On the Make: Terrarium

I've been thinking about terrariums lately. I know they're a huge trend right now in that venn diagram in the sky where the orbits of gardening and crafts intersect. They're crafty, but they're a garden; they're alive and growing, but small and sweet and perfect for apartments. They're low maintenance and look super-chic too. What's not to love?

I know there are classes offered on how to put them together, but there's also ample information on the internets that provides a step by step how-to. Basically, you just need a big glass bowl or apothecary jar, some gravel or rocks, charcoal, soil, and plants. Layer the components in glass jar in the same order: rocks (1 inch), charcoal (1/2 inch) and soil, and then add in your plants.

(Seriously, just type in "how to make a terrarium" in Google and all kinds of things come up.)

I got my plants at the beautiful and inspiring Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco. This place is so fabulous, everyone needs to get there if you haven't visited already. It's peaceful and sunny, and they have Ritual Roasters there so it's the perfect spot to take a moment and enjoy your morning. Flora Grubb has millions of little succulents and cool plants that are perfect for this kind of project, and their gardeners are always eager with good advice too.

One of the most helpful things I learned from a few of the online videos was to shake out the excess dirt from your potted nursery plants. This way, you're just working with the little roots and you'll have more space in the terrarium.

Another important thing is to not over-water. I used succulents in mine (the mini palm will go in another "tropical" terrarium at a future date), which really like infrequent waterings. In a terrarium, this infrequency goes up - in other words, you almost don't need to water at all. Why? Because the terrarium is a bit like the butterfly house at the science museum: it's humid in there. Even with a small amount of water the environment will create its own moisture.

As a final touch, some people like to place figurines in the terrariums or do a little scene - like a magic castle in your turtle's bowl. Gnomes are popular, but have always weirded me out in a way, so I thought I'd stay away from the gnomes. Actually, finding a figurine was rather tough! I have an old Hummel piece, but it's still too large for the bowl, and a small Lady of Guadalupe just didn't seem right. Then I ran across this old disco ball ornament in my button jar and knew it would be perfect. It looks like someone had a wild night in a garden someplace and didn't quite clean everything up.

My finished terrarium is now in my back window where it will get lots of sunlight, while adding a touch of chic greenery to the room - which it desperately needed! Now that I know this is successful, I may be doing more. It was fun to make, very quick, and looks amazing! I suppose I should look into some gnomes...