Mini Zen Garden Kit – Best desktop zen gardens to buy
Mini zen garden kit is an easy way to get started on the hobby of zen gardening. These kits include everything that is needed for your own desktop mini zen garden. We have reviewed 17 different zen garden kits and chose the best ones to present for you.
Differences between mini zen garden kits
All mini zen garden kits include everything you need to start zen gardening.
The base is usually made of wood, the size, material and quality of wood will differ between products.
Sand quality is similar with color variations between kits.
Kits come with different number and style of ornaments. The bare minimum is large rocks. Some come with bridges, fountains, trees and moss.
You can customize your kit by ordering more ornaments and accessories later when you have a more clear idea what you want.
Zen Garden kits
These are the best mini zen garden kits to buy.
ICNBUYS Zen Garden
We bought 17 kits in total to test them and this is by far my favorite. The base is large so you have lots of room for your creativity. The decorations fit well together and give many possibilities for expansion. I, for example, bought blue sand to make a river and put the bridge on top of it.
Contains: wood base, sand, bridge, tress and figurines, two rakes and a sand pen.
Size: 9.4″ diameter
Price range: Moderate ($$)
amazon.com
Toysmith Mini Zen Garden Deluxe
Toysmith also sold a simpler and smaller version of this product before. It was my favourite one but it's no longer available. This is a deluxe version and it shows in the materials. The wood and sand are very high quality and the base is big (9" x 9"). It's a little bit on the pricy side but still a good deal. The package also includes a 64-page long meditation booklet which explains how to use your mini zen garden properly and give you additional ideas.
Because of the booklet and because the packaging is very appealing, this is my favorite product to buy as a present.
Contains: base, white sand, river rocks, two small figurines and three different kinds of rakes
Size: 9″ x 9″
Price range: Moderate ($$)
amazon.com
Nature’s Mark Mini Zen Garden Kit for Desk with Lotus
Affordable and nice.
This nature mark's kit is not a traditional one. Many use raking as a meditative element but in this kit there isn't much room to rake. It's aesthetically pleasing though and the statue is very nice.
Buy this if you like it more as a decorative element.
Size: 6" x 6" (round)
Price range: Affordable ($)
amazon.com
ENSO – Japanese Zen Garden Kit for Desk
There isn't many super high quality zen garden kits on the market, but this is definitely one. The circular design and the tray for the ball stamps make it very aesthetically pleasing.
It's the perfect product if the design and the bareness pleases your eyes.
Size: 12.2" x 12." (round)
Price range: Luxury ($$$)
amazon.com
Island Falls Home Zen Garden Kit
The island falls home zen garden kit is the best choice for a premium product. It includes 15 features inspired by Japanese culture (such as Cherry Blossom Trees, Shinto Torii Gate, Zen Rocks, ceramic Pagoda, Bridge, Lotus Flower, and Moss).
The wooden sand tray is higher than in most kits to avoid sand spills while raking.
This kit also comes with a unique guide that explores the surprising meaning, history, and culture of each feature, making it an engaging and informative experience.
Size: 11" x 8"
Price range: Luxury ($$$)
amazon.com
Nature’s Mark Mini Zen Garden with White Sand
Nature's Mark Mini Zen Garden Kit is the most popular zen garden kit. It's cheap and has everything you need to get started. It's a nice base you can improve later if you want to spend more money in the future.
Size: 8″ x 5″
Price range: Affordable ($)
amazon.com
Personalizing your desktop zen garden
After you have chosen a good kit for you, it might be time to add accessories to personalize your experience. We have a long article about desktop zen garden accessories. The articles features many kinds of themes you can build and is an awesome source of inspiration.
It’s also possbile to build your own mini zen garden from scratch. If you feel confident in your abilities and would like to tackle such project, check out our DIY mini zen garden article.
Summary
All of the kits reviewed include everything you need for a mini zen garden. The basic elements are a wooden base, fine sand and a rake to make patterns on the sand. Some of them also include rocks and various ornaments.
A mini zen garden is your personal space on a desktop. It’s a place of relaxation.
Zen garden mini kits are expandable. If you purchase a good kit, you can pick pebbles from the beach, purchase different colored sand, buy air plants, bonsai trees and various ornaments to make your mini zen garden speak more clearly to you.
