Whichever style you opt for, terrariums are a lovely way to refresh and brighten your home and add decoration with beautiful plants which can thrive indefinitely. Just bear in mind that the best terrarium plants are small and slow-growing. Below, we’ve searched high and low for the best terrarium kits – both open and closed – to create your own mini garden indoors. We happen to think they make fabulous gifts, too… The Closed Terrarium Plants – Choose appropriate plants from the various categories of tropical species and create your vibrant miniature landscape!

A closed terrarium is a complete mini-ecosystem in a bottle or jar (usually a glass storage jar). Closed terrariums can be entirely self-sufficient if set up correctly; some have not been opened for decades and are still thriving today.

Top 5 Terrarium Kits

I have watched many videos on youtube of people experimenting with different setups. The best channel, Serpadesign, recommends using a ‘false bottom’. Often called a riparian layer, the false bottom is the key to building your water cycle. The false bottom consists of a layer of stones separated by a mesh barrier that divides it from the substrate. For a natural light source, you’ll want your terrarium to be in a bright spot that’s out of direct sunlight. If you're intrigued by gardening but feel overwhelmed, making your own terrarium can be a fun and easy way to start growing plants. Or if you have experience gardening or collecting houseplants, a terrarium can be a new, more creative medium to test out. "Terrariums add another dimension to your indoor gardening," says Steinkopf, who loves making terrariums. "They have a mystery about them that is intriguing and they contain a 'little world' that fascinates people of every age," she says. When it comes to watering, you can use the old-fashioned method of adding water when the soil feels dry, but honestly, that’s a bit of a fuss in the confined space of a terrarium. Small house plants work best, but make sure you buy miniature versions e.g. Polka dot plants, Peperomia Miniature, Miniature English ivy

Please choose the option including plants and we will supply three suitable forest plants to suit your terrarium. Varieties include, Asparagus Fern, Peperomia and Fittonia plants.If they are not separated, soil can enter the base of the jar and sit in water, making it putrid and rotten – this would affect the whole ecosystem. Or cling film (Saran wrap) works in a pinch! You can snip the loose edges and get a clean finish if you’re careful. However, it does tend to get quite dusty. Personal Touches– Once the ecosystem is in place, it’s time to create your final scene and add any last highlights. Natural or otherwise (dinosaur figurines count as natural, right?) What closed terrarium plants you have available will differ in different countries, but you’ll generally want a mix of all of these types of plants to get a natural-looking scene. Here we have one of my tropical terrariums with a bunch of ferns, epiphytes, and different tropical mosses. Of course, being a closed terrarium means you need to be able to seal it (the clue is in the name).

After all, pretty much any tropical plant can thrive in a tropical terrarium. It’s finding small terrarium plants that’ll fit in the container, have the same light requirements (and look good together) – that’s the real challenge. Our closed terrarium kits contain all the tools, soil, gravel, stones and charcoal you need. Suitable plants are also available as an option.Because terrariums are usually small, there's no concern about needing a lot of space like a traditional garden. "They help those who may not have outside spaces of their own to enjoy and learn from their own mini-garden without stepping foot outdoors," says Elizabeth Waddington, a garden designer and sustainability consultant for Horticulture Magazine.

When it comes to getting lids for open containers, I find getting acrylic disks cut to size is the best option. There are plenty of companies online that can cut something to a precise dimension for a reasonable cost. An acrylic lid looks just like glass and it’s much cheaper and lighter.

After all, even containers with large openings like fish tanks/fish bowls can make stunning terrariums. The plants in a closed terrarium also produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis; this is why many closed terrariums can also support small insects and isopods. This process is reversed at nighttime, allowing plants to get CO2 for photosynthesis; the plants can also absorb carbon from the soil as old leaves and organic matter decay. What You Will Need to Build a Closed Terrarium Isopods like woodlice and worms can thrive in a closed terrarium. They will become part of the ecosystem producing waste that will get broken down to feed the plants. The plants will need at least 2 hours per day of sunlight, but you don’t need to add direct sunlight. My plants are thriving in a north-facing window. As the activated charcoal forms a complete layer, it also cleans the water as it passes through to the false bottom layer. I also added some to by false bottom layer to help clean any water that may sit on the base.