How to Make Your Own Terrarium: A Step-by-Step Guide

Terrariums have been popping up everywhere — from design portfolios to home store catalogs. The attraction? Simple: convenience and style.

Terrariums require little watering, take up minimal space, and are generally easy to care for — even for the black-thumbed among us. These tiny, lush vignettes create interest and enliven a space in ways few single houseplants can match.

Terrariums first gained popularity in the Victorian era after Nathanial Ward inadvertently grew grass in a glass enclosure. They enjoyed a 1970s revival, albeit with clunky glass vessels and macramé. Today's versions boast cleaner lines and a touch of whimsy, in many shapes and sizes, either open-top or lidded.

What You Need

• A clear glass vessel
• Decorative stones or river rock
• Horticultural charcoal (garden centers)
• A coffee filter or sphagnum moss
• Growing medium (cactus soil works well)
• Miniature plants and/or live moss

Choosing Your Container

Clear glass is essential for light. Any shape works, but start with a vessel at least 6 inches tall for soil and drainage layers. A wide opening makes planting easier.

Building Your Terrarium

1. Drainage layer: Add 1–2 inches of rock at the base.
2. Charcoal filter: Add a light layer of charcoal on top — prevents moisture stagnation.
3. Barrier: Add coffee filter or sphagnum moss to keep soil from trickling into rocks. Cut filter to fit; use just enough moss to cover charcoal.
4. Soil: Add 3–4 inches of premoistened soil. Fashion a newspaper funnel to direct soil and keep glass clean.

Plant Selection

Closed terrariums need humidity-loving, shade-tolerant plants (can't handle direct/bright light — plants will cook). Good choices:

• Strawberry begonia
• Ferns
• Live moss
• Baby's tears
• Arrowhead plant

Ensure plants are insect-free. Eradicate bugs before planting — your garden center can advise.

Open terrariums offer more options — plants tolerate moderate to bright light and moist or drier soil. Nearly all miniature houseplants work. Favorites:

• Succulents
• African violets
• Splash plant
• Waffle plant
• Earth stars

Planting & Finishing Touches

Make a hole for the root ball, place plant inside. Keep leaves from touching glass (causes decomposition). Depending on vessel size, add more plants or keep a single specimen as a dramatic focal point.

Add accents for a true landscape feel: larger rocks as boulders, miniature railroad figures for whimsy. Cover soil with small pebbles or leave natural.

Care & Maintenance

Closed terrariums form their own ecosystem, needing little care. If plants droop and soil feels dry, add water slowly (turkey baster works well). Stop when water trickles to bottom rocks. Overwatering is the easiest killer — err on the side of dryness. If glass fogs or forms droplets, remove lid for a few hours.

Open terrariums need care like any houseplant, but remember: no drainage, so less is more. Follow plant tag for moisture needs. Water slowly until water reaches bottom rocks, then stop.

Enjoy your miniature garden — share photos of your finished product!

More:
Creative ideas for terrariums
Ideas for modern houseplants