Flower power

I've always loved having plants and flowers all around the house. My biggest favourite is now a Zamioculcas plant. It's said to be almost immortal. Well, at some point I thought I actually managed to kill mine.

Zamioculcas thrives in shade and needs only a bit of water (just like cacti). It's enough if I water it once a month - just a glass of water.  At first I was trying too hard to make it happy and ended up overwatering the plant. Now it's left alone on the desk and grows like crazy :)  Every day new sprouts appear.

Another new guest in our house is this mini orchid. It's about 18cm tall. 

I put it (still in the pot) in a glass hurricane and covered the bottom with dried moss. 

I recently found this funny miniature 'cauldron' at my local antique shop:

Didn't really know what to do with it until I came across that small colorful plant. First thing I thought when I saw those orange berries was 'it will look great in my cauldron!' And it does, don't you think? 

This cute tiny plant is Nertera granadensis. What's even better is that you can buy it in various colors.

But to be frank, all of the above is just a digression. What I really wanted to show you is my wardian case/ plant terrarium. I love the fact that the plants need almost no care once the terrarium is closed. Here are some inspirations I particularly liked:

Linden Hill Gardens

Pottery Barn

Country Living

Doodle Bird Imaginariums 

Coco Honey

Country Home

Real Simple

An Apple a Day

Martha Stewart

Source Velocity

A great thing about such terrariums is that you can create one in anything you want, from fishbowls or jars to light bulbs! I'm just starting to think of the possibilities. Since I don't have a typical wardian case I decided to put the plants in something resembling a fishbowl that I covered with a small mirror. What you need is:

Plants that like high humidity (in the photo: mini fern, mini English ivy, hypoestes in three colors), a glass bowl or any container that you could turn into a closed terrarium, pebbles, dried moss and anything you want for decorating, potting soil, charcoal. A paper tube is also helpful, you don't want to dirty the sides of your terrarium.

All of your plants should have require similar humidity and sunlit. Cacti aren't well suited for closed terrariums - they prefer dry conditions. To find out about plant that grow well under cloches visit:

ten plants to grow in terrariums

When you're done choosing your plants creating the terrarium is easy-peasy. Before you start make sure that your container is perfectly clean (use warm water and soap only, no detergents!). 

First start with a 3cm layer of pebbles. Next cover it with a layer of charcoal chips. Top this off with 3cm of potting soil. Take your plants out of their pots and plant them in their places in the terrarium. Make sure they are well inserted in the soil. Now you can start decorating - use a few rocks, twigs and mosses. Remember to spray the plants with water. Then close the container and your terrarium is ready:)

Put it in a bright spot but not in direct sunlight. If everything works, every morning you should be able to see dew on the glass. If it doesn't appear, use your sprinkler again. If the glass is wet the whole day, it means there is too much moisture - open the container for a few hours every day until your plants look greener. 

Prune your plants when the leaves touch the glass.

This is my terrarium after a month. The ivy and hipoestes look good but I'm thinking about removing the fern (more and more brown leaves) and putting another hipoestes. 

Love,
Kate.


I'm linking this post to:

CRAFTBERRY BUSH