Seoul Botanic Park brings plants into everyday spaces
Seoul Botanic Park in Gangseo District, Seoul / Korea Times file
Living rooms have held a monopoly on indoor plants for far too long. A stubborn fern on a side table, a dusty ficus in the corner or a balcony overcrowded with forgotten pots — that used to be the default script for urban greenery.
But a new exhibition at Seoul Botanic Park is tearing up that playbook, arguing that foliage belongs in the messy, intimate spaces where daily life actually happens.
Beginning Wednesday and running through Dec. 31, "In Green" takes a fresh, lived-in approach to indoor plant styling. Rather than treating greenery as static decoration, the showcase at the park's Garden Support Center shifts themes every month to mirror how people navigate their homes as the seasons change.
"I hope this exhibition serves as an opportunity for visitors to view plants not merely as objects of a specialized hobby, but as companions naturally sharing our everyday spaces — from living rooms and bedrooms to balconies," said On Su-jin, director of the Seoul Botanic Park.
October kicks off in the heart of the home, transforming the kitchen into a verdant hub with practical, everyday twists like hanging planters fashioned from wooden cutting boards. As November brings a chill to the air and people retreat indoors, the focus moves to bedrooms and workspaces, styling nightstands and desks with quiet moss terrariums. By December, the setup turns sunrooms and balconies into warm, winterized indoor gardens infused with a relaxed, camp-like vibe and handcrafted macramé holders.
For those eager to get their hands dirty, the park is hosting drop-in workshops on the second and fourth Saturday afternoons of each month, where instructors demonstrate how to build custom botanical pieces step-by-step.
Upstairs in Project Hall 2, the tone turns slightly more contemplative.
The park's research institute is displaying pressed-flower specimens of 47 rare and endangered native plants — including the delicate prickly water lily — cultivated right in its own greenhouses. Detailed guides point visitors to exact spots in the outdoor gardens where they can see the living versions thriving in real time.
The exhibition runs Tuesday through Sunday, with special ticket discounts available for local transit pass holders and expectant mothers.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.