Live in a Luxe Terrarium in London

Wardian London, photo from wallpaper.com

Wardian London is a hot new property going up a luxurious residential building modeled after the Wardian case we all know and love. Developers EcoWorld Ballymore, Glenn Howells Architects, and Camlins landscaping collaborate to develop a living space full of exotic greenery, including a lush pool area and pocket gardens on balconies.

'We have identified that people are placing more importance on green space to provide an escape from city life,' says Camlins landscape specialist Huw Morgan. 'With Wardian London, we have woven in elements of greenery into the entire development from the sky gardens to the outdoor swimming pool, and the landscaped spaces within the public areas. Based on the expert knowledge  of our rare plant hunters, we have been able to source more than a hundred different exotic species of plants and flowers from across the world which we will use throughout the development, creating a tranquil oasis that brings the outside in.'

Read more at wallpaper.com.

Lead Head Glass: Recycled Window Glass Terrariums Catch the Eye of Martha Stewart

Lead Head Glass, a Detroit-based terrarium builder, has caught the eye of Martha Stewart as a top American Made craft outfit.  Chad Ackley and Derek Smiertka re-purpose window glass from deconstructed homes into terrariums.  According to the Lead Head Glass FAQ page, window glass (the kind coming out of homes or businesses) has a different composition than bottle glass, which prevents the two types of glass from being recycled together.  Recycling bottles is easy, recycling window glass: not so much.

Honeycomb House Terrarium
by Lead Head Glass

Lead Head Glass designs a mean terrarium, enough to outshine the eco-friendly sourcing of materials.  In addition to the stacked box design typical to many paned terrariums,  Lead Head Glass terrariums include barrel shaped roofs (Honeycomb House, pictured) and spire-topped gazebos. These stylish pieces were enough to catch the attention of the Martha Stewart Company, as Lead Head Glass is a finalist in this year's Martha Stewart American Made contest, an annual quest to find the best local artisans and entrepreneurs making handmade goods across the country.  Winners will be announced on October 17th so snap up a Lead Head Glass terrarium before they blow up!

How to Start Hydrangea Cuttings in a Terrarium

Philipp Franz von Siebold and Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini
(Flora Japonica, Sectio Prima (Tafelband).) [Public domain]

Hydrangea cuttings will propagate in damp vermiculite, coarse sand or other sterile medium.  A terrarium-like environment will give your cuttings the best chance to sprout roots.  But you don't want to stick your hydrangea cuttings down a narrow-necked bottle terrarium and hope to fish them out again.  

Much like quarantining plants for use in a terrarium, you'll want to be able to easily retrieve the plant at a later date.  Consider purchasing a wardian case with a hinged door, or you can build a terrarium environment by tenting your potted cutting with a plastic bag.  Check out hydrangeashydrangeas.com for some great tips and photos.

Lace Wardian Case from H Potter

I love the delicate lace-like metal detail in the "barrel" top of this desktop wardian case from H Potter, available on Amazon.   Wardian cases with doors for access make a great container for a potted orchid, or for quarantining new plants before you plant them in a terrarium!

10 Terrariums to Check Out Today

HomArt Pierre Faceted Glass Terrarium from Amazon.com

inthralld.com shares ten terrariums to get your creative juices flowing!  Who's up for a geometric terrarium?

Glass Gazebo Terrarium

Why not add a miniature greenhouse to your mini garden?  This glass "gazebo" terrarium from Anthropologie looks just like a greenhouse fit for a doll.

Cascade of Moss

Photo from slugandsquirrel.blogspot.com

Wardian Case for Cheap

This 8"x 13" x 7" Wardian case type terrarium vessel can be yours for less than $40 through Target.  Just don't try to search for it using the words "wardian case."  Target is calling this baby a "Glass Cloche Terrarium."  I was under the impression that cloche meant bell.  Anyhoo - it is a steal and a great option for your terrarium-mad friend who might need a good container like this for putting plants in quarantine before putting them in terrariums.

Leaded Glass Globe Bell Jar

I spotted this one-of-a-kind leaded glass bell-jar type terrarium in the Kansas Craigslist.  Here's the link if it's still an active post and you are lucky enough to be local and snap this treasure up.

For those with any stained glass experience, would this be a difficult piece to replicate?

Wardian Case Kit

Alright, day three of discussing Wardian Cases!  If you've been following along and now you think "I sure know someone that would love one of those as a kit" you are in luck.  White Flower Farm is accepting orders for the above "Victorian Conservatory" terrarium kit.  For $115 you receive the case, potting soil, sand, charcoal, pebbles and the plants listed below.

All these plants are terrarium all-stars and should make for an easy starter set for any "black thumb."

• Ruby Red Club Moss (Selaginella erythropus 'Sanguinea')
• Button Fern (Pellaea rotundifolia)
• Peacock Moss (Selaginella uncinata)
• Pin Cushion Spikemoss (Selaginella kraussiana 'Brownii')
• Bird's Nest Fern (Asplenium antiquum 'Victoria')

H Potter Wardian Cases

Inspired to build your own wardian case ala yesterday's post?  H Potter has a variety of leaded terrarium vessels befitting the best plant explorers of the nineteenth century.  I'm partial to that six-sided one myself.

And remember, a wardian case makes a great container to observe your new terrarium plants before planting them in a narrow-necked bottle or other hard to access vessel.  Read more about observing plants and moss in a quarantine setting here.

Operation Diagnose: Ferns in Terrariums

Unhappy Fern by Nesting Ranch

Operation Diagnose:  This week I'll explore a variety of ailments that commonly afflict terrariums.  A reader contacted me a with a bevy of floundering terraria (with accompanying photos).  This affords a great opportunity for me to attempt to diagnose the problems and make suggestions - but I also encourage you to chime in and share suggestions or anecdotes in the comments!

Here is a brief summary of the questions from Nesting Ranch:

Question:  We could really use your advice as we're having just a dickens of a time with our terrariums. Some are open, others closed, some with ferns, some are just moss, some "wild" from the yard and some revived... none are doing quite well. Ferns are loosing leaves or turning black. Mosses are browning or yellowing. Just can't seem to pin-point why. 

Answer: Today I'd like to discuss the success and demise of ferns in terrariums.  

TL:DR Answer: Ferns are tricky business.  Unfortunately, it is trial and error for using a specific fern variety in a certain terrarium vessel. 

For those of you that have some more time: read on...

Nesting Ranch, your unhappy fern photos are a sad casualty of terrarium-keeping.  Many people assume ferns love shade and lots of water but they actually span a wide variety of climates and conditions.  Some ferns just can't handle terrarium conditions.  Some ferns are better suited for certain sized or shaped terrarium vessels.  Almost all of my "settled" terrariums containing ferns were replanted several times.  I would try one type of fern, it would die, and I would start again from scratch.

I would encourage you to experiment with different varieties of ferns.  I've had great luck with the hardy and common sword fern but it gets tall and needs a tall, narrow terrarium.  

If you obtain a special or hard-to-obtain (aka purchased) fern you may want to divide it into smaller, self-sufficient plants to see if it takes to terrarium life and maximize the opportunities to try it out in different vessels.  You can also keep the divided ferns in a wardian case or other holding zone to observe whether the plant thrives or shrivels in a terrarium environment.

How to Make an Orchid Terrarium

Photo by Lauren Linn
Miniature Orchid Display at the 2009 Santa Barbara Orchid Show

I get quite a few questions and comments about creating and maintaining orchids within a terrarium.  I must admit my personal efforts in this arena have been dismal, but I have a collected a couple resources that may share more expert knowledge than I can provide:

OrchidBoard Discussion Forum

What: If you have a finicky orchid in your care you can search the vast and details postings of the OrchidBoard Discussion forum for a post to address your woes.

Who: OrchidBoard is home to some of the most detailed discussions on the care of specific orchid varieties.  However, membership to the forum is easy to obtain so you don't exactly know who is giving you advice.  

How: Note that I mentioned "search the forum."  As an unregistered guest you can search the discussion forums, but they are not 100% user friendly.  Expect to be asked to enter a captcha phrase to reveal your search results.

Bonus: OrchidBoard issues a gorgeous fundraiser wall calendar every year.

Cloud's Orchids Terrarium Tips

What: Cloud's Orchids is primarily an orchid retail site.  However, buried in their website is a comprehensive how-to guide on orchid terrariums which provides an excellent overview on the factors you'll need to consider when keeping an orchid terrarium.

Who: I presume the anonymous author of the article is Claudio, owner of Cloud's Orchids Nursery and a former American Orchid Society competition judge. 

How: Here's a pro tip that makes sense: 

"I would avoid using soil, sand or gravel as a substrate for your tank. It is difficult to do any maintenance once these materials are in place, and they can easily sour the environment. I would sooner use a layer of egg-shell crate to serve as the base to build on. This will provide air below the pots, and keep the plants above any water that accumulates on the bottom. Then if you ever need to do some house-cleaning, it is easily removed and the tank can be scrubbed before setting it up again."

Bonus: Claudio also provides a list of orchid genus recommended for terrarium environments.

"Miniature candidates are masdevallia, pleurothallis, promenaea, dracula, ornithocephalus, aerangis, angraecum, bulbophyllum, barbosella, leptotes, sophronitis, dendrobium, psygmorchis, etcetera, along with anything identified as a "twig epiphyte" in books.
You will also find compact candidates from the genera mentioned above, along with paph species, cochleanthes, phal species, jewel orchids, etcetera. Unless the mature size is clear in a description, it is always best to ask your plant source whether or not the plant is suitable for a small/medium/large terrarium."

Sound off: Have you ever kept an orchid terrarium?

Q and A: Quarantine for Large Plants

Chemical Safety Signs - MySafetySign.com

Reader CJ left a couple questions in the comments of my post about keeping new plants in quarantine before adding them to a terrarium.  I'm sharing a version of my reply in this post to clarify the circumstances for which I recommend the quarantine process for terrarium plants.

Q: I recently decided to attempt a trio of open terrariums in my home. I bought a variety of different plants including irish moss, davalia trichomanoides (fern), hypoestes phyllostachya, and what I suspect to be a peperomia scanden (unlabeled), along with 2 other unlabeled plants from a local nursery. I am also buying a small orchid. I want to take the proper steps before beginning the process of planting them all. How do you quarantine medium sized plants? They range in height from about 3" to 10". Should they be separate from one another? 

A: If your open terrarium vessels are large enough to reach your hand into - I wouldn't worry about keeping them in quarantine prior to planting them.  If mold develops you can reach in and cut it out or scoop it out as it develops and a larger vessel isn't as likely to get quickly overrun by bugs or mold.  To recap my suggestion from the original post:

It is relatively easy to remove problem items from a large-opening terrarium such as a vase, fishbowl or dish.  But if you aim to plant a terrarium in an enclosed terrarium or a narrow-opening vessel like a wine bottle, test tube etc. it may save you time an energy in the long run if you can be patient enough to "quarantine" your plants and moss to see if any problems surface before you add them to your terrarium.

If you'd still like to quarantine your larger plants prior to planting them, you may be looking at a need for additional equipment.  Some terrarium enthusiasts invest in large aquariums or wardian cases in which they can enclose their plants prior to terrarium-planting.  You can keep several new plants in the quarantine vessel for a period of time.  Make sure to inspect each plant regularly for insects or mold and remove promptly if discovered so they don't contaminate each other.

Smaller plants can be sealed into a gallon ziplock bag, kept upright with a chopstick or popsicle stick as a stake.  Make sure to leave the bag slightly "unzipped" to allow for airflow.  Don't leave your plants in bags for longer than three days or so.

How to Waterproof a Light Fixture for a Terrarium

Upcycled light fixture terrarium at That's Quirky

We've all turned green at the price tags attached to those high-end geodesic terrarium vessels.  Take a cue from the folks at That's Quirky and use silicone sealer to waterproof the joints on an old light fixture.  What a great tip!

UO Geodesic Terrarium

Hexagon terrarium, Urban Outfitters, $44

For those of you with a hankering for a geodesic terrarium, Urban Outfitters has a few decently priced models.  Thanks to Alyssa for the tip!

Moss Monday: San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers

A Wardian Case with pitcher plants and moss from the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers

Lowland Tropics, San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers

Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, the flowerbeds hadn't been planted yet.

I had an exceptional 24 hours in San Francisco last week with my sister, Alyssa.  The weather was deliciously warm and sunny, unusual in the city so perhaps I brought it with me from Austin.  We walked from her neighborhood over to Candlestick Park on the auspicious hallows of a local holiday.  Amid wafting, incense-like smoke we toured the the Conservatory of Flowers.  If you may recall, we were foiled from participating in a tour last time I visited her, forced only to walk the perimeter of the Victorian greenhouse, constructed from a Sears Roebuck prefabricated kit if I recall correctly.

So without much ado I'll share my best photos from the tour.  I have some gems so I'm going to space them out based on each room of the Conservatory.  Virtual tour y'all!  I'll be here all week!

Lowland Tropics Gallery, conservatoryofflowers.org

Let's start in the Lowland Tropics room, the largest gallery in the conservatory.  The enclosure boasts an immense vaulted ceiling to safely house a collection of large cycads and fruiting trees.

Wide format of the gallery, from conservatoryofflowers.org

I missed taking some room-wide shots of this gallery so I'll add this photo from the website so you can get an idea of the scale. 

One of the most valuable plants in the collection is the 100-year old GIANT Imperial Philodendron, pictured below.  The plant grows up a steel support system and is braced with large vortex supports.  Immense leaves create a canopy over the center of the gallery and shade the plants below.

Imperial Philodendron

Note the sprawling support structure needed to brace the plant.  In nature a plant of this stature would depend on the branches of nearby trees.

Next we'll visit the Highland Tropics Gallery.  

DanMade Terrariums

DanMade terrarium from HGTV Design Happens

Ok.  I am so mesmerized by that animated gif that I can barely type my commentary below it.  HGTV Design Happens, Abbi Collum reports:

Dan Faires, the Design Star season five fan favorite and host of DanMade, presented at the 19th annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival presented by HGTV at Walt Disney World over Easter weekend. Dan demonstrated how to plant with a terrarium and how to go vertical with a clever container garden. Check out Dan’s tips for terrariums and vertical gardens.

Ron Gladkowski's Terrarium Museum

Kaleidoscope Terrarium by Ron Gladkowski

Recently my sister Alyssa directed me to the Terrarium Museum, exhibiting leaded glass terraria handcrafted by New Yorker Ron Gladkowski.   Check out the Museum to see a variety of Wardian case-type classic terrarium rigs.  Ron also has some more snazzy "modern" designs akin to the above Kaleidoscope terrarium.  Ron describes his creations as thus:

For over 30 years, my approach to creativity is to let my imagination run free, and follow it. I see shapes in my head, and I make them in glass. The softness of the plants and flowers contrast with the angles and lines in the design, and bring balance and harmony between man's and nature's creations. Terrariums give shelter to the plants, and the plants give life to the terrariums. You can find my work at Art and Craft Fairs, throughout the Eastern United States, and a complete portfolio of past and present work atThe Terrarium Museum 

I have offered my work here on the Web since 1996, and have received a very encouraging response. I have shipped both custom designed, and production terrariums to Satisfied Customers in about every corner of this country. Customers from Florida, to Washington State, and Maine to California, as well as over 40 more states in between, have safely received their terrariums. The Internet is a wonderful showcase for my ever changing portfolio. 

Tall Wardian Case in the Victorian style,
by Ron Gladkowski