Terrariums Reimagined Mini Worlds Made in Creative Containers

125 Pages·2013·54.33 MB·English

by  Kat Geiger

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Copyright text and photographs © 2013 Kat Geiger. Copyright concept and design © 2013 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All Rights
Reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to
photocopying, electronic bulletin boards, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Published by:
Ulysses Press
P.O. Box 3440
Berkeley, CA 94703
www.ulyssespress.com
ISBN: 978-1-61243-176-5
Library of Congress Catalog Number 2013938277
Printed in the United States by Bang Printing
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Acquisitions Editor: Kelly Reed
Managing Editor: Claire Chun
Editor: Jessica Benner
Proofreader: Barbara Schultz
Design and layout: what!design @ whatweb.com
Cover photographs: © Kat Geiger
Distributed by Publishers Group West
IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: Trademarks of businesses and food brands mentioned in this book are used for informational
purposes only. No sponsorship or endorsement by, or affiliation with, the trademark owners is claimed or suggested by the author or
publisher.
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Table of Contents
Introduction • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 4
CHAPTER ONE: Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 10
CHAPTER TWO: Tillandsia Terrariums • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 22
Basic Tillandsia Terrarium Planting Instructions • • • • • • • • • • • • 23
Projects: Living Ornament, Leche Verde, Green Tea,
Desktop Serenity • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 25
CHAPTER THREE: Desert Terrariums • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 33
Basic Desert Terrarium Planting Instructions • • • • • • • • • • • • • 34
Projects: Wall Wilderness, Desert Dreamland,
Desert Delight, The Cactus Cube • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 37
CHAPTER FOUR: Tropical Terrariums • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 50
Basic Tropical Terrarium Planting Instructions • • • • • • • • • • • • • 51
Projects: Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Rum,
Whiskey Wonderland, Vase Verde, Tequila Terrain,
Suspended Serenity, Mouth-Blown Terrarium, Cider Setting,
Wall Wonderland, Gnome Home • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 59
CHAPTER FIVE: Children’s Terrariums • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 80
Projects: Jar Jungle, Arid Arium, Soda Pop Paradise • • • • • • • • • • 81
CHAPTER SIX: Out-of-the-Ordinary Terrariums • • • • • • • • • • • 87
Projects: Light of My Life, Giant Mouth-Blown Terrarium,
The Edible Mushroom Case, Lush Landscape • • • • • • • • • • • • • 88
CHAPTER SEVEN: Maintaining Your Terrarium • • • • • • • • • • • 103
A Final Word • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 107
Resources • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 108
Acknowledgments • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 109
About the Author • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 110
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Introduction
I was trapped. From a long line of gardeners, farmers, and horticulturists, I needed to get my hands in the
dirt. But alas, I lived in a loft with zero outdoor space. Raised vegetable beds were not exactly an option,
nor were silk plants (the most abhorrent of all plant species). With two large windows, plenty of indirect
light, and far too much time on my hands, I began to search the Internet for answers. A brief search led me
to terrariums: enclosed or mostly enclosed environments containing plants, mosses, and other landscape
materials. So it began: my obsession with these tiny little worlds inside glass globes, bottles, and jars.
It took little time to realize that very few terrariums were created in unique containers. It seemed the majority
of terrariums were created in open-top jars and fishbowls. With the designer in me crying out for mercy from
this monotony, my quest to create terrariums in unique, space-saving containers began. With design and
sustainability at the top of my priority list, recycled, handblown, and locally crafted vessels became my little
black dresses: go-to containers for every terrarium. The one major element that makes a terrarium stand out
from the average Joe (or Jane) houseplant is the vessel in which it is housed, so that vessel must be unique.
The vessel creates the boundaries for the landscape and turns an ordinary plant into a piece of art. This
book explores several different types of vessels. From giant mouth-blown vessels to tequila bottles, there is a
terrarium vessel appropriate for every personality and budget.
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Thanks for this book are due in part to Dr. Nathaniel Ward, the inventor of the Wardian case, the original
terrarium vessel. Although many people believe that terrariums can be traced all the way back to the
Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Dr. Ward is responsible for the Victorian-era resurgence in the popularity of
growing plants inside glass. He discovered that the plants he was unable to sustain in his outdoor garden
thrived in the humid, protected environment of a glass container. This discovery was quite by accident while
Dr. Ward was studying the life cycle of a particular type of insect and his habitat began growing ferns. As a
result, creating tiny environments that maintained a steady temperature became a popular way to transport
plants to and from the British colonies in the Victorian era.
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Hundreds of years later, here we are still enjoying the same pastime as Queen Victoria. The more things
change, the more they stay the same. Although we are no longer transporting plants to England from the
colonies, there are many reasons people enjoy keeping a terrarium at home. So why, you ask, should you
keep a terrarium? Here are just a few reasons:
Space is limited. City-dwellers are often looking for creative space solutions. Whereas a houseplant
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takes up a large amount of space, a terrarium takes up very little space and can even be hung from
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the wall or ceiling.
Low maintenance. Once established, a terrarium requires very little care, sometimes only monthly
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watering or less.
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Plant protection. Keeping kitty out of the plants can be a tricky operation at best. When the plants are
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inside a glass container, however, they are not only protected from pets, but also from the heater and
dry air.
Easy like Sunday mornin’. Even the blackest of thumbs can successfully grow an entire landscape
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within a terrarium. They are virtually indestructible.
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Your friends will think you’re cool. It is true. Trust me. Terrariums have that “Whoa! How’d you do that?”
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appeal, much like a ship in a bottle.
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CHAPTER ONE
Ingredients
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