Garden under glass: Terrariums are flourishing again
The glass-encased universes called terrariums are back on the scene from the 1970s. The "new" terrarium is different from your mother's model. For starters, it's a lot more stylish. The '60s and '70s terrariums were frankly "frumpy," says Tovah Martin, author of "The New Terrarium." "They were more like science experiments. This time around, it's more about beauty and sparkle, very much like creating an object of art. The containers are beautiful vessels that you'd display even if they were empty."
A terrarium is a tightly closed or open-mouthed clear glass or plastic container filled with small plants. Terrariums provide a novel way to grow plants, including some that do not adapt well to normal home atmospheres.
"They're microworlds," says floral designer Dan Meiners of Kansas City, Mo. "They're a neat, unusual way of satisfying curiosity. They're kind of like sneaking in to look inside people's houses."
Terrariums are the botanical equivalent to small furnishings, and perhaps their recent popularity is partly due to society's love of all things small, contained and manageable.
Terrariums are said to have evolved from a discovery in 1827. Nathaniel Ward, a London physician with a passion for botany, buried a cocoon in moist earth in a closed bottle and was studying the moth emerging from it when he observed tiny ferns and grass growing in the soil. The plants continued to grow inside the covered container for four years without water.
Later, Wardian cases — elaborate household displays in glass vessels — became all the rage in Victorian England.
"I think terrariums are making a comeback because more people are into gardening, and they like to have something alive and green in their home," said Amanda Steiner, store manager at Urban Dwellings Design in Kansas City, Mo. "They're more interesting to look at than just a little plant in the corner. And you don't have to be good with houseplants to be successful with terrariums."
Container choices
Today, terrarium vessels can be vintage apothecary jars, decanters, bowls, vases, glass domes called cloches, Mason jars and even gumball machines and canning jars. If you choose an open container, you may want an opening that's 5 or 6 inches wide — big enough to fit a hand inside.
Plant selection
Choose plants that like shade, tolerate high humidity and won't grow too large, Martin advises.
John Brown of Nature's Way in Wichita says his store starts carrying plants for terrariums in the spring.
"The big thing about them is to find not only small plants but ones that will stay small. Those are hard to come by." He recommends miniature African violets and dwarf begonias and orchids, as well as fittonias, creeping ficus, little mosses and ferns. Scissors can be used to keep the creepers trimmed back.
Some ivies and jade plants also thrive in terrariums.
You can either plant them directly in the terrarium or in pots. A single small pot elevated on a base of seashells or glass beads is an elegant look.
Assembling a terrarium
1. Sketch a design. Because terrariums are typically viewed from one side, the growing medium should be sloped for viewing from the side and arranged so that taller plants are toward the back.
2. Prepare the container. Wash it with hot, soapy water and thoroughly rinse. Make sure the inside of the container is dry before planting. If a commercial glass cleaner is used, allow the open container to air for several days before planting.
3. Use a spoon to place charcoal and gravel for drainage. About one quarter of the terrarium's volume should be filled by the growing medium and drainage material combined.
4. Add sphagnum moss. This prevents the growing medium from sifting into the drainage area.
5. Add a peat mix or potting soil. For most containers, a minimum depth of 1 1/2 inches is necessary to provide sufficient volume.
6. Add plants.
7. Add your personal landscape. Use rocks, sand, wood and other natural materials to create cliffs, rock ledges, dry streambeds or lush tropical forests.
This story was originally published February 19, 2011 at 12:00 AM.