How To Make Your Own Terrarium Garden
28.06.2023 - 09:00
/ southernliving.com
Terrariums are tabletop ecosystems that are fun to make and easy to tend. “Terrariums allow you to enjoy plants up-close and to add greenery to your home, even in a very small space,” says designer Maria Colletti, terrarium workshop leader and author ofTerrariums: Gardens Under Glass. “Because you design them yourself, every creation is unique and personal.”
Terrariums can be lidded, which allows heat and moisture to be contained, or open on the side or top. “You can use many different kinds of plants, but tropical plants like the humid environment inside a closed terrarium,” says Colletti. “Succulents or cacti need the drier environment of an open container.” You also can add decorative touches such as driftwood, shells or other objects to mimic a tiny seashore, jungle, or desert scene. There’s no limit but your own imagination!
Here's how to build your own little world under glass:
How To Make A Terrarium Step 1: Choose a Container
Use either closed containers, such as miniature greenhouses or lidded jars, or open containers, such as globes, fish bowls, or lanterns. Or repurpose items such as Mason jars or recycled jam jars. Just make sure the container is large enough for you to fit a few plants inside without the greenery touching the sides of the container, says Colletti. Of course, the wider the opening, the easier it is to work.
Step 2: Select Your Plants
There are tons of choices for terrarium plants, but stick with some tried-and-true options for your first time. Plants such as fittonia, peperomia, button fern, creeping fig, and selaginella like the humid conditions of a closed terrarium. For open containers, opt for plants that require more air circulation or drier conditions such as tillandsia, echeveria, burro’s