The other day I was talking about my ability to kill off houseplants with ease by forgetting to water them and some ideas I came up with that might help me beat this issue. Then I told an offline pal about this and they mentioned another solution – a terrarium. I’ve seen terrariums but never tried them and had no clue that they’re almost maintenance free because they look involved. However, after a little research I found out that they’re not THAT involved and better yet, if set up correctly, a terrarium can go months without you remembering to water it.
Basically, in case you’re new to the idea, a terrarium is it’s own little ecosystem inside a glass container with plants or a single plant, rocks, pebbles, potting mix, and other nature items. The closed glass system is why it’s low water. Condensation from the water you add when you make it builds up on the glass and cycles back (a little like rain) into the soil over and over so you won’t have to water again for a good long while.
You can make your own homemade terrarium or buy one – see some examples of store-bought ones below…
- Anchor Hocking 1-Gallon Terrarium
- Small Wardian Case
- Glass Dome Bell Jar Cloche Terrarium with Terra Cotta Base
- Coventry Terrarium
Terrarium.com has a bunch of good info about terrariums to get you started. From this site I learned that there are open and closed options plus they’ve got a list of plants that do well in a terrarium; for example Miniature African Violets, Moss, Creeping Charlie, Ardesia and many others.
I looked around for a book about the topic and the most recommended I found is The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature. I haven’t read this book yet, but it looks really nice. There are tons of chapters on all things terrarium and the pictures are lovely.
If you’re interested in creating your own terrarium but don’t want to get a whole book on the topic check out Real Simple’s guide How to Create a No-Fuss Garden which covers various terrarium projects from start to finish and offers care tips and beautiful images.
I think my son might like to make one; since he’s on holiday vacation soon it might be a great holiday project. Have you ever planted a terrarium? How did it turn out?
Post from: Blisstree