Seven Gardeners aims to build a Korean gardening platform modeled on overseas garden centers

Seven Gardeners wants to change how South Koreans think about gardening. The startup argues that gardening has remained a niche activity because many people believe it requires a garden and complicated plant care.

More than 95% of South Korea’s gardening retail market is concentrated in pots and plants, according to the company’s account. Tools, equipment and other supplies make up only a small share. Seven Gardeners founder Kim Eun-hye says that imbalance makes it difficult for consumers to find suitable products, especially when many specialized tools are available only through overseas purchases.

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Gardening is a healthy hobby that helps both physically and emotionally, but in South Korea it has been seen as a hobby for only certain generations because of the belief that a garden is essential.

Kim points to garden centers as the missing link. In Europe, she says, large garden centers helped establish gardening as an everyday activity by bringing plants, tools, garden furniture and seasonal goods together in one place. Families could visit them locally, helping gardening become part of ordinary weekend life.

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Garden centers are not simply retailers that sell tools. We are a company that spreads gardening culture.

Seven Gardeners presents itself as an online and offline platform that recreates that garden-center experience in South Korea. It serves beginners, gardening enthusiasts and high-end customers. Its products include indoor and outdoor growing kits, hand tools, protective clothing, watering supplies and premium imported goods. The company runs about 270 categories and 1,700 products, more than 60% of which it says are available in South Korea through Seven Gardeners alone.

The company holds a 10-year exclusive Korean distribution agreement for selected products from Dutch brand Esschert Design. For high-end customers, its Retreat line combines French glasshouses, Fermob outdoor furniture and European-style topiary. It also develops its own products, including a tactile artificial flower designed to resemble real plants. Since its launch in 2022, Seven Gardeners has expanded through pop-ups at major department stores, garden fairs and partnerships with public and specialist institutions. Its stated long-term goal is to establish a Korean-style garden center.

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We will change the perception that gardening is difficult in South Korea, starting with the construction of an online garden center and expanding to offline locations.