Get Some Zen, Make a Terrarium!

I was shopping the other day at a department store and in the home garden section I came across some stunning glass tear drop terrariums filled with all kinds of succulents and cacti. I immediately reached for one to buy until I glanced at the price tag....£150!!!! That's just a tad over my houseplant budget.

Anyway, I went home terrarium free BUT with the great idea to make my own. Below you'll see a step by step tutorial on how you can too! I made four of them which are all dotted around my home now and we LOVE how peaceful and serene they make us feel. Especially waking up and seeing a little bit of nature right next to you. Ahhhhh.....or....Ommmmm.

Constructing the terrariums was quite easy though a little messy with all the dirt and sand so make sure you do it on a covered table for easy cleanup.

Ps....I got my husband in on the action and I must say we had a ton of fun doing it together. And he's super proud of the one he made for his bedside table. 

Supplies:

- a glass or clay terrarium container. Should have no holes in the bottom and plenty of room to work with around the opening. I found a good selection on Amazon.

- a bag of smooth pebbles, roughly the size of marbles though they don't have to be perfect spheres. Sift through and choose any cool ones to set aside for the last decorating step.

- potting soil for cacti and succulents.

- decorative sand and rubble

- mini succulents and cacti, about 3 per terrarium unless yours is big enough for more.

- rubber or plastic gloves

- paper towels

- spray bottle

- big bowl of water

- kitchen scissors 

- tongs or large tweezers

- a big and small spoon

STEP 1

Make sure your terrarium is clean then fill the bottom with a layer of smooth pebbles, about an inch thick. (Below is a photo of the pebbles I used. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of them in the bottom of the terrarium. Oopsie!)

STEP 2

Pour in a 1" layer of the soil on top of the pebbles. Pat it down gently and spray lightly with water. 

STEP 3

Choose which succulents or cacti you want to plant. Remove them from their original pots and soak the roots in a bowl of water to loosen the dirt off them. You can use scissors to cut away the really long ones to make re-planting easier. Then make a small divit in the soil in your terrarium and place the cactus or succulent inside, packing in some more soil with a spoon. ** use the paper towel and tongs to handle cacti or spiny succulents**

STEP 4 

Once all the plants are in place pour in the sand or rubble. I kind of poured mine into the middle then used the small spoon to distribute it evenly over the soil. I used my tweezers to pick away any sand or rubble that got into any of the plants. Also, be sure to lift any bottom leaves up gently and push some sand underneath to cover the soil more and make the beauty of the plant pop.

STEP 5

Finish decorating with the cool smooth pebbles you've picked out beforehand and scatter here and there. Now you're done! 

Terrariums are great anywhere in the home. We even put one in the bathroom! And there are extremely low maintenance. Just spray with water once or twice a week being careful not to over water. Also, give your terrarium some sun once in a while if it's in a room without windows. 

Hope this brings some joy and zen into your everyday life!