Terrariums Are In Vogue
There is a huge craze these days in creating Terrariums. Women are interested in plants from a design standpoint, not a horticultural standpoint. Many are drawn in by the creative aspect, designing little worlds.
Long a fixture of elementary school classrooms, terrariums have recently begun gaining favor with young design enthusiasts and creative types. But today’s look nothing like the fish-tank structures and kitschy miniature greenhouses that were popular in the 70’s.
The new modern sleek creations are something you want to display in your home. Women have become fascinated with having beautiful arrangements in their home that they can look at and not have to do much to. This is one of the main draws of terrariums. They are good for people who love plants but do not actually love gardening.
Assembling a terrarium requires little more than a glass container, gravel, soil and plants.
**Spread gravel, preferably a natural kind like pea gravel, an inch or two thick in a glass container.
**Put a layer of sphagnum moss or burlap over the gravel is optional, but it will keep the dirt that goes on top from seeping into the gravel. Next, spread about a quarter-inch layer of charcoal over the gravel to absorb odors. Then add at least two inches of potting soil, or more depending on the types and sizes of your plants.
**Finally, place your plants inside the terrarium. Smaller containers will hold two or three, and some might only hold one. Use hardy plants that do well in medium-moisture environments, like pathos, ferns, moss, ivy and bromeliads.
Water or mist the terrarium sparingly, but keep it moist. If your using a container with a cover, monitor the terrarium for a month or two to make sure it does not get too moist (condensation will form on the glass, and mold and fungus might appear on the plants and in the soil). Adjust the lid, or remove it, to temper the amount of moisture; eventually it should stabilize, and the terrarium won’t need much care. Terrariums without lids require more water and care, as moisture is lost to evaporation.
Either way it’s an ongoing experiment. You’re trying to create a micro-climate- that’s what separates a terrarium from a flowerpot.