How to make your own terrarium

October 21, 2021

Growing indoor plants is not only fun, it improves the quality of air inside your home and your mental health. Best of all, they look great too!

Terrariums have long suffered from that old ‘70s stigma, but they are now back with a vengeance. This modern take on an old favourite will have you giving up every idea of replacing that long lost goldfish, and get you reaching for some potting mix and a collection of stunning indoor plants.

Top tips for Terrariums

  1. Terrariums are a great way to display small, indoor plants. Small plants are more cost-effective and a great way to start with indoor plants. The terrarium actually nurtures them, creating the ideal environment for growth, and when they get too big, pot them up and start again.
  2. Use an old fish bowl or vase — repurpose and upcycle something that would otherwise be gathering dust. Caring for your terrarium is much easier than keeping a goldfish alive, and will last longer than even the most robust cut flowers.
  3. Invest in a spray bottle to help mist plants. You can water with a small watering can or jar, but be sparing and only water when the soil dries out. Most people kill indoor plants with kindness (usually in the form of too much water), and in a terraium, there is nowhere for excess water to go, so better to be dry than wet.
  4. Select plants based on foliage colour and size. Most indoor plants thrive in the same conditions, so will grow well in the terrarium together. We used: Peperomia ‘Silver Heart’, Syngonium ‘Sunshine’, Boston Fern and Echeveria ‘Purple Pearl’.

Instructions on how to make your own terrarium 

Making your own terrarium is really easy and lots of fun!

  1. Gather your ingredients, including a bowl or vase, sphagnum moss (readily available at most garden centres), premium potting mix and a selection of Diggers indoor plants.
  2. Line the bowl with sphagnum moss to improve moisture retention and to hide the soil and plant roots.
  3. Add a couple of scoops of potting mix, being careful not to spill it down the side of the bowl.
  4. Make a hole in the potting mix and plant the tallest plant first.
  5. hen add remaining plants and top up with soil.
  6. Water sparingly and position away from direct sunlight. Water as required and reposition if needed.