How to Grow a Conservatory Garden

Container gardening has come a long way since the days of keeping a few starter plants in a wine jug or brandy snifter. Designer conservatories--architectural wonders of glass that are faceted like jewels--are making the art of keeping miniature plants more creative and rewarding than ever before. With a little planning, and some clever plant selections, these enclosed environments will sustain plants indefinitely.

Things You'll Need

• Glass container with lid
• Potting soil
• Pebbles or marbles
• Charcoal
• Sphagnum moss
• Fine spray mister
• White vinegar

Instructions

Prepare Your Container

1. Measure the mouth of your container to make sure that your hand will fit inside. Selecting containers with long necks and narrow openings has nostalgic appeal, but maintaining these types of gardens is almost impossible.

2. Clean your container with a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water.

3. Wipe down your container to remove any streaks.

4. Allow your container to dry in a warm place.

Prepare Your Soil Layers

1. Add a 1 to 2 inch layer of pebbles to the bottom of your conservatory for drainage. Plants in an enclosed system (like a conservatory) need good drainage. Without a drainage hole, it's important to give water a place to pool away from plant roots. If you are creating a landscape of peaks and valleys, use this base to start molding your landscape.

2. Add damp sphagnum moss to the top of the layer of pebbles to create a base for the soil that will allow water to pass through, but hold the soil in place.

3. Add a one to two pebble thick layer of charcoal to the top of the sphagnum moss. Don't overdo it.

4. Add moistened potting soil in an even layer to the top of the charcoal. This final layer should be thick enough to completely cover the roots of the plants you will be adding.

Select Plants for Your Conservatory Garden

1. Select plants for your conservatory that thrive in a humid environment.

2. Choose plants that are young or have small and delicate leaves. If you want to create the illusion of a garden in miniature, ferns and miniature African violets are a good choice. Keeping single specimen plants that will thrive in an enclosed environment can be effective too. Try a bird's nest fern, rabbit's foot fern, prayer plant, or velvet plant.

3. Select plants that have similar light requirements.

4. Inspect plants carefully to be sure that they are insect free.

Add Plants to Your Conservatoy Garden

1. Quarantine plants for ten days before adding them to your conservatory to make sure they are free of pests.

2. Trim any large or damaged leaves from plants and water them well. Make sure that the excess water has drained completely from the pot.

3. Plan your arrangement before you begin inserting any plants. If the conservatory garden will be seen from all sides, grouping larger, taller plants in the center is an effective strategy.

4. Place plants, pots and all, into the conservatory in a mockup of the arrangement you have in mind.

5. Remove plants from their pots and discarding any loose soil. Plant from the center of the conservatory out, or if the opening is on one side, start from the area furthest away from you and work towards you. Keep the area within an inch or two of the glass free of plants, and incorporate open areas that will offer a good view into the garden.

6. Bury plants in the soil of the conservatory level with the base of each plant. Firm them in place. Spray plants lightly with a mister.

7. Cover your conservatory. Select an area for your conservatory that receives enough light for the requirements of the plants that you have selected. Avoid direct sunlight. The glass of a conservatory can magnify sunlight, cooking plants. Place a waterproof base under your conservatory if you are putting it on a wooden floor or table.

Water and Pruning Considerations

1. Check your conservatory regularly to make sure that water is cycling through the system as it should. The enclosed environment of a conservatory is designed to be self-sustaining. The water should evaporate from the leaves of the plants, condense, bead, fall down the sides of the glass, be taken up through the roots of the plants, and start the cycle all over again.

2. Remove any dying leaves from your conservatory garden immediately. Maintain the illusion of a small wonderland by trimming off any maturing plant leaves. Healthy plants will use the energy in their roots to create more new small leaves for you to enjoy.

3. Sustain the delicate environment within the conservatory garden by keeping it as clean as possible. If any plant starts to show signs of consistent distress, remove it immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• For an unusual and interesting choice, plant your conservatory with a Venus fly trap. Use a soil mixture that is at least half sand, and be sure to feed your carnivorous plant fresh insects from time to time.

• Add soil to your conservatory carefully in order to avoid getting the sides dirty or ruining the valleys you've formed with previous layers. Using a tablespoon or small ladle can be helpful.

• If you don't see a cycle of moisture on the glass, followed by periods when the glass is dry, change the water ratio in the conservatory. If you always see condensation, remove the top and let some water evaporate. If you never see condensation, add water with a mister, a little at a time, until a cycle develops.

• A functioning, enclosed conservatory garden requires very little added water. The easiest way to destroy the balance of the environment is to add too much moisture.