I've been positively itching to make a cool looking terrarium. I had this old fish bowl/vase and thought it would be perfect for an open succulent desert scape.
First a layer of gravel for good drainage. Next a layer of activated charcoal. Finally, an inch or two of cactus soil followed by a top layer of sand.
Finally three succulents that seemed to work together. Odd numbers are always best. Then a little whimsy with a rock I had collected at the beach, a dry pebble stream bed and a butterfly that I raided from my seven year old daughter's room (she'll never miss it!).
Then because I really wanted to use this great $2 jar I found at the thrift store I made a closed terrarium with this great little olive tree bonsai. I put a few pebbles in it and a little frog. In truth, I don't love the frog and realized that somewhere in one of children's room I have a little pebble with the word "peace" on it that would be perfect. I dug around and couldn't find it, so I almost didn't include this picture but thought that since this is my first post I would take a stand for imperfection rather than perfection. Seems like a better way to go. Also, in the corner you can see the wonderful book by Tovah Martin, The New Terrarium that helped inspire and guide me.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI love your creativity. Your work is beautiful in a wabi-sabi kind of way (look it up if you don't know what that is...I think you'll like the concept.)
You inspire me!
Em...I love the terrariums and I wouldn't call them imperfect! If you want color you can add a tender bulb like an amaryllis or paperwhite or three. They are easy to remove post bloom. I love the concept of bonzai in a pretty jar. I have some seedling hollies and you've inspired me to try bonzaiing one. Who knows what I'll do in the greenhouse from hell! XOE
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