Those are beautiful Lin!!

KAMasud said:I think Bev would love to play with this concept after her living artwork in frames, this should catch her fancy. Same, playing with pins and needles all day long sort of game. You need patience which I sorely lack.
Regards,
Arif.

Arif, it did catch my fancy (or at least my eyes)! Thanks for the links. I dont have anything green in the house that I care about and so this is intriguing...
And don't tell me about you lack of patience when you are playing with chicken wire...and cantileaving (sp?)...

Lin, your desk is the exact same of mine that I just sold to a real estate stager. And I see that if I had kept it, I could have made it into a Terrarium Station where one would be able to display all but have tucked away into all the small drawers, various tools and supplies (not much) to help tend to all the bottled up plants. Loved your terrarium collection and especially the photo with the inviting pool with the slippers...

webesemps said:Lin, your desk is the exact same of mine that I just sold to a real estate stager. And I see that if I had kept it, I could have made it into a Terrarium Station where one would be able to display all but have tucked away into all the small drawers, various tools and supplies (not much) to help tend to all the bottled up plants. Loved your terrarium collection and especially the photo with the inviting pool with the slippers...

Bev, Your too funny lol

That photo showing the desk is from a couple of years ago and I think the desk today is even messier ... the jar terrariums are no longer located on the desk but are now scattered about the living room and kitchen. That's my husbands roll-top desk and it's such a mess that you can't even close the top to hide the clutter. I don't try to clean it anymore ... that's his job!

This thread has gotten off topic so I'll post another photo of my "Flippin Flapjack" plant (Kalanchoe tetraphylla) to show the difference in color since it's been located in more direct sun. I can't decide which coloration I like best ... I really like the looks of the red just along the leaf margins but I also like the total red look ... maybe should purchase another and have both looks!

January 28th and ..................................................... March 13th

Well, I really love those terrariums Lin, beautiful! How do you get the walls clean in the water jug after you get it planted? Actually, I should first ask how in heck you got it planted? I don't think I have chopsticks long enough for that. I have an old wavy glass water jug that I would love to do something like that in but I can't figure out how to get the plants and the soil and ??? do you use charcoal?

Why don't they have a terrarium forum? Oops, did a search on ATP and there are threads here and there in different forums...so gotta go clicking ...and researching...with patience...Arif.

Those are really lovely terrariums Lin That has been in one of these days got to try and do list..

My flapjacks are all reddish too. At least better doing than in the previous rainy winter of the past couple of years. These ones really like it dry. Cool weather okay in winter but not with rain..hates it too much. But I gave it a little drink today, temps rising, do not want to dry out the leaves.



But you are right, they do look so nice as well when in part shade during the warm days of summer to early fall..so green.
Photo last Sept 2011

Jonna: LOL, I cheated with my big water jugs ... I went to a glass cutting business and had holes cut in the back near the top so that I could reach inside with tools to do the planting! When I first got interested in terrarium planting (mid 1970's) I purchased horticultural charcoal to use but I haven't seen it marketed in a long, long time. Now I use a bottom layer of orchid bark mix that contains charcoal and then the compost/potting soil on top. Also, when I first began planting terrariums I used pea gravel (tiny pebbles) in the bottom of the jars, placing a thin layer of pea gravel, the charcoal and then the layer of soil. There was a time too when I placed screening on top the pebbles (to help keep the soil from washing into the pebbles) and then one time I tried spreading out panty hose atop the gravel for the same purpose. I read somewhere about doing that but it didn't last ... Ive gotten real lazy in my old age and now I just use the orchid bark mix as the bottom layer and then the soil on top, and stick the plants in.

tarev: Wow, those are gorgeous! I do love the red in the leaves but that solid green one is so pretty! I really think I need two, one for shade and the other for sun!

plantladylin said:Jonna: LOL, I cheated with my big water jugs ... I went to a glass cutting business and had holes cut in the back near the top so that I could reach inside with tools to do the planting!

Lin, I can't believe you did that; but when there's a will, there's a way. I want to practice with my chopsticks and maybe look for shallower container if I do this...but just got to keep reading the other terrarium threads first...

I have this photo I took New Year 2012 when we visited Getty Center in Los Angeles..some of you may have seen this in previous threads here..the flapjacks they have are so cute..very very red amidst the other succulents.

Looks like they are trying to take over in the Barrel section...

Bev: I'm not sure a forum specifically for terrariums would be very active ... I think we had a thread about terrariums awhile back on the houseplant forum.

tarev: Wow, great photo ... love those golden barrels and the colorful flapjacks!

Yes, Lin I found those and a few others in other forums so I will be chkg those out. And clicking on some of the provided links provided some nice articles and pictures like this one:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06...

Oh man, some of those Wardian cases are just fabulous, *sigh*!

Lin, very impressive! Love your collection!

Chemicals supply shop ask for activated charcoal. They cannot afford to not stock activated charcoal.
One site is giving 1800's as first terrarium made, wrong. First terrarium I ever saw were amongst the effects of HMS Endeavour http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H... which makes it around 1700's late. They had to transport plants from the Pacific area to Royal Botanic Garden, Kew .
Bev, I had active terrariums years back which were doing very well. Then I shifted house twice and shifting a terrarium was not easy so had to dismantle them. Amongst what ever else I have done I was also in the aquarium/fish trade so making aquariums from glass of any shape or size, no problem. At that time I was living in a flat(25yrs) so other then balconies this was the only option that I had. Now I am in an independent house with a postage stamp size garden with a lot of vertical and hanging scope(chicken wire and GI wire). Anyway my mind got diverted from terrariums which I had dismantled during shifting, still got them lying around due to which my old lady gives me dirty looks but my passion is plants and she bears my idiosyncrasies. Lesser of evils I suppose .
Beautiful creations Lin and there should be a dedicated thread to this subject as there must be a lot of flat/apartment dwellers here. Lets give them an option. Succulents terrarium would require forced air ventilation to keep the humidity down but can be done.

Yellow one in bloom.
Regards,
Arif.