Terrariums and more - little gardens within

What is about our love affair with everything miniature? Bonsai and terrariums being two examples! I’m going to examine this obsession in more detail.

I love plants but have no time for gardening, apart from a big garden cleanup and planting screening shrubs. No one can ever accuse me of being lazy but I would rather read a book on gardens than make one. However I have recently become a fan of terrariums. They require so little effort and looks so sweet! My grandchildren love it when I decorate them with fairies and other miniature figurines and objects! Because they are small, and easy to maintain, they are ideal for apartments. Here are the reasons we have fallen in love with them.

they take up so little space yet, can be a big part of your interior decor
you can plant a variety of plants and they require very little maintenance
you can be creative with them – choose from a variety of glass vessels and bowls and miniature figures
brings the outside inside without much effort

Here are my 10 easy steps to creating a terrarium in a large fishbowl.

Nothing fiddly about this one. Just grab your gardening gloves, ordinary potting soil and three or four ferny plants (see list of terrarium friendly plants). You’ll also need some small pebbles and charcoal (activated is best). You can get all these items from your local gardening centre.

Clean the bowl and dry it – it needs to have a large enough opening for you to get your hands into it

2. Cover the base with small pebbles for drainage – I like white ones as they are a nice contrast for the darker charcoal and soil

3. Layer with a couple of inches of (activated) charcoal

4. Add enough potting soil so that your plants roots are covered completely

5. Dig in your plants and smooth out the surface, you may need to use a small trowel or spoon

6. Top with some bits moss as this will help to keep it cool and moist

7. Add river stones as they help to weigh down the plant and keep the area cool

8. Water : I usually add a glass of water to start with and then use the misting spray

9. Finally decorate with little objects, miniature figurines and fairy lights as desired

10. Enjoy! Be careful not to over water – let the soil dry out completely before you re-water and keep the terrarium in direct light

You can watch my video here – I created the terrarium outdoors on a nice day and brought it inside to enjoy all year round!

You can purchase a variety of terrarium glassware here (note if you click through to purchase these products, I will receive a small commission)

Glass fishbowl – Amazon

Metal framed house glass terrarium

Pear-shaped glass terrarium

Wall Hanging Glass terrarium

Below are some beautiful Terrarium examples and books you can buy.

Rainforest display : These are miniature rain-forests in a glasshouse. They don’t need much of an opening to thrive, however although you can place the plants in a bottle, you need the dexterity of a surgeon and instruments to match. These beautiful terrariums below are easy to make yourself or you can purchase from Lulu and Angel, if you live in Melbourne.

photo from Lulu and Angel – Melbourne

Desert Terrariums : even easier to create as require very little soil (none for airplants) and very little moisture. They will need light and warmth and don’t mind the sun.