Creating a little garden inside your home is big right now, they are called terrariums. A terrarium is defined as a sealable glass container that contains soil and plants. The perfect container is up to you! We recommend a glass dome that will fit easily over a small dish, almost like a lid. The dome is easily removable for plant maintenance (key for a terrarium) and looks pretty too.

Why is a terrarium perfect for the winter? Since the radiators are blasting and the sun is out a little bit less these days, terrariums are a low maintenance little ecosystem. The glass container allows for light to get in, producing warm temperatures, causing the plants and soil to evaporate moisture. The water condenses on the glass dome and falls back to the plant and soil inside.

Which container for which plants? Closed containers, with no ventilation holes, are perfect for tropical plants like mosses, orchids, ferns, and air plants. These plants love humid conditions, perfect for a closed terrarium dome. Open containers, with small to medium ventilation holes, are great for varieties that don’t like as much humidity like succulents and cacti. (note: Succulents and cacti prefer a dry climate to thrive, make sure that they have time without a dome on for part of the day, gets indirect or direct sunshine, and have good drainage, i.e. pebbles or stones under the soil)

What do I need? Not much! The good news is, you will likely have enough plants, soil, and stones to make multiple terrariums to place all over your home. We recommend Espoma Organic Cactus Mix for all cacti and succulents, and terrariums like it too! Its rich, organic, and is nice and light for drainage and root growth. Some sort of moss, regular or dried, in addition to stones or pebbles (fish rocks work great and add color) are the foundation bits to a thriving terrarium. A flat glass dish, if you want to add a removable dome, or a entire glass container with a small hole (TIP: use chopsticks to help place plants if you are expert status with a tiny opening), even an old glass container from your kitchen would work depending on the plants you want to put inside!