Terrariums are terrific for a few reasons. Firstly, they are beautifully green while taking up barely any room, making them perfect for both minimalists and those in smaller homes. Beyond that they’re also very low maintenance, aka ideal for people who love plants but maybe aren’t always great at keeping them alive, and they’re very easy to make whilst looking incredibly beautiful. Pop to any local garden shop and you should be able to pick up everything you need and, whilst buying a specific terrarium container can be pricey, you can find often find many a glass container in charity and antique shops for a fraction of the price. Even leftover jars make great mini terrariums!
What you’ll need:
- A clear glass container, jar, bowl, vase etc – whatever you want!
- Small stones (gravel, pebbles, broken glass/pottery, or something similar)
- Activated charcoal
- Soil (talk to the garden centre staff about this! You’ll generally want potting soil but cacti and succulents sometimes require different soil, so check to make sure you get the kind to go with your plants)
- Small plants of your choice
What to do
- Wash the inside and outside of your container thoroughly
- Start with your drainage layer: fill the bottom with a layer of your small stones. (this creates a false drainage layer so water doesn’t flood the plants). The size of this layer depends on the size of your container, but I generally would go for 1-2 inches
- Add a light layer of activated charcoal, just enough to cover the stones, this will keep the terrarium healthier by preventing bacteria, fungi and smells
- Add a small layer of sand
- Add your layer of soil, leaving lots of room for your plants to fit and grow. This should be your largest layer, aim for a a depth slightly bigger than the height of the pots your plants came in
- Take your plants from their pots, brushing off the soil until you get to the roots. If the roots are especially long you can trim them (they will grow back)
- Plant! For each plant dig a little well to place the roots in, add more soil around the top and lightly pack it around the base of the plant. Plant from largest to smallest and be careful not to over plant. Try to keep your plants away from the edges, the leaves may touch but try to keep them away as much as you can
- That’s your basic terrarium done! At this point feel free to add anything extra that you like, for example figurines, moss, geodes. It’s up to you to create whatever lil world you like!
- When you’ve finished, spritz a few times with water (not a lot) to start it off
And that’s it. To care for terrariums place them in natural, indirect sunlight as they’re basically tiny greenhouses and water the plants once or twice a week, keeping the soil a little moist at all times. Prune dead leaves/foliage or overgrown plants as and when needed to stop rotting, and you’re all good. A beautiful gift for someone else or to green up your own home.
And if making a terrarium is too much effort, you could always make a terrarium kit.
Until next time, stay magic y’all.
Images via unsplash (I have made terrariums but had none to photograph!)
