Our good friends Eko and Rick lived in Japan a few years ago and when we visited them we saw these moss balls everywhere. They were sold in homewares-type stores, and of course I was completely enchanted by them. We bought one for Eko and Rick when we left and I believe they passed it onto some friends of theirs there when they in turn left Japan. I've thought about these moss balls ever since and often wondered if I would be able to recreate something similar here, but it wasn't until doing some investigating recently that I discovered they are called kokedama and known as "the poor man's bonsai". Basically, they are a ball of moss-covered soil with one or more plants growing out of them. The roots of the plant grow inside the moss ball, and the restrictions on their growth keep the plant relatively small. Apparently they can live for years if properly cared for. Ok, I know I have something of an obsession with moss, but I just think these are so beautiful. Now I just have to work out exactly how to put one together...
Images are from (from top) R& M Collectibles, nakamura.ocnk.net and mood.cc.
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