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Terrariums form tiny ecosystems: See mine at Museum of Outdoor Arts
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See my intriguing terrarium at Museum of Outdoor Arts' Cabinets of Curiosities on exhibit now--free!
My mother was way ahead of many curves, include the tendency to keep a lot of houseplants. Though she had a no-balls-in-the-house rule, we sometimes broke it. Subsequently, playing indoors with basketballs or kickballs or even Nerf balls, we sometimes broke things in our house chock full of knick-knacks and bric-a-brac.
But I never saw my mother get so upset as when my brother Dan inadvertently broke her terrarium with his putter while practicing his short game on the green plush living room carpet that did somewhat resemble a putting green. My mother seemed heartbroken over that broken terrarium.
Now I know why.
A terrarium is a tiny ecosystem unto itself. Within the footed, egg-shaped glass, my mother had planted a tiny garden. Under the peaked terrarium cover, plants did their photosynthesis thing, taking in CO2 and releasing oxygen. Over time, humidity formed on the inside of the glass, building up in beads of water. The water eventually fell as a miniature rainfall on the plants and soaked into the soil to keep the plants watered and able to complete the cycle over and over as they flourished in the tiny rainforest within the terrarium.
I know this and I know now how precious a terrarium is because I recently was invited by the Museum of Outdoor Arts to create a quirky terrarium for their current exhibition “Cabinets of Curiosities.” This show is free at MOA, where you’ll also find plenty of free parking. Or you can ride Light Rail to a stop at MOA.
Click here for another entry titled "Terrarium as art form," which details the history of terrariums. They tiny conservatories began as a scientific research tool created by a physician.
Terrariums also surfaced recently as the topic of a feature in the newsletter of Denver Botanic Gardens. Reprinted below with permission is the text from a beautiful page in the DBG newsletter, which is just one of many benefits for members.
How to build a miniature conservatory
Boettcher Tropical Conservatory in
winter is a good way to escape the
cold. But if you can’t make it to the
Gardens, you can create a tropical
rainforest at home with your own miniature conservatory, also called a terrarium.
Materials: airtight glass or plastic jar (a large, empty cookie jar or pretzel jar works well),
gravel, activated charcoal (like what is used in aquariums), potting soil, tropical plants.
1 Clean out the inside of your jar.
2 Place approximately 1 inch of gravel in the bottom of the jar. The gravel will hold extra
water that has drained from the soil to keep your plants’ roots from drowning.
3 Place approximately 1/2 inch of charcoal on top of the gravel. The charcoal helps purify
the water and air inside the terrarium.
4 Moisten the potting soil so it is damp, but not dripping wet.
5 Place approximately 3 inches of damp potting soil on top of the charcoal.
6 Plant your plants in the potting soil, making sure you carefully spread the roots out
before putting the plant inside the terrarium.
7 Put the lid on your terrarium.
Your terrarium is like a miniature earth and can mostly take care of itself. A plant inside
the terrarium will absorb water from the soil through its roots. This water moves through the
plant and eventually evaporates out of tiny holes in its leaves. The water will land on the
inside walls of your jar and then fall back down into the soil like rain, where the plant will
once again absorb the water through its roots. Because the water continuously cycles like
this, you should not need to water your terrarium. However, your terrarium may have some
leaks and the water might eventually escape. If you notice that water no longer collects on
the inside walls of the jar and the soil looks dry, take the lid off and water your terrarium.
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