Building a Terrarium or Two 3/24/2022

Hello Friends~ It's been awhile.... Moving back to the beautiful panhandle of Florida and building our forever house have filled my calendar for the last year. Feels good to get back to a bit of blogging. 

Recently I came across this nice big apothecary style jar at a local thrift shop for just $3.  I have been wanting to build a terrarium for awhile and this seemed like a good fit. 

I also have this large round Italian glass globe jar that would make a good terrarium as well.

Supplies are gathered

Flashback to the 1970's. My mom has always been an avid gardener and from time to time would have a terrarium or two around the house. It is a fond childhood memory for me. 

I did some reading to help me plan and then gathered my supplies.  Base pebbles for drainage, a 'false bottom' layer also to facilitate drainage, activated charcoal to keep things fresh, preserved moss, good potting soil that I made myself, and a variety of tiny plants. I collected most of the accents...live moss, rocks, wood and the like from our property. 

 

I started with a layer of pebbles,

then made my 'false bottom' from a repurposed grape bag leftover from the fruit I bought this week. The plastic is perforated so the fruit can breathe - this will help keep the charcoal and pebbles separate while allowing water to drain through.  You can also use screen material if you prefer. 

 The activated charcoal will keep things from getting musty and moldy. This is available from many sources, I ended up using amazon because I didn't have luck at my garden centers.

Charcoal layer

Next comes the layer of garden soil. I recently made a big batch of my own potting soil. It's much cheaper than buying premade and you can store it in a plastic lidded container so it's fresh and ready when you need it. 

Fresh made potting soil

Start adding your plants. I did end up dividing my choices into some smaller parts. Then add in your small details like wood & rocks. Finish off by adding in the mosses, sticks and a tiny ceramic creature or two. I should have taken more pics of the process but I got into a groove and quite frankly... I forgot. 

A vintage baby deer 

A tiny fairyland 

Next up the Italian globe. For this jar I stuck with just one plant. The little maiden hair fern took up a lot of the space and so I kept everything else simple. 

I do want to get a little critter of some sort to decorate it. 

These are my two completed terrariums. I am pretty happy with the results. Hopefully they thrive for months to come. 

Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom. 

I'd love your feedback or advice.

Have a great day!

Warm Regards, 

Tammie