Paula Hayes at Meijer Gardens

If you live in the Grand Rapids area, you can catch a lecture from Paula Hayes, renowned artists and sculptor known for her work with terrariums at Meijer Gardens tonight.  If you aren't in the area, thanks to Meijer Gardens for bringing this awesome video to my attention.  Paula Hayes shares the story behind her 2010 terrarium installation work at MOMA NY.

Terrariums in Montreal

Peter McCabe , The Gazette

The Ottowa Citizen shares this lovely photo of a peperomia terrarium,

Books on Kokedama

I make an effort to comb used book stores and libraries for unusual gardening books.  Apparently my local library doesn't carry this gem "Kokedama to koke: chiisana midori no saibai tekunikku ninki no mini bonsai mo tettei kaisetsu," which was mentioned in the article discussed yesterday.

Kokedama Classes on the Rise in Japan

Photo from the Yomiuri Shimbun

Terrariums are not the only method in which you can care for a small bunch of plants indoors.  Kokedama is a planting method akin to bonsai gardening, and, according to the Japan News, is mounting in popularity in Japan.  The joys of microgardening transcends methods and nations!

Build a Balloon Terrarium

Image by Comita,
from commons.wikimedia.org

A terrarium craft is a great way to introduce children to the idea of an ecosystem.  Terrariums illustrate the cyclic movement of water and air through a contained system.  If you're hesitant to hand your small child a glass bottle or jar for a terrarium craft, why not try a balloon?

New Design and New Comments Feature

Commenting is now re-enabled!

I recently lost the ability to accept comments on my Blogger posts - this may have been related to my implementation of the new Google+ comments(?) and/or related to my reticence to update to a new blog template.

I (believe I) have reinstated the comment feature, and in the process, (slightly) updated the look of the blog.  I welcome your feedback!  If you still don't see the comment button please let me know at thefernandmossery at gmail dot com.  

Peat Bogs and Sphagnum Moss

Peat Bog, Frontenac National Park (Québec, Canada),
photo by Boréal, from wikipedia commons

Most terrarium tutorials advise the use of sphagnum moss to line the soil layer of a terrarium.  But few gardeners know what sphagnum moss is or how it arrives to gardening stores in convenient bundles.

The harmful commercial harvest of sphagnum moss involves the destruction of an endangered environment (bog wetland) and the release of previously-stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  Harvesting sphagnum moss is tantamount to cutting lumber in an old growth forest as bogs take a long time to develop and mature.

The phytophactor blog explains this situation much more eloquently so I encourage you to click through and read more.

Open a New World with a Terrarium Garden

Triblive.com reports on the popularity of terrarium-making classes in the Pennsylvania area, citing the appeal of monitoring a miniature ecosystem right from your desk.  The author also cites a helpful list of plants best suited for terrarium life:

"Plants that work best are those that require low to moderate light, do well in high humidity and can be easily pruned. Ferns, tradescantia, pilea, alternanthera and cryptanthus work well. Begonias and African violets are nice options for added pops of color. Club moss makes a nice ground, and ivy and creeping fig can help round out the look."

Cow Skull Planter with Moss

This photo of an awesome planted arrangement in a cow skull from Seed to Stem is extremely timely for me.

As I reside in Texas, my sister (in San Francisco) sees me as her source for all sorts of western themed paraphernalia.  She recently requested that I locate and mail to her a cow skull, with horns if possible.  Suffice to say this was a goose chase as the cow skulls with horns are pretty expensive - and large!  It was going to cost a fortune to mail her one.  Long story short, we found a decent hornless skull at a roadside sale in a podunk town in Texas (which looked a lot like the one in the photo) and were able to mail it to her.  What will she do with this skull?  I do not know.  Maybe make a moss planter out of it.

How to Care for Your Orchid Terrarium

Image from blog.justaddiceorchids.com

The idea of using ice cubes to provide orchids with a slow-drip watering is new to me.  While investigating this practice I discovered an instructional blog with a wealth of terrarium-orchid-tips.

Check out blog.justaddiceorchids.com for a two-part tutorial on how to make an orchid terrarium.  The trick really seems to lie in keeping the orchid in a small pot so it may be properly watered and not exposed to anything that might make it grow mold.

Moss Monday: Bonsai of the Japanese Friendship Garden

The Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego recently lost a significant portion of their bonsai collection to a thief.  In spite of that loss, the garden recently hosted a bonsai show with several different style of bonsai.  Thanks to my Dad for taking these photos to share on the blog!  

Minigardener Blog Reports on International Miniature Gardens

Visit the minigardener blog to see Janit Calvo's collection of fun photo spreads of miniature gardens from around the world.  a.) The miniature gardens are out of this world and b.) there is some extremely creative photoshopping of wee folk into the photos that can't be missed!

Force Begonias in a Terrarium

Inhabitat shared a fun tutorial on forcing early begonia blooms through a terrarium kit.  A bell jar environment encourages a new begonia to grow quickly and bloom faster than in the fresh air.  Growing young plants under glass shares some benefits with putting plants under quarantine before planting them in a terrarium.

Edible Terrarium from the White House Chefs

As part of the "Let's Move" healthy eating campaign, White House chefs shared a clever "terrarium" to encourage your picky eaters to grab some fresh veggies.  Layer some hummus and pumpernickel "soil" in a glass dish and plant your veggies in the terrarium!

How to Make an Orchid Terrarium

How to Build an Orchid Terrarium -- powered by ehow

Check out this great video from Chuck Dorr, from the 'Dig' garden shop.  He makes some great points about the terrarium environment you'll need to support an orchid:

• Water very sparingly
• Build a "nest" of bark on the surface of your terrarium soil to keep your orchid out of the dirt

You'll have to watch the video for the rest of his advice!  And check out his other videos on e-how

Are Trees on Skyscrapers a Pipe Dream?

Environmental writer Tim De Chant says trees would never survive the environment on top of a skyscraper as too much wind can damage foliage's ability to maintain moisture levels.

Would you still like to see trees on skyscrapers if they had to look like scraggly, mountain-top trees?

Moss Monday: Make a Terrarium

Heidi Heiland demos a variety of terrariums on an NBC affiliate in Minneapolis.  We've got sun and heat in Texas already but I imagine that our neighbors in the northern states are still looking for gardening projects to do indoors.  Do you live in a climate that is still in the throes of winter?