foliage. Grow lights freed every plant from the usual constraints of window proximity, making the whole thing as liveable as it was striking.
Blue star fern (phlebodium aureum) – We used 450 of them! Blue Star Ferns get a bad reputation – people find them tricky, but that’s usually down to placement rather than the plant itself.
These ferns come from South America where they grow high up on other plants, so their waxy blue leaves handle direct sun well. They’re epiphytic, which means they don’t need a large pot and thrive perfectly happily in their nursery pot long-term.
Philodendron – Dramatic foliage, very little fuss. Philodendrons handle everything from deep shade to bright indirect light, and they’re happy to dry out between waterings. We pushed the family a little at Chelsea – Thaumatophyllum, Rhaphidophora, and a Monstera deliciosa all made an appearance. Whatever you call them, they’re some of the most rewarding plants you can keep.
Kokedama – We borrowed this idea from Japan. Kokedama translates as moss ball – the roots of the plant are wrapped in moss rather than potted in soil. After years of trial and error we’ve found that epiphytic plants thrive in them long-term. Galinda, our Monstera deliciosa, has lived happily in her kokedama for over two years now.
We couldn’t have done it without some brilliant collaborators. Grow Gang supplied the Pianta grow lights that kept every plant thriving whatever the weather was doing outside. &halt brought the Foku chair – a place to actually sit and experience the space. Ivyline provided the Hudson planters. Thank you to all of them!
