Moss Monday: Ode to Moss in the Anchorage Daily News

While we all wax poetic about moss every now and then Jeff Lowenfels recently captured the heart of true fascination with all things bryophyte in the Anchorage Daily News.

It seems that unless you grow bonsai, the appearance of moss on the surface of the soil of an indoor plant is cause for alarm. This is probably because garden columnists note that mosses like acid soils and are an indication there is something wrong with the soil and the plant needs to be repotted in fresh stuff.

Yet, clearly, when grown in a proper container, they make wonderful plants, small, bonsai fields and meadows. If you have enough moss, placing it around the base of some of your houseplants will really produce a more natural looking plant. Moss can also be grown indoors on rocks for quite an effect.

Anchorage Daily News

Bright Ideas: Repurposing lightbulbs as terrariums and planters at www.instructables.com

We've seen the repurposed lightbulbs as terrariums but here is another set of gems at www.instructables.com. While I love the terrariums I think the little bulb bud vases are really beautiful in a minimalist fashion. The one with it's own stand is adorable.

www.instructables.com

Modern Day Wardian Case Terrarium at mewpaperarts.com

Alissa at mewpaperarts.com recently put together a gorgeous wardian case-type terrarium. I love the size and the top little cupola. Very cute!

First we lined the bottom with tin foil to keep the majority of moisture off the metal base. Than a layer of pea-gravel (which was in a fresh bag) was rinsed and placed in the bottom...
We added four plants–an indestructible philodendron, a miniature orchid, an arrowroot plant and an unidentifiable cactus-y/aloe-y looking thing.

mewpaperarts.com

Terrarium critters galore at fertanish.net

Bill over at fertanish.net has discovered his homemade 10 gallon terrarium is certainly harboring some stow-away critters that hitched rides on his initial soil and plant supply. While oft times these unexpected terrarium inhabitants are unwanted - I agree with Bill that they can also provide a neat little opportunity to watch the critters in action.

I collected soil from the back yard; I'm sure I captured a number of slug eggs as they are appearing everywhere. I've also found at least one Sow Bug, a couple of earth worms, possibly two centipedes, and a couple of spiders. Amusingly, the millipedes have mostly dug under for the winter; I now barely see them at all.

I focused building the terrarium for insects rather than plants, but certainly didn't consider starting an ecosystem. It's very entertaining.

fertanish.net

Moss Monday: How to Make a Terrarium on Lifehacker

Lifehacker featured a how-to guide on their blog. Not much new info but a nice solid guide for terra-newbies. However I disagree on the touted ease of moss-growing.

Maintenance: Once you have your substrate and moss in the container the only thing left to do is keep the moss moist. That's it. As long as the moss isn't in harsh sunlight or left to dry out you'll have great difficult killing it off.

http://lifehacker.com

Haute Insect Dioramas for the Discerning Shopper

For those with cash to burn and a taste for the curious several high end retailers and boutiques are promoting insect art assemblages as great holiday gifts. Above is Neiman Marcus' "Insect Lab Specimen Artwork" by Maine artist Mike Libby. Libby starts with real insects and adds some clockwork elements to the mix for a one-of-a-kind convo starter.

For those with more whimsical insects in mind please go check out "Insects at Home: The Miniature Insect Dioramas of Lisa Wood" as exhibiting at the Gold Bug in Pasadena, CA and as featured in the LA Times this morning. Unfortunately the shop site is flash only so I can't post a photo but trust me- her work is worth hopping over to the site to ogle. There are butterflies at tea and tomato caterpillars looking into microscopes and a leaf insect cutting out paper dolls. Needless to say I'm floored.

Thus Quoth the Raven...

Raven Under The Lucky Tree

Underneath the lucky tree silently the lone raven roams.

A bed of grass, a carpet so green lies beneath his toes.

He roams around on legs so strong he knows just where he goes.

So watch awhile, yes gaze inside and away go all your woes.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/doodlebirdie

Litill Ltd. Terrariums

According to the Litill Ltd. homepage a full website is coming soon. I'm waiting with baited breath - these are phenomenal.


Litill Ltd.

Hart's Tongue Fern Terrarium by Steve Falconi Designs

Most terrariums I come across are "freshly" planted with small plants. It can take a while for plants to grow into a container and as terrariums have varying life-spans- sometimes the environment cannot support a mature plant.

Cue Steve Falconi Designs Hart's Tongue Fern terrarium. What a beautiful plant and it looks perfectly suited to the globe terrarium.

Steve Falconi Designs

Bestiary Ink Terrarium Watercolors at unruly-things.com

Too beautiful not to share. I love the colors.


www.unruly-things.com

Bestiary Ink on Etsy

Q and A: Those Pesky Ferns

Thanks to Ginny for our question today:

Question: I'm on my second week of owning two little silver dollar ferns - I bought them on impulse and am now learning that I don't have a moist enough environment for them as they are drying up. I'm misting them, but, alas, not enough.

Do you have any quick solutions so that they don't perish by the end of the week?

Answer: A great quick and easy way to provide an ailing plant with a high-humidity environment is to slip the plant into a clear ziplock plastic bag (or light colored bag) and set upright "inside" and centered in the bag in indirect light. Try to position the plant so the foliage is not touching the sides of the bag.

You can seal or tie the bag completely, or leave it partially open to allow for some air flow. If the bag is left partially open the plant should be content for several days or more (I have kept some small potted ferns in plastic bags for months on end.) This should create a humid incubator-like sick bay for your plants to recuperate.

If your plant is too large to slip into a plastic bag you can also try positioning the plants on plastic trays filled with some gravel or bark and a half inch or so of water. The evaporation of the water will raise the humidity around the plants.

Haute Terrariums at Apartmenttherapy.com

Paula Hayes has teamed up with floral stylist Lindsey Taylor to put together some new stunners as spotted at www.apartmenttherapy.com. My favorite is the orchid cubed, as pictured above. I wish they had a close up photo of the arrangement - it looks like a well done little topographical wonder. Every time I try to design rolling hills they just look like lumpy moss. I'm also very intrigued by the apparently slim charcoal/soil/gravel layer. It looks like a scanty amount of soil for such a thriving plant layout. But it certainly adds to the minimal design. Very haute.

www.apartmenttherapy.com

CARNIVOROUS HERBIVOROUS Terrarium at Jeffery James Modern

Jeff has done it again at his Etsy shop Jeffery James Modern. My favorite is the CARNIVOROUS HERBIVOROUS terrarium featuring a Pitcher Plant and a gorgeous little purple Butterwort. It's a great, balanced terrarium with the bonus interaction of feeding (if you so choose)!

The pitchers’ of the Pitcher Plant contains a digestive liquid that will trap unsuspecting insects....Squeamish about feeding… Leave the lid ajar to provide the plants with food. If you’re a carnivore, give them a monthly treat of an insect found outside or around the house.

Jeffery James Modern

Recycled Bubble Terrariums at iloveuma.com

I feel like I remember seeing these beautiful recycled bubble terrarium bottles at http://www.iloveuma.com but haven't seemed to post about them yet. Thanks to Dana K. for the great tip! The bottles are certainly unique and would make a great terrarium but take note folks- plants are not included with these puppies. It's a do-it-yourself job.


Recycled Bubble Terrarium Bottles at http://www.iloveuma.com

Q and A: To Lid or Not to Lid

As the holidays approach and people make vacation and out-of-town plans the topic of houseplant maintenance during your absence comes up. I have heard numerous tricks on how to keep regular potted houseplants safe and watered during long periods of neglect- but what of your open top terrariums?

Martin asks this excellent question:

Question: I have a number of Moss terrariums, all are open top. I must go away for two weeks this december and was wondering what your advice would be on watering? Do I just seal them up and let them do their thing?

Answer: I am forever warning against condensation build up in terrariums. It can lead to rot and fungus growth and can be difficult to "dry out" a terrarium once the condensation appears. One way to avoid condensation is to maintain "open top terrariums" - which require more TLC (and more frequent misting) to keep hydrated.

But what to do over an extended holiday? Pack up your terrariums and take them with you! Haha. I'm joking. Lid them up. This is one circumstance where a little extra condensation will not do any grievous harm. If you have large "mouthed" open-top terrariums you may want to consider obtaining sheets of plexiglass or acrylic at your local hardware store and balancing them on the tops of your terrariums to form a lid. If the openings are smaller (ie. a bottle terrarium etc.) you can top with anything that fits- even cap the opening with a piece of foil.

If you are worried about the condensation you could try a test-run with a lid for 48 hours. If the condensation is overwhelming after the test you may want to try a lid with some holes punched in the top to promote airflow. A yogurt lid with some holes or anything similar would suffice. If it's a large "mouthed" terrarium that's getting too wet with a lid you can try balancing an acrylic sheet a little off-kilter to leave a small opening.

Upon your return home if you find your terrarium soaking wet you can remove the lid and dangle a strip of absorbent paper towel into the terrarium that touches the surface. This will act as a wick and after a few hours you would be surprised how much moisture it can absorb.

And enjoy your trip!

Orchids in a Terrarium

You'll never hear me claim to know much about orchids. I have a hard time even keeping them alive. I fried a phalaenopsis last year and I have this miniature orchid plant on a wooden board with some moss that might be sprouting a leaf but I'm not sure. It looks pretty fried as well. However - I found a great tip sheet for raising orchids in terrariums or Wardian Cases at the organic-gardeningblog.com. If I had the space for a large terrarium then maybe I could finally raise the orchids of my dreams...

Beyond question, orchids grow best in greenhouses. This fact has barred many people from enjoying this fascinating hobby, since they may have neither the means nor the space for a greenhouse. What can be done then? Some success can be had by placing orchid plants in sunny windows and staging them over trays of moist gravel. Though much success has been claimed for this method, I have found results over a period of two or three years most disappointing both in lack of blooms and in a gradual deterioration of most plants. However, the majority of plants can be placed in sunny windows over gravel trays during their blooming period where they can be enjoyed by neighbors as well.

Without a doubt, greenhouse culture gives best results. Since few can have large greenhouses, the answer is to construct little greenhouses – or Wardian cases (forerunner to the modern terrarium) – which can be placed in suitable windows, facing preferably south or east. The plural is used advisedly because once bitten by the orchid bug, no one is ever satisfied with one Wardian case, provided more than one suitable window is available.

These cases are not expensive if they are homemade. They can be built as simply or as elaborately as individual taste dictates. I have six of different shapes and sizes, all built of windows purchased from a hardware store. The general idea is to make a rectangular box with a hinged door and a hinged top which help to regulate ventilation and humidity.

organic-gardeningblog.com

Now that Halloween is over...

We can launch right into the Xmas decos! I have already seen christmas supplies at stores so get ready. However why not buck the whole "red and green" trend and add some REAL green to your tree with this terrarium ornament from Warm Country Meadows. Would also look quite adorable in a window...

Moss Monday: Moss-ify your typeface

Getting tired of the run of the mill jar and bottle terrariums? Check out this "THREE: Terrarium Typeface" by Olena Shmahalo and posted at www.typographyserved.com. The photo is small but if you look very closely you can see that each section is a letter of the alphabet filled with sand and terrarium goodness and what appears to be green reindeer moss. I'm not positive the little units are actualy living terrariums but they are darn cute and I want one that spells out my name.

"THREE: Terrarium Typeface" at www.typographyserved.com