How to Choose Plants for a Terrarium

A terrarium is a lovely little miniature landscape in a container that you can plant to grace your home or office. Terrariums are fun to plant and relatively easy to grow if you take a few important factors into consideration before you begin.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Choose plants in a variety of colors to give visual interest to the terrarium. Choose dark and light greens, and at least one splash of color such as Pink Polka Dot (Hypoestes panguinolenta) or Pink Starlite (Cryptanthus Bivattatus).

2. Look for plants that differ in size. Mosses and other ground covers are very low growing, and will be good contrast for medium height and taller plants.

3. Select plants with interesting shapes. Some leaves may be a standard leaf shape, some may be spear-shaped or heart-shaped, etcetera. Plants all of the same shape will create a lackluster terrarium.

4. Consider the size of the terrarium and how fast the plant is expected to grow. Unless you plan to replace the plants often, it is best to stay with slow-growing plants that won't outgrow the terrarium.

5. Be sure that the plants have similar water requirements, otherwise some plants will thrive and others will die. If the terrarium is more open it will be dryer, and cacti and succulents may be a good choice. If the terrarium is closed it will be a good environment for plants that require more moisture.

6. Think about where you will put your terrarium, what light will be available and choose plants accordingly. Plants that require a moderate amount of sunlight are usually the best choice.

Tips & Warnings

• When you shop for terrarium plants, arrange different plants side by side to get an idea of how they will look after they're planted.