Witness the Floating Flower Garden VIDEO
If you were to travel to Tokyo’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, you would have the privilege of seeing a very unique garden display. This garden itself is literally hanging from the ceiling and through the wonder of technology, it is lowered and raised so that it seems to float and surround you with its enchanting beauty.
The flowers used in this hanging garden are orchids. The reason for this is that orchids have a unique root structure. They are able to absorb water and nutrients without having to be in soil through what’s known as aerial roots. All that is needed is for them to be watered and cared for normally as they absorb all nutrients from the air itself. When found in its native habitat, this particular type of orchid will usually attach itself to trees to help provide stability as it is growing. As the plants are all thriving and growing well under the conditions of the hanging garden, it could be said that this project has most definitely been a success.
The idea for this amazing garden came from a group of artists from teamLab. They dubbed the project the “Floating Flower Garden: Flowers and I are of the same root, the Garden and I are one,” and used this to help show the modern entwinement of art with computers and technology. The hanging garden operates through a fully computer-controlled system, which automatically brings the flowers up and down as people walk through it. There are over 2,200 flowers and plants that make up the garden.
The scent and visual of this fantastical hanging garden is one to be truly experienced and relished in person. There is still time for visitors to take advantage of this current exhibit as it will only be available through May 1st of this year. For the rest of us, who will not be able to travel and be there in person, the visual alone is enough to give us a sense of relaxation, harmony and wonder. For the fortunate people who will have the privilege of visiting this phenomenal garden in person, the wonderful smells actually change throughout the day based on the different stages of pollination of the flowers.
Orchids as a flower group actually have so many different species that it’s increasingly difficult to keep track of them all, with over 22,000 flowers being accepted into their ranks. The particular type of orchid that is being used for this exhibit is known as the Phalaenopsis Orchid. These particular orchids are one of the few that has the capability of aerial roots. They are also quite common and many people use them as houseplants. While they do not require soil, they can still be placed in a flowerpot and enjoyed from your windowsill.
