Do African Violets Make Good Terrarium Plants?

Terrariums give you the chance to create your own lush plant-scape with ferns, trailing green plants and flowers. African violets come in a range of small sizes, suiting them to tiny terrariums, and they grow quite well in these glass containers. Once planted, your violet terrarium needs little care to reward you with bright flowers.

These houseplants love full sun, and they demand a high level of water. Since their soil needs to be constantly moist for the plant to grow well, terrariums offer a low-maintenance way to keep the soil moist so your African violet can thrive. Most houseplants, including this one, respond well to the humidity inside a terrarium. African violets let you introduce some color into green terrariums, and the terrarium provides a less challenging way to grow these plants.

African violets come in hues of white, pink, purple, burgundy and even bi-colored. These houseplants last year-round if well cared for, and they come in four sizes. Miniature ones grow less than 6 inches across, semi-miniature can reach 8 inches across, standard grow 8 to 16 inches in diameter and large plants grow more than 16 inches across. Whatever size terrarium you want to plant, you can choose an African violet that fits inside it in your preferred color.

When you plant your terrarium, you need to give the water an escape route so your violet isn't living in standing water. You can layer sand, gravel or moss on the bottom of the container before planting; these materials allow the water to seep down, away from the plant roots. When choosing a terrarium container, go with any shape or size you want, but keep the glass clear: Colored glass won't let in enough light for your plants to grow.

Once you've established your African violet inside the terrarium, use a spray bottle to mist the plant leaves and the moss or sand at the bottom. Then place the lid on your terrarium and move it to a location where it gets moderate to bright light. Let your terrarium remain in the window. If the glass begins to fog over or gets a large number of water droplets, you have excess water building up. In this case, remove the terrarium lid for a couple of hours and let some water evaporate, then replace the lid. Mist the soil with your spray bottle when it becomes dry to increase the moisture level in the terrarium.