Terrariums - Gardens Under Glass: Designing, Creating, and Planting Modern Indoor Gardens

179 Pages·2015·36.178 MB·English

by  Maria Colletti

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First published in 2015 by Cool Springs Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.,
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA
© 2015 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
Text © 2015 Maria Colletti
Photography © 2015 Maria Colletti unless otherwise noted below
All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review,
no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge.
All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or Publisher,
who also disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details.
We recognize, further, that some words, model names, and designations mentioned herein are the
property of the trademark holder. We use them for identification purposes only.
This is not an official publication.
Cool Springs Press titles are also available at discounts in bulk quantity for industrial or sales-promotional use.
For details write to Special Sales Manager at Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc., 400 First Avenue North,
Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA.
To find out more about our books, visit us online at www.coolspringspress.com.
Digital edition: 978-1-62788-711-3
Softcover edition: 978-1-59186-633-6
              Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Colletti, Maria, 1959- author.
  Terrariums : gardens under glass : designing, creating, and planting modern indoor gardens / Maria Colletti.
       pages cm
  Includes index.
  ISBN 978-1-59186-633-6 (sc)
 1.  Glass gardens. 2.  Terrariums. 3.  Indoor gardening.  I. Title. II. Title: Gardens under glass.
  SB417.C65 2015
  635.9’824--dc23
  2015012059
Acquisitions Editor: Billie Brownell
Project Manager: Caitlin Fultz
Art Director: Cindy Samargia Laun
Book Design and Layout: Amelia LeBarron
Photo Credits
Lori Adams: front cover, 1, 4, 6, 8, 14, 30, 32–34, 36–39, 42, 44, 46 (top), 48, 50, 52, 56–59, 60 (top), 64–66, 68,
74–103, 104 (top right, bottom right), 105–108, 111 (top), 112, 119 (bottom right), 120 (above, top, middle, right),
124 (right), 126 (top right), 129 (top), 132–135, 137, 140, 143 (left), 144, 147–148, 150, 156, 157 (bottom), 158, 160
Daniel L. Hyman: 10, 176
All other photos by Maria Colletti.
Printed in China
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Terrariums
Gardens under glass
Designing, Creating, and Planting
Modern Indoor Gardens
Maria Colletti
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
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CONTENTS 7 · INSPIRATION COMES IN MANY FORMS
| 15 |
CHAPTER 1
TERRARIUM
DESIGN
How to Translate Nature into Terrarium Designs
Tropical Terrariums
Variations on a Fish Bowl
Woodland Flavor
Desert Landscapes
Seasonal Terrariums
| 31 |
CHAPTER 2
THE
BASICS
Tools
Ingredients
Design Elements
| 51 |
CHAPTER 3
THE GLASS
VESSELS
Fish Bowls, Footed Glass Vessels, and Cylinders
Lidded Cookie Jars and Apothecary Jars
Vintage Wardian Cases
Hanging Ceramic Planters, Glass Globes, and Teardrops
Cloche Displays and Lanterns
Cake Stands, Compote Dishes, and Footed Fruit Bowls

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| 69 | | 133 |
CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 6
GETTING MODERN
STARTED INDOOR
GARDENING
Step One: Create Drainage
Step Two: Create the Space Between
All Things Moss
Drainage and Potting Mix
Japanese-Inspired Designs
Step Three: Planting
Keshiki
Step Four: Add the Topdressing
Kokedama
Key Design Details
Marimo Moss Balls
Step-By-Step Terrarium Building
Floating Gardens
Classic Fish Bowl
Traditional Lidded Jar
Vintage Wardian Case | 151 |
Tillandsia Air Plant Lantern CHAPTER 7
Hanging Ceramic Planter MAINTENANCE
Hanging Glass Teardrop
Start with Basic Plant Identification
Classic Hanging Glass Globe
Troubleshooting
Soilless Pebble Display
Watering Methods
Explorer’s Still Life Cloche
Sweating and Condensation
Beach Life Terrarium
Pruning and Rebuilding
| 109 |
CHAPTER 5 162 · ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THE
PLANTS 164 · DEDICATION
Air Plants (Tillandsia) 165 · RESOURCE GUIDE
Staghorn Fern
Cryptanthus 170 · GLOSSARY
Ferns
172 · INDEX
Selaginella
Succulents
176 · MEET MARIA COLLETTI
Living Stones (Lithops)
Unique Foliage Plants
Tropical Plants
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INSPIRATION
COMES IN MANY FORMS
7
Just what is a terrarium? Terrariums create an enclosed ecosystem that
mimics the natural world. Moisture evaporates from the soil level and
the leaves of plants, then condenses on the roof and walls of a glass
vessel or container. The condensed vapor then drops down, replicating
the natural rain cycles that provide moisture for our ecosystem and
keep our planet alive.
In 1829, Dr. Nathaniel B. Ward (1791–1868), a London physician
with a passion for botany and nature, realized the scientific principle
behind what is now our modern-day terrarium. In a closed bottle, Dr.
Ward studied a sphinx moth in its chrysalis and found a fern seedling
growing. After four months’ time, without so much as a drop of water
from him, the seedling developed. Ward was amazed, and the concept
for the Wardian case was born. Ward could not have known how he
would influence the future of terrarium craft over a century later, but we
appreciate his discovery today.
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Charles Darwin sailed on the ship HMS
Beagle around the world from 1832 to 1836,
including a trip to the Galapagos Islands off
South America. In 1839, he published findings
that led to his “survival of the fittest” theory.
This theory can be boiled down to this: living
things pass along the traits (or genes) that best
assist in the optimal survival of their species.
Darwin and others brought back
botanicals that were kept alive because the
explorers transported their finds from the
jungles of far-away continents and back to
civilization in large glass jars. They had to
keep these plant specimens alive to study,
draw, and catalog. They chose Dr. Ward’s
method of enclosed glass jars, which was
actually perfect for exotic plant material that
naturally lives in hot, humid environments.
On my windowsill at home, I have started
my own experiments. I have contained a Venus
This modern-day Wardian case design is gloriously filled with
flytrap or a little creeping fig in a lidded jar. I
palms, which are traditional conservatory plants.
wake up every morning and peer into its small
world to check on its survival. I may open the
lid and wipe out the excess moisture, and then close the lid. This amuses me,
and I think of myself as a naturalist who has brought home her exotic treasures
to grow and study under glass.
I have experimented with carnivorous plants, ferns, and tropical foliage
plants, and have also incorporated stones and moss. Now I have successful
outcomes, small worlds of all kinds, to share with you. Successful lidded
terrariums do not need watering or much maintenance, so you can enjoy them
even more.
Do you think Dr. Ward would be proud of how we have developed such
loveliness from his scientific beginnings?
8
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