DIY Terrarium – Create a Beautiful Living Indoor Garden

This DIY terrarium is a great easy indoor project. Perfect for plant lovers and beginner gardeners as they will last for a long time.

Indoor gardening can be just as fun as digging in the dirt. So when the weather outside is too hot or too cold creating a closed terrarium may just be what the doctor ordered. 

Here’s the best part. They are really easy to make and they last a long time with little or hardly any effort.

Did you ever hear of a Wardian Case? They are precursors to terrariums named after the inventor, Dr. Nathaniel Ward a 19-century physician and plant lover. Today they are more like mini-greenhouses and make a beautiful addition to your home decor.

This post contains some affiliate links (that means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, there’s no additional cost to you, but I will earn a very small commission. ) Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

What goes in a terrarium?

• Large glass jar with a lid 
• Gravel or pebbles (enough to line the bottom of the jar)
• Potting soil (make sure that it is a nice soilless mix)
• 2-3 small plants (I got mine at Lowes, button fern, begonia, baby tears)

Steps for the DIY Terrarium

1. Give your jar a good washing and dry it well.
2. Add a layer of pebbles to the bottom.

3. Next, add your potting soil. Just enough to plant in.

4. Then carefully add your plants. You may need to trim some of the roots to make them fit properly.

Also, you may only want to put a portion of the plant in, which makes this the perfect project to do with a friend or even your kids, making each plant a two for one, or even three for one deal.

Here’s a tip: use the eraser end of a pencil to help move things around and tamp in the soil.

5. Finally, give your new garden a small drink of water and close the lid. 

The moisture will condense and re-water itself, meaning you will hardly ever have to water again.

What types of plants grow best in a closed terrarium?

Most plants that love humidity grow well in this type of terrarium.

• ferns
• baby tears
• polka dot plant
• aluminum plant
• begonias

Succulents are not a good idea for a closed terrarium as they do not need the extra moisture and will start to eventually rot. You can try growing succulents in an open-air terrarium. Just make sure you use a succulent potting mix, add plenty of gravel for drainage and be very careful with watering.

Finally, you could add some interesting miniature figurines, rocks or driftwood depending on your container size.

Go to town, make it yours and watch it thrive.

---

P.S. You may also like my post with 7 different terrariums that my garden blogging friends made. Some of them are closed like this but some are open terrariums for plants that need dry conditions to thrive. And, for those of you who like fairy gardens and moss try this fairy garden terrarium project.