What is a terrarium?
The terrarium is a miniature eco-system of plants – in other words, a miniature indoor garden. The plant equivalent of an aquarium, the terrarium houses plants in an ornamental transparent container.
Although there are a wide variety of plants suitable for use in a terrarium, air plants make the perfect bedfellow as they can literally survive on fresh air and need little maintenance.
How to make your light bulb terrarium
What you’ll need
- 1 lightbulb
- 1 pair of long tweezers
- 2 tablespoons of sand
- A small handful of preserved moss
- A small handful of reindeer moss
- A tillisandia (air plant)
- Small rocks or coloured glass stones
What to do
If you really want to make your light bulb terrarium from scratch, you can simply use an old light bulb and clear it out b yourself. But when we say that this will probably involve shards of broken glass and you’ll need to wear protective glasses, you might prefer to take the easy option and buy an ornamental bulb that’s already been prepped.
1. Put two tablespoons of sand into the light bulb. You can buy this from a garden centre. If you’re taking it directly from the beach, be sure to dry it thoroughly first.
2. Place the preserved moss into the bulb and distribute over the sand with the tweezers.
3. Repeat with the reindeer moss.
4. Place your tillisandia inside the bulb.
5. Arrange the rocks or glass pebbles around the plant.
To keep your terrarium in tip-top condition, spritz once a week with a water spray.
TIP FOR KIDS: Terrariums are great little miniature gardens children can enjoy. Make them even more fun by adding a tiny tiny toy animal.
