In this post, I will write about terrariums in general and also document my first attempt in starting one. As a gardener, I have been fascinated with these for years, but until now I have never experimented with one.
First, let's begin with the definition of a terrarium, taken from Wikipedia:
"A terrarium is a miniature ecosystem which is a complex system of relationships between organisms and resources of different types. The predominant organisms in your terrarium ecosystem are plants and the micro-organisms in the soil. The major resources are water, sunlight, and soil."
Terrarium have always been popular, as they offer a unique way to showcase plants. Compared to caring for regular houseplants, they are relatively low maintenance once established, and the unique environment allows for different varieties of pants to be displayed in a decorative manner.
To satisfy your curiosity, below is a photo my terrarium, which has now has been planted for about 6 weeks.
There are two types of terrariums, open and closed (those which have a removable lid). In either case, making one is fairly simple, and requires only the following:
- A glass or plastic container
- Small stones or gravel for drainage
- Moss, if you choose
- Soil (growing medium)
- Plants that won’t overgrow (generally miniature or dwarf plants)
- Spoon for placing plants in the soil.
Before I explain the steps of planting the terrarium, I will spend some time talking about types of plants that will grow in a terrarium. There are a quite a few plants that will do well, but it's important to choose from those which are known to thrive in this specialized environment.
Following is a listing of plants suitable for terrariums. This information was taken from the website titled The Garden Helper. This site has an extensive listing of plants for terrariums. Below I have included just those suitable for bright light conditions. They also list low light, moderate light, and desert type plants, the latter of which work well in open containers.
This website also gives detailed information regarding starting terrariums and much more.
Terrarium and Dish Garden Plants for Bright Light Conditions
| African Violet Saintpaulia ionantha | African Violets were first collected from eastern Africa and Tasmania in the late nineteenth century. Their attractive, velvety foliage, compact growing habit and wide variety of long blooming flower colors have made the African Violet the most popular flowering house plant in the world. See Web Page | |
| Bloodleaf Iresine Iresine herbstii | Small, branching plant with blood red foliage, grows to 24". Needs rich, loamy, well draining soil, and bright light with some sun. Keep soil evenly moist. Pinch tips to induce bushiness. Propagate by softwood cuttings in the spring. Hardy in zones 10-12 | |
| Button Fern Pellaea rotundifolia | This low growing, spreading fern from Australia prefers bright indirect light, protection from drafts and evenly moist soil. Fills in any space quickly. Susceptible to attacks from scale insects. Hardy in zones 9-11 | |
| Dragon Tree Dracaena marginata | Tree-like plant that is tolerant of lower light but appreciates bright, indirect light. Allow to dry slightly between waterings. Sensitive to fluoride, so allow water to set for 24 hours before watering. Propagate by air layering or cuttings. | |
| Earth star Cryptanthus bromelioides | Rosette forming, epiphytic Bromeliad from Brazil will grow to 12". Needs bright light but no direct sun and high humidity. Should be planted in a potting mix containing sphagnum moss or peat. Susceptible to mealy bugs and scale insects. | |
| False Aralia Dizygotheca elegantissima | Will grow to five feet tall. Keep compact by pruning. Prefers bright indirect light, barely moist, acidic soil. Prefers night temperatures of 70°, daytime temperatures of 75°-85°. Grow from seeds that need light for germination. | |
| Flame Violet Episcia dianthiflora | Trailing, 6" relative of the African Violet from South America. Requires constant warmth and humidity, bright indirect light and should be planted in a porous, peaty potting mix. Keep soil moist at all times. Hardy in zones 10-12 | |
| Friendship Plant Pilea involucrata | Friendship Plants are native to Central and South America, where they are known as Panamiga plants.They are creeping plants that form dense, 8"-12" tall mounds of deeply textured, oval, 2½" leaves. The foliage color varies, but the most common variety has dark, reddish brown leaves gilded with silver or copper. See Web Page | |
| Golden Pothos Epipremnum aureum | Golden Pothos are one most popular of all house plants. They are attractive, durable and easy to grow vines that have smooth, leathery, heart shaped leaves with distinctive marbling alternating along rope-like green stems. Pothos vines are among the top ten air purifying plants for indoor use. | |
| Ivy Hedera helix | Ivy grows best with four or more hours a day of direct sunlight but will grow fairly well in bright indirect light. Keep soil evenly moist. Pinch tips to induce bushiness Feed monthly with half strength, balanced fertilizer. | |
| Maidenhair Fern Adiantum raddianum | Prefers bright indirect light, rich well draining soil and high humidity. Keep the soil evenly moist, but decrease watering slightly in the winter. Grows best when night temperatures are cooler (55°) Hardy in zones 10-12 | |
| Miniature Peperomia Pilea depressa | Miniature Peperomias are low growing, creeping plants with pairs of tiny, opposing round leaves on rigid stems that readily root at each node that contacts the soil. This Pilea prefers lower humidity and drier soil. A nice, but fairly plain plant for hanging baskets or to cover the soil in large planters. See Web Page | |
| Moon Valley Pilea 'Moon Valley' | Moon Valley is cool little plant that grows to about 12" tall. Their greatest feature is their saw toothed edged, chartreuse leaves with deep texturing like the craters and valleys on the moon. (sometimes you have to use your imagination..) Excellent for terrariums or dish gardens. See Web Page | |
| Moses in a Cradle Rhoeo discolor | 12" rosette forming plant with bi-colored olive green above, purple below leaves. Needs bright indirect light and moist, rich, peaty soil. Avoid sudden temperature changes or drafts. Propagate by softwood cuttings. | |
| Nerve Plant Fittonia verchaffeltii | Brightly colored pink or white veins paint a net over the oval leaves of this spreading 6-8" tall plant. Needs bright indirect light and moist, rich soil. Propagate by softwood cuttings kept @ 75°. Hardy in zones 11-12 | |
| Parlor Palm Chamaedorea elegans | Slow growing but may become too tall for dish gardens (12-30"). Should be grown in a warm (75°-85°) area with bright indirect light with high humidity (or misting). Keep soil evenly moist. Feed in spring and summer only. Hardy in zones 11-12 | |
| Pin Cushion Plant Nertera granadensis | The Pin Cushion Plant should be kept in a sunny location with a room temperature of 65-70 degrees. When active growth slows during the winter, watering should be cut back. Produces lots of tiny orange berries just in time for halloween! | |
| Pink Polka Dot Hypoestes phyllostachya | The Polka Dot plant grows best in a humid environment, needs bright light but not full sun. Use water that has been allowed to set for 24 hours to keep the soil slightly moist. Pinch back for bushiness. Hardy in zones 10-12 | |
| Prayer Plant Maranta leucoreura | Need very high humidity, medium or bright filtered light and well drained soil, slightly peaty soil. Keep the soil evenly moist except when dormant. Feed with balanced "acid fertilizer" every 2 weeks when actively growing. | |
| Purple Passion Plant Gynura aurantiaca | Passion Plants need bright light but must be protected full sun. Keep the soil evenly moist. Feed every 2-3 weeks with half-strength house plant food when growing. Add peat moss to the potting mix. Propagation is by softwood cuttings | |
| Rosary Vine Ceropegia woodii | The slender flowers resemble a small pink vase. Needs bright light (morning sun is ok), summer temperatures around 70°-75°, but keep cooler in winter. Do not over water Feed monthly with half strength house plant food when growing. | |
| Shamrocks Oxalis oregona | Shamrocks are bulbs that grow best when they receive cool fresh air, moist soil and receive bright light but not direct sun. Needs a yearly period of dormancy. To propagate Shamrocks, just repot and separate the bulbs before replanting | |
| Spider Plant Chlorophytum comosum | Need bright natural light or artificial grow lights, evenly moist soil, and prefer cooler temperatures. Decrease their light hours to simulate the shorter days of fall to produce 'babies'. Feed every 3 months with house plant fertilizer | |
| Swedish Ivy Plectranthus australis | Swedish Ivy is a fast growing, spreading, evergreen perennial plant from South Africa that is closely related to the Coleus. They have slightly rounded, waxy, glossy green, 1½"-2" leaves with scalloped edges, and produce 3"-8" racemes of pink, lilac or white flowers. See Web Page | |
| Tahitian Bridal Veil Gibasis geniculata | Creeping or hanging plant, native to Jamaica (not Tahiti). Prefers bright indirect light, high humidity and moderately rich, well draining soil. Allow the soil to dry moderately before watering. Hardy in zones 11-12 | |
| Watermelon Peperomia Peperomia argyreia | Mound growing plant to 12". Needs bright light but must be protected full sun. Keep the soil evenly moist in warm weather but allow to dry before watering in winter. Feed monthly in spring and summer with half-strength house plant food. | |
| Zebra Plant Aphelandra squarrosa | Zebra Plants are extremely showy evergreen plants with pairs of shiny, 6"-9", lance shaped green leaves, boldly variegated with cream, white or silvery striped veins. Under ideal conditions, they can be persuaded to bloom. Only hardy in zones 11-12. See Web Page |
Now, the few simple steps I followed in putting together my terrarium:
- Place a layer of stones in the container approximately 1 inch deep.
- Next put a thin layer of moss which acts as a filter between the soil and the stones.
- Place a 3 to 4 inch layer of growing medium or potting soil.
- Finally, place the plants in the terrarium using a spoon to make small indentations to hold the plants.
- Level off the soil around the plants an add water to dampen the soil.
- Replace the lid if using a closed terrarium.
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| Putting Together a Terrarium |
The plants I used were a frosty fern (Selaginella), spider plant, and another fern that started growing in the soil of our jade plant during the summer, when the plant was on our deck. We move quite a few of our houseplants outside for the summer to make our deck more decorative.
It may be necessary to remove the lid from time to time to allow built up moisture to escape. Eventually, the ecosystem will stabilize and less fogging should occur. Also, avoid direct sunlight for better results, as this may cause excessive moisture buildup.
Finally, a few bird photos from the past several weeks:
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| Northern Cardinal (Male) |
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| Northern Cardinal (Female) |
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| Norther Cardinal (Male) |
Thanks for visiting. The seed catalogs are arriving, more to come.
