Diary of a Wannabe Gardener
Friday, May 6, 2011 at 3:45PM 
Spring is here in full effect! I've been hearing lots of buzz about people planting carrots, strawberries, radishes, corn (?!?), and herbs this year, and have been itching to start an urban garden of my own.
Since I'm not known for my botany skills, I figured a terrarium garden would be a good place to start. Terrariums are a fun and practical way to create a miniature landscape inside your home. They don't require a lot of sunlight, and are ideal for people who are too busy to spend a lot of time caring for plants -- perfect for serial plant killers with black thumbs. Ahem.
I made this tiny terrarium at Anthopologie's Earth Day workshop. We used Ball canning jars and topped them off with tealight holders to allow optimum sunlight through. I had so much fun arranging the plants, and even carved a C+J inside a heart on the "tree". Once the plants become fully established within the enclosed environment, the terrarium will begin to function as a self-sustaining ecosystem. The plants transpire moisture, which then condensates on the glass and flows back down into the soil. Often, a closed terrarium can survive a month or more between waterings.
My jar terrarium has been sitting on our kitchen windowsill for two weeks. I've already witnessed tremendous plant growth as well as several water cycles. Now that I know how to create a viable terrarium, I'm looking forward to experimenting with different containers, plants, and designs. More later!
Reader Comments (8)
LOOKS AWESOME. time for an orchid one!!!
i like our coffee table.
and, oddly enough, the purple chair.
That is so neat! I love Anthropologie!! =)
ooo!!! so fun!!! i wanna make one too!! =D
Some day you have Baba's achievement :)
It's fun to see the plants grow! Baba will be so proud of you.
Wish I had heard about the class!
I just got into "gardening" as well. So far, I've killed a parsley plant, english daisies and have a azalea topiary on the way out. Go me!