All about miniature plants and gardens indoors and out

From a terraced garden in a huge brandy snifter, or perhaps in a fish bowl, to a single orchid under an upturned tumbler, there are many kinds of glassed-in gardens to be planted and enjoyed—terrariums if you like. This includes the old-fashioned partridgeberry bowl, bottle gardens, and today’s version of the classic Wardian case. In any glass container a terrarium is literally a miniature greenhouse in which the temperature and humidity can be controlled. Dish gardens and model landscapes can be a great pleasure, so these terrariums add the additional joy of permanence and variety. Most plantings will live and thrive for twice or thrice as long, and you can grow many delicate plants that wouldn’t last a day in the dry, drafty air outside.

TERRARIUMS

Most terrariums are small-scale replicas of woodland scenes with native plants, pools, streams, and rocky cliffs. These are charming and refreshing; and if there is good light, small outdoor plants will live through the winter into spring. But there are other possibilities—tiny tropical plants that love steamy warmth; miniature begonias, aroids, and marantas that are compatible under glass—in fact, that compatibility includes two-inch orchids and other dazzling epiphytes that need extra protection and humidity indoors.

Depending on your plants, your container, and your whims or desires, a terrarium can be a Lilliputian reproduction of a landscape, an artistic composition, or perhaps merely a single perfect plant enhanced by a crystal setting. Since proportions and sizes are more strictly limited as compared with gardens which are minus glass walls, the selection of your container should come first.

CONTAINERS

Ready-made, practical, and not undecorative are the fish bowls and tanks of all sizes. The flat-sided and octagonal bowls are inexpensive, though not always of good glass. Very large, round bowls and brandy snifters of all sizes are slightly more costly, but of much better quality. Rectangular fish tanks are in good proportion for miniature landscapes, easy to plant, and roomy.

Or perhaps you have an heirloom bell jar; a glass candy dish or bowl; an apothecary jar; a bottle laid on its side (rather tedious to plant. You have to reach through the neck of the bottle with long tweezers and iced-tea spoons, but a good job is very rewarding). You can still buy the traditional round, pear-shaped, and “Ming urn” covered jars for partridgeberries. If your container has no glass cover, cut one from window glass. Buff down the sharp edges. Terrarium glass is best clear, not tinted.

In the do-it-yourself department you can make bell jars out of cider jugs with the burning-string procedure. Soak a piece of string with lighter fluid or gasoline, wrap it around the jug where you want it cut, light the string, and when the flames are gone, dunk the jug in cold water. The first few attempts may not work—I had three tries before I got a nice clean break. But for fifteen cents’ worth of cider jugs I got a nice container. If the edges come out rough and jagged, buff them with an emery cloth or a file. But, please be careful, don’t get splinters of glass in your fingers.

For a miniature-garden-minded child, simply build up a container with window glass and a flat or box. Cut the sides and ends to match the dimensions of the flat or box; then bind the corners with adhesive or masking tape. Fold tape around the top edge and the cover. That will prevent cut fingers. We made one for our children. Just to add interest, we included a turtle and a salamander. They liked their new home so well they dug into the moist soil and hibernated all winter. These tailor-made terrariums can be constructed to fit whatever space is available—long and narrow for a window sill, short and squat for a table top.

History’s largest and most elaborate terrarium probably was the Wardian case, invented (or discovered) over a hundred years ago. It is, of course, too monstrous for today’s interior décor. But the principle can be applied in designing an indoor greenhouse that is decorative and in good taste—something to fit near a bright window, or to be fitted with fluorescent light if it is to be in a dark corner. It is surprising how a little extra light will often make a deeply shaded spot habitable for plants. In these cases, of course, the plants usually remain in their individual pots. A tray with water and pebbles, or sand, humidifies the air.

Today’s adaptation of the Wardian case can be of almost any size or shape. One company manufactures a glass-enclosed box about two feet wide, four feet long, and three feet deep, with detachable furniture legs. I have seen a large coffee table, designed to sit before a picture window no doubt, fitted with plate-glass sides and accommodating a dozen or so medium-sized plants. I’ve seen several homemade cases as decorative as culturally practical, and sadly I must admit, I have seen some that were neither. I seem to have said before, in plantings of this sort let your plants be the stars.

AQUATIC GARDENS

Any watertight, glass-sided container can also be used for a fascinating water garden with fish and plants and many types of colorful decorations. To me, the most pleasing are those re-creations of natural underwater scenes with coral reefs, rocks, and the fantastic aquatic plants sold at aquarium supply stores. Quite honestly I’m bothered by the suited underwater diver who brandishes a spear and spouts bubbles at intervals. I’m bothered by the obviously artificial remnants of a wrecked ship, or the opened treasure chest spilling out coins and jewels. It is artificial to the point of being phony.

The planting and care of these underwater gardens has become an intricate science and art and requires knowledge of the delicate balance of plant and animal life, the proper supply of oxygen, and other technical matters beyond my ken. About all I know is, I love a beautifully executed aquatic garden. If you have a yen for one of these gardens, find an expert who knows his subject and ask his advice. If you can’t find an expert, there are many excellent books on the subject.

PLANTS AND ACCESSORIES

Rocks, twigs, bits of decaying wood, and other naturally indigenous materials are suitable for gardens in glass. Tufa rock is always good, whether the plants sink their roots into it or not. If you happen to live near an old ironworks, you’ll find fascinating pieces of slag in many sizes and colors.

But many of the figurines offered for sale in stores—bridges, benches, and the like—are questionable, even doubtful, in a setting with native plants. If they are to fit at all, they must be artistic, believable, and in exquisite harmony with everything else in the woodland scene. If you want to try it, set them in place, look at them from all angles, and think it over carefully. Decide whether they “belong” or are merely cute. Cuteness is something that lasts for a moment—beauty is something that is forever.

Just as with dish gardens, model landscapes, and other gardens where plants live and grow together, terrarium plants should be chosen first for their cultural compatibility. In fact, the principle is even more vital here because terrarium gardens are usually meant to be lasting. Think for a moment—you wouldn’t tuck a dry-growing peperomia in the soil beside a moisture-loving fern, or a cool-growing wild flower beside a tropical selaginella. They just aren’t meant to live with each other.

Next, size up your plants as to height—larger and bolder plants for the background or for accent, creepers for blending. In between should come the many flowering and foliage plants that make your garden a thing of beauty.

Many of these plants can be bought at florists’ shops or variety stores. Others are available by mail, including the wildlings. The woods are always a source, but conservationists urge all of us not to destroy plants carelessly or move them out of their native haunts to unfavorable locations.

I find that the plants available from mail-order specialists are reasonably priced and are always good sturdy stock. More on this in Chapter 13.

PLANTING AND CARE

Whether your glassed-in garden is an artistic arrangement of plants or an actual garden, give your design a tryout by placing the plants on a temporary basis. Put them in place and appraise the arrangement. Don’t rush. You’ll save time by not having to do it over later.

In the case of containers rounded on the bottom, line them with thin sheets of moss. Turn the green side out. Next add an adequate layer of pebbles or sand, for drainage. A sprinkling of broken charcoal is particularly desirable. The close humid air may cause soil to grow “sour” without it.

Soil may be acid or not, heavy or light, sandy or humus-rich. It all depends on the type of plant to grow in it, and it will be moist when you use it. Please, make the soil deep enough to give the plants root-room. If you want to make it interesting, build it up gently into slopes or natural mounds. Flat land is dull, not nearly so interesting.

As you put in the plants, add the stones, pebbles, paths, or pools—whatever you have in your design. May I warn you—don’t dirty the inside of the glass. Once dirty, it is almost impossible to clean up later. Plant sparsely. Remember, your plants are going to grow. The finishing touch will be the addition of “sod” or moss on the bare areas. Most of the suggestions for dish gardens and model landscapes in earlier chapters apply here. Finally, polish the glass and spray the plants with a fine mist to clean off any soil that may be on leaves and stems. Water very gently.

According to tradition, partridgeberry bowls are arranged differently. The base of the bowl is lined with moss, and covered with drainage layers, charcoal, and then soil. Then the berried plants and any others to be combined with them are placed, one layer at a time, with their faces against the glass. Their roots are toward the center and covered with soil. Finish the top layer facing up; sprinkle any loose berries on top; mist the foliage gently; cover with glass, and deck out with a big bow of Christmas ribbon.

For a few days after planting, set a terrarium where the light is not bright. After that, it needs light or sunlight according to the requirements of the plants. If they grow lank, limp, and leggy, they are usually stretching out for more light. Window-sill plants may lean toward the window—remedy: simply turn the terrarium around, and alternate it every few days so that both sides get an equal share of light.

Temperature also depends on the plants. Hardy outdoor natives are best at 60 degrees or less, even if they are moved to a cool spot at night. Tropical plants, and many others, are happy at the usual living-room temperatures.

Watering can be tricky, but not if you are careful and rational. Obviously, if the top of your container is covered tightly, not much moisture can escape. It will condense inside the glass and drop back into the garden. Water will be needed less frequently. But don’t be too happy about this. If there is excess moisture, if too much collects on the glass, if the soil is always soggy, mildew and root-rot may result. Lift off the top for a while and let the inside dry out a little. Keep the soil on the dry side if the cover fits too tightly.

Here is another warning—soil should never become completely dry. (I am afraid I have you walking on a tightrope.) Again, take that handle of a spoon or fork and dig down through a bare spot so you can see how wet the soil is at the bottom. If water is needed, add it very gently. Remember, the small plants must not be deluged and dislodged; use just enough water to moisten the soil, not soak it. Sorry, but it is impossible to write down any definite schedule for watering. Frequency and quantity depend on the size of the terrarium and the size of the plants, on the outside temperature, and on other environmental factors. Even the weather and the season of the year are important. But, I’ll bet you need watering much less frequently than you think. You may feel you should fertilize the plants so they will grow more vigorously. Here is a word of warning on that score—few woodland plants appreciate chemical fertilizers (the powders you buy at the hardware store or in the horticultural supply shops). If you want to feed your plants, the best thing to use is a weak solution of manure water. I am always bundling up manure in gunny sacks, soaking it in a watering pot, and then using the water on my plants.

Glass-covered terrariums usually keep themselves clean inside, because dust just can’t get into them. You may need to remove fading flowers and leaves. If you have any plants, particularly creepers, that threaten to take over and smother the others, get a sharp pair of embroidery or manicure scissors and begin pruning. Aliens such as earthworms and slugs are out. Put on your sharpest-pointed heels and step on them.