Suggesting penjing (the Chinese art of “tray scenery”) without exactly being penjing, this tiny, artful landscape relies on the transition provided by the small, shiny, round stones between the flat silver surface of the tray and the soft, puffy moss rising from it. When the gently curving cloche is removed, the atmosphere—both physical and aesthetic—is transformed.
1 GLASS CLOCHE (16 INCHES TALL)
1 ROUND VINTAGE SILVER TRAY (14-INCH DIAMETER)
6 CUPS MOOD MOSS (Dicranum Species)
35 SMALL PYRITE STONES
5 LARGE PYRITE STONES
1 CUP CLEAR GLASS PEBBLES, SMALL AND LARGE
1 GLASS BUBBLE
1 GNARLED ROSEBUSH ROOT, CLEANED
1 MOSSBALL WITH ‘BLOODY MARY’ PEPEROMIA AND ‘VARIEGATA’ PEPEROMIA
2 CUPS SMALL BLACK RIVER ROCKS
2 CUPS MEDIUM BLACK RIVER ROCKS
Tip
You may have to find a generous friend with a garden in order to obtain a rosebush root. Actually, any small shrub will do, as long as the root has character.
1. Clean terrarium glass inside and out.
2. Place a layer of mood moss chunks flat over the central surface of the tray, leaving 1 to 3 inches at the margins fairly clear.
3. Arrange pyrite stones (small and large) in the cracks between mood moss chunks and along outer edges of moss.
4. Place glass pebbles, small and large, along the edges of the tray and tuck glass bubble into a sweet spot between the moss and stone.
5. Nestle rosebush root atop moss to one side, and mossball planted with peperomias toward the center.
6. Take handfuls of black river rocks and scatter along margins—if too much of the tray seems obscured, push some rocks aside or remove as needed.
Care
The moss and peperomias appreciate similar conditions: warm temperatures, moist but not saturated soil, a bit of humidity (such as is found in a closed terrarium), and filtered bright light—much like a tropical rainforest floor. Place cloche some distance from a sunny window or in a window receiving no direct, hot sun in summer. Mossball may be soaked in a bowl of water for 10 to 15 minutes on a weekly basis. Once a month, add quarter-strength balanced fertilizer to soaking water. Peperomia plants should dry slightly between watering—but not enough to wilt. Squeeze mossball gently to feel for moisture.
Crunchy and soft: the beauty of this terrarium lies in the simple contrast between these two qualities. Angular rose quartz pebbles comprise a solid base for the soft, earthy mossball planted with a cane-type begonia sporting dark, burgundy-tinted, slightly shiny foliage.
1 GLASS CANNING JAR WITH LID (18 INCHES TALL)
8 CUPS ROSE QUARTZ PEBBLES
1 MOSSBALL WITH ANGEL WING BEGONIA
1. Clean terrarium glass inside and out.
2. Pour rose quartz pebbles into jar.
3. Place mossball planted with begonia inside jar.
Care
Provide medium to bright, indirect light and be sure to pull terrarium out of hot, midday sun, particularly in summer. Soak mossball for 10 to 15 minutes every week or two, depending on whether top is kept closed or open.
Tip
Begonias appreciate humidity but pop the lid regularly to freshen the air. And be sure to open lid if jar receives any direct sun or the begonia will cook.
When this pitcher plant is in bloom, look out—the chartreuse flowers and the chartreuse reindeer moss make a captivating combination. Below the carnivorous plant: a bucolic vignette of herbivorous deer grazing upon reindeer moss. (Ironic juxtapositions can be fun!)
1 ROUNDED RECTANGULAR GLASS VASE (22 × 12 × 5 INCHES)
6 CUPS SMALL BLACK RIVER ROCKS
1 YELLOW PITCHER PLANT (Sarracenia flava) IN BLOOM (4- OR 6-INCH POT)
2 HANDFULS GREEN RIVER ROCKS
6 HANDFULS CHARTREUSE REINDEER MOSS
1 SET BRASS BUCK AND DOE CANDLEHOLDERS (OR OTHER TRINKET)
1. Clean terrarium glass inside and out.
2. Layer bottom of container with small black river rocks.
3. Unpot the pitcher plant and settle into terrarium, spreading out soil mix across whole surface of terrarium and spreading plant’s roots into soil.
4. Drop green river rocks around edges of glass.
5. Add handfuls of chartreuse reindeer moss and set brass candleholders into moss.
Care
Pitcher plants appreciate bright light but no direct, hot afternoon sun, which would be intensified in this glass terrarium. A warm, humid environment with constant moisture at the roots is ideal. Water with distilled or rain water. No fertilizer is necessary if the plant is trapping insects. If not, you can deliver meals by dropping insects into the trap. But don’t overdo it—one bug per week is plenty.
Tip
When the pitcher plant goes dormant in winter and the flowering stems shrivel, you can light taper candles. Brown or green would look especially fine. You may not be able to track down the deer-shaped candleholders, but Bambi can be found in many other forms.
Looking a bit like a scientific exhibit from a Victorian plant-collecting expedition, this lovely design permits a close-up view of the unique qualities of the magnificent pitcher plants. Behold their ingenious arsenal for trapping insects—from the nectar-like secretions on the lip of the pitchers to the tiny hairs within the pitchers that prevent the insect’s escape.
2 RIMMED CYLINDERS (12 INCHES TALL),
2 PITCHER PLANTS (Sarracenia species)
CHOPSTICKS
CARNIVOROUS PLANT SOIL MIX FROM PLANTS’ POTS
1/2 CUP ROSE QUARTZ PEBBLES
1/2 CUP MONTEREY BEACH PEBBLES
1. Clean terrarium glass inside and out.
2. Remove each plant from pot and drop into glass cylinder.
3. Using a chopstick, gently tamp soil so that it is level and there are no air pockets. Scrape topmost surface of soil (about 1 inch) away from top of root ball.
4. Top dress with rose quartz in one terrarium and Monterey beach pebbles in the other. Pour in just enough water to clean up any stray soil on the glass and moisten plants’ roots.
Care
Pitcher plants have specific but fairly easy requirements: plenty of sun; wet, acidic, nutrient-poor soil; and clean, pure water. In the summer, 6 to 8 hours a day of sun is best—since terrarium glass concentrates heat, pull plants away from window during hottest weather. Using distilled or rainwater for best results, apply about 1/2 cup of water per week or more as needed to keep soil wet (never allow pitcher plants to dry out). No need to fertilize: carnivorous pitcher plants obtain nutrients by capturing and digesting insects. If there are no fruit flies or other tiny insects in your home, pick up crickets from a pet shop (or capture your own insects) and drop one bug per week into pitchers.
In winter, position pitcher plants in a cooler environment so that they receive a winter rest (dormancy). During this time, their leaves slowly die back. If proper winter rest is provided, pitcher plants will produce unusual, bell-like, yellow or red flowers in spring.
Tip
Pitcher plants are available in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Mail-order nurseries that specialize in carnivorous plants will have the best selection.
Resembling a black sand beach on a desert island, this creation is dark, handsome, and a little bit mysterious. The silver squill (Ledebouria socialis) resembles a little palm tree, the black begonia conjures up a tropical shrub, and the black reindeer moss could almost be washed-up detritus. The scattered pieces of fool’s gold or pyrite—a name derived from the Greek word for “fire” due to its brightness and because it can be used to strike sparks—offer glistening salvation to this dusky oasis.
1 GLASS BOWL (4 × 12 INCHES)
1 ‘BLACK FANCY’ BEGONIA (4-INCH POT)
1 SILVER SQUILL (Ledebouria socialis) (4-INCH POT)
8 CUPS PURE QUARTZ SAND
6 CUPS HEMATITE SAND
3 HANDFULS BLACK REINDEER MOSS
12 SMALL RAW PYRITE STONES
1 DOUBLE CUBE PYRITE IN MATRIX
1. Clean terrarium glass inside and out.
2. Remove the begonia and silver squill from their pots. Keeping the plants’ root balls intact, scrape off topmost surface of soil so it doesn’t show above sand when planted.
3. Place plants, ensuring no soil nears outer edge.
4. Pour quartz sand for lower level, then shake the container to level it.
5. Add hematite sand and shake gently to level.
6. Add clumps of reindeer moss, then scatter the pyrite stones, moving them until you like their placement.
7. Place, and perhaps half-bury, the cube of pyrite in matrix where it can be appreciated.
Care
The ‘Black Fancy’ begonia and silver squill are easy to grow in part to full sun. Thoroughly water each plant with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water every 1 to 2 weeks, depending on how quickly they dry out—they prefer soil that dries out between watering. Fertilize monthly with balanced fertilizer diluted to quarter strength. Both plants like to go a bit dry in winter so check surface of soil with fingers before watering.
Tip
Plant the silver squill high, with part of the bulb exposed. To do this, brush away all visible soil from top half of bulbs before planting so that no soil clings to the bulbs above the sand once planted. Silver squill produces flower spikes of tiny greenish-white flowers in spring. ‘Black Fancy’ begonia produces white flowers in winter.
This terrarium design suggests a science experiment in the making—which, in fact, it is. A solid base of creamy quartz sand shows off the spirited, homunculus-like character of the fern roots while the top is animated by a swoop of cinnamon-colored wire vine strands fashioned into a circle.
1 THIN GLASS RECTANGULAR VASE (18 × 8 × 3 INCHES)
4 OLD GLASS BOTTLES: 2 CHINESE APOTHECARY-STYLE BOTTLES AND 2 OLD MEDICINE BOTTLES (ALL VARYING FROM 5 TO 8 INCHES TALL)
4 ROOTED PIECES OF MAIDENHAIR FERN (Adiantum species)
6 CUPS PURE QUARTZ SAND
3 SPECKLED ROCKS RESEMBLING BIRDS’ EGGS
1 WIRE VINE (Muhlenbeckia complexa), STRIPPED OF FOLIAGE
1. Clean terrarium glass inside and out.
2. Unpot or dig up from the garden four pieces of maidenhair fern and wash roots in water. Fill the four glass bottles with water and carefully squeeze the fern roots into each bottle. Set aside.
3. Pour pure quartz sand into the rectangular vase.
4. Lower the glass bottles onto the sand base—perhaps two face-on and two side-on or in whatever configuration looks best to you.
5. Haphazardly drop speckled rocks onto sand.
6. Coil wire vine (stripped of foliage) into a loose circle about the width of the rectangular vase. You can tie it off with itself so that it holds in a rough wreath-shape and drop it into terrarium to rest on the rims of the bottles.
Care
Ferns in water can last for months, even a year, but this is not a permanent home. Enjoy them while the foliage is a nice, rich green and then replace them. You can prolong their vase-life by adding a drop or two of concentrated liquid houseplant food to the water once a month. This terrarium is fairly adaptable—light can range from low to bright, indirect light. Just avoid direct, hot afternoon sun.
Tip
Add varying amounts of water to bottles so that water lines are not the same.
Once ferns begin to yellow, you may wish to plant them in indoor pots (if they are tender in your climate) or, during the growing season, outdoors in a shady part of the garden (if they are cold-hardy in your climate).
A glistening, moss- and lichen-filled raindrop suspended in mid-air is a symbol of the life-sustaining precipitation that drenches the lush, verdant rainforest. The combination of black sand, white pebbles, and green moss gives it an elemental feeling, like a time capsule.
1 HANGING TEARDROP VASE (6 INCHES TALL)
JUTE TWINE FOR SUSPENDING TEARDROP
EYE-HOOK OR OTHER CEILING ATTACHMENT
1 CUP HEMATITE SAND
1 SPRIG OLD MAN’S BEARD LICHEN (Dolichousnea longissima)
1 SPRIG FEATHER MOSS (Ptilium species)
SMATTERING WHITE PEBBLES
1. Clean terrarium glass inside and out.
2. Attach jute twine to glass and hang before filling to make sure length is correct.
3. Pour hematite sand into teardrop and give it a gentle shake.
4. Coil a sprig of old man’s beard lichen into soft ball and poke it through the opening so it sits toward the back.
5. Add a sprig of feather moss and drop white pebbles over some of the bare hematite sand toward the front.
Care
Old man’s beard lichen and feather moss both appreciate a bit of indirect light (low or bright is okay). Spritz the living elements a couple of times a week—once a week if in lower light or a cooler location. Or skip the watering and just allow them to dry.
Tip
This terrarium can be suspended and then filled, or filled and then suspended. If you fill it before suspending it, try setting it on a feather pillow or blanket—or in a rubber kitchen bowl to contain excess materials. A dexterous pinkie finger or a piece of bent wire or pipe cleaner are good tools for manipulating pebbles or fluffing moss.
An icy, columnar tower of crystal selenite forms the centerpiece of this terrarium. Named for the Greek moon goddess Selene, selenite has a lovely milky appearance that makes the crystal seem to glow when backlit. Its icy nature is complemented by fire: bring out the light-conducting qualities in the selenite by surrounding the terrarium with small, flickering votive candles.
1 GLASS ALMOND VASE (22 INCHES TALL, 5-INCH OPENING)
6 CUPS PURE QUARTZ SAND
1 LARGE SELENITE SHARD
4 HANDFULS FEATHER MOSS (Ptilium species)
14 SMALL SELENITE SHARDS
CHOPSTICKS
1. Clean terrarium glass inside and out.
2. Pour quartz sand into container and gently shake to level.
3. Lower large shard of selenite into the center of the container and twist it down into place.
4. Gently tap container on surface a few times to level sand.
5. Around base of large selenite shard, place small handfuls of the more congested, tightly growing feather moss.
6. Press small selenite shards between the feather moss and the glass, nesting them slightly into the sand. If your hand doesn’t fit into the vessel’s opening, you can use chopsticks to position small selenite shards.
7. Add the looser, fluffier strands of feather moss toward the top.
Care
In general, feather moss is at its best with medium to bright, indirect natural light. When dried up, feather moss can turn an attractive honey-green shade but to maintain its lovely chartreuse color and fluffiness, mist with a squirt bottle a couple of times a week.
Tip
When you mist moss from above, the water droplets run down the selenite and fog up the glass creating a beautifully atmospheric scene.
As seductive and captivating as erotic love itself, this finely formed design represents darkness and light, danger and safety, total transparency with the mystery embodied by the unopened letters. The Venus flytrap, which lures prey with a sweet-smelling nectar and then snaps shut on the hapless insect, brings this terrarium to life while illustrating the inevitability of death.
1 TALL SQUARE GLASS VASE (16 INCHES TALL)
1 STEMMED VOTIVE GLASS (17 INCHES TALL)
1 VENUS FLYTRAP (Dionaea muscipula ‘Red Dragon’) (2-INCH POT)
1 3/4 CUPS WHITE PEBBLES
1 1/2 CUPS SMALL BLACK ROCKS
2 LARGE, SMOOTH, FLAT WHITE ROCKS
1 PACKET OF HANDMADE PAPER “LETTERS” BOUND WITH STRING
1. Clean terrarium glass inside and out.
2. If the stemmed votive glass is too long to fit in the tall square vase, you can safely break the stem by wrapping it in a towel or cloth before snapping it.
3. To make inner terrarium: unpot Venus flytrap into stemmed votive glass with all accompanying soil; distribute soil, gently tamping it down to remove air gaps; and cover surface of potting mix with 1/4 cup of white pebbles. Set aside.
4. Add small black rocks to the bottom of the tall square vase. On top of the black rocks, add remaining white pebbles, the large flat white rocks, and the packet of bound “letters.”
5. Lower planted stemmed votive glass terrarium into square vase.
Care
Venus flytraps appreciate bright light but should be kept out of direct, hot afternoon sun, which would be intensified in this narrow glass terrarium. A warm, humid environment with constant moisture at the roots is ideal. Water with distilled or rain water. No fertilizer is necessary but if the plants are not trapping any insects, you can deliver meals by dropping insects into the traps. One small bug per week is plenty.
Tip
If you can’t find a stemmed votive glass, substitute any stemmed glass that will fit in the opening. You might like to write your own set of love letters or poetry—tie pretty string around it and add to the terrarium.
This sweet, sensuous glass orb contains quartz crystals cradled in a bed of tender green moss, while the barbed fish hooks dangling from the base add a literal and figurative element of danger. Although quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust, the clear crystal always seems to have a slight air of mystery. One perfect little piece can be enough to make a small terrarium shine.
1 HANGING BUBBLE VASE (2.5 × 3.5 INCHES)
1/2 CUP WHITE PEBBLES
2 HANDFULS FEATHER MOSS (Ptilium species)
1 QUARTZ CLUSTER
4 OLD BARBED FISH HOOKS ON SWIVEL CONNECTOR
2 GLASS CRYSTALS
THREAD FOR ATTACHING HOOKS AND CRYSTALS
JUTE TWINE FOR SUSPENDING VASE
EYE-HOOK OR OTHER CEILING ATTACHMENT
1. Clean terrarium glass inside and out.
2. Pour white pebbles into base and give a gentle shake.
3. Create a small nest with a couple handfuls of feather moss and place it on top of the pebbles.
4. Tuck the cluster of quartz crystals into nest.
5. Fish hooks, glass crystals, and any other small, charming baubles can be attached to the string and tied on.
6. Attach jute twine to bubble vase and hang from a sturdy ceiling hook.
Care
Some kinds of feather moss prefer slightly more or less light or moisture, but in general, feather moss is at its best with indirect natural light. Most feather moss species can be kept healthy—the lovely chartreuse color and fluffiness maintained—by misting with a squirt bottle every few days. When dried up, feather moss can turn an attractive honey-green.
Tip
Don’t include the fish hooks if you have children or curious pets in the house. Or hang it well out of reach. You can also replace the sharp hooks with chandelier crystals or other ornaments.
This woodland terrarium is populated by fern, lichen, and moss, as well as a variety of natural materials suggesting the gradual decay and renewal that takes place on the forest floor: old shell middens, some scattered rocks, and a set of deer antlers.
1 APOTHECARY JAR (28 INCHES TALL, 8-INCH OPENING)
10 CUPS HEMATITE SAND
4 CUPS BLACK RIVER ROCKS
4 HANDFULS CHARTREUSE FEATHER MOSS (Ptilium species)
3 GREEN SEA URCHINS
SMALL DEER ANTLERS
1 MAIDENHAIR FERN (Adiantum capillus-veneris) (2- OR 4-INCH POT)
2 HANDFULS OF BEARD LICHEN (Usnea species)
1 QUARTZ CLUSTER
1 CUT MEXICAN GEODE
Tip
If antlers are not available, look for bones or keep an eye out for other artfully curved items, whether natural or man-made.
1. Clean terrarium glass inside and out.
2. Pour hematite sand into apothecary jar, turning it on its side and giving it a shake to create a slanted profile.
3. Set black river rocks onto sand all around edges of glass and lay down a bed of chartreuse feather moss on top of it.
4. Slide sea urchins down sides of glass.
5. Settle deer antlers on top of feather moss and tuck potted maidenhair fern in between the antlers.
6. Form a bed with beard lichen for quartz crystal cluster and cut Mexican geode.
7. Finally, bunch the remaining beard lichen around fern pot and fluff it up.
Care
Position terrarium in medium to bright but diffuse light. Once a week, pour approximately 1/2 cup of water directly over center of fern into its pot and mist fern, moss, and lichen a couple of times a week. During spring and summer, fertilize the fern with a quarter-strength solution of balanced liquid fertilizer. The lid is useful for creating a humid environment for the moisture-loving fern but can also trap too much heat within the glass and cause burning. Be sure to keep the terrarium a good distance from a window and out of direct sun, particularly if lid is on. The lid should be removed one day per week to prevent antlers from decaying.
