In the wild, plants are part of a larger environment, or at the very least anchored firmly in the ground or a body of water. To some extent, an ordinary terrarium creates a micro-environment in which a plant or animal can live. By contrast, Japanese brand [10¹²] Terra turns the terrarium into a kind of picture frame, showcasing plants in a stark, modernist wire-frame cube. The “Hydro” boxes create hydroponic environments for shrubs, cacti, and other varieties of flora: the plant itself is anchored into one box, which slides into a smaller box that holds the water for easier maintenance. The brand itself is named somewhat enigmatically after “the number of cells produced per day,” though we’re not sure precisely which cells creators Daisuke Tsumanuma and Kenichi Yamada are talking about, and the boxes start at 10,500 yen (around $105), but so far, shipping options appear limited to Japan.
Sleek hydroponic terrariums are like picture frames for plants
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
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