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Terrariums

P R O D U C T F O C U S

Terrariums, those tantalizingminiature conservatories,are making a comeback asart projects, in-home décorand gardeners’ delights.

They are basically independent ecosys-tem under glass, a garden in a bottle.They are an exercise in ecology, horti-culture and botany for all ages — notto mention an interesting new accentto decorate your yard with to addsome extra depth.

Terrarium HistoryAs early as 500 B.C., plants were

kept under bell-shaped glass jars forexhibit. The terrarium in its mod-ern form — the fern case — wasinvented by accident in 1827 by aLondon doctor named NathanielWard whose ferns were dying fromthe fumes of London’s factories.Ward also studied moths and cater-pillars. While experimenting with acocoon in a covered jar for observa-tion, he noticed several plants,including a fern, had grown in thebit of soil at the bottom of the jar.Ward concluded that plants couldflourish in London if they were pro-tected under glass from the city’spolluted air. He named his discov-ery fern cases.

Terrarium CreativityNow known as Wardian cases or

terrariums, the art of creatingminiature greenhouses has takenon many forms and purposes sinceits inception. The practice gainedunprecedented popularity in the1970s as amateur botanists grewindoor gardens inside giant wine

bottles and other grand and domi-nating glass containers. They fash-ioned their gardens into lamps andcoffee table bases.

“Though the popularity of ordi-nary terrariums made from bottlesand jugs, etc., faded with time, I havebeen making my living producingdecorative terrariums for home dec-orating for more than 30 years now,”said Ron Gladkowski, a self-taughtstained glass terrarium designer. “Isuspect that the concept has beenbrought to the surface recentlythanks to the aid of the Internet.”

“Decorating with stained glasshas been around for hundreds ofyears, as has decorating withplants,” Gladkowski said. “Wehumans like to have both artworkand living things in our surround-ings.” Other examples of such com-binations are ceramic planters,sculpture gardens and handcraftedplant stands. “Terrariums offeranother opportunity to exhibit art-work brought to life by the inclu-sion of plants,” he said.

Gladkowski said there are severaladvantages to using terrariums asitems of décor, including the practical-ity of the practice. “In today’s homes,air-conditioning and heating systemsoften dry out the air to the detrimentof house plants, making it difficult tokeep them and requiring more atten-tion and care. With a terrarium, theplants are contained in their ownhumidity-controlled environment inwhich they thrive and require very lit-tle care,” he said. “Terrariums thriveon neglect and require only occasion-al watering and a bright area.” �

G A R D E N A C C E N T S & D É C O R

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By Robin Seaton Jefferson

This retro trend is back and consumers are eating it up. How can you take this simple glass garden and bring the trend back into your stores?

Terrariums are independent glass ecosystems that can sustain not only plant life butanimal life as well.

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Terrarium EducationOn top of the terrarium’s unique décor, there

is also an educational aspect to the accent. Somecompanies sell terrarium kits of all kinds.

Grant Cleveland, owner of DuneCraft, Inc., aterrarium manufacturer, attributes his success to“...looking at popular themes and connecting ter-rariums to those themes,” he said. He added thatterrariums are regaining a lost popularity as indi-viduals look to reestablish a connection withnature. “People love contact with nature andplants. So there’s a lot of interest on the part ofthe physical natural world around them.”

Cleveland said terrariums make great homedécor items because people just naturally love tolook at them. “All terrariums have that aestheticcomponent to them.”

Other Terrarium UsesExplorers in the Victorian era were well known

keepers of terrariums as they brought back fromtheir travels exotic plants to their European home-land. The climate was too harsh to successfullygrow the plants outside, so special cases weremade of glass to cultivate the rare treasures. Theevolution of the terrarium, or vitrine, as it wasthen called, continued and peaked during the1960s and 1970s when they again became fashion-able conversation pieces.

Today, the term terrarium also can refer to thekeeping of small animals such as reptiles, amphib-ians, arachnids and so on. There are also compa-nies in the market that are taking terrariums to anew level, offering homeowners a peek at morethan plants, such as the natural habitats of the ani-mals that live among them.

Terrarium Style“Terrariums are a wonderful way to bring the

outdoors in,” said Brini Maxwell, host of The BriniMaxwell Show on the Style Network. “The delicacyand charm of the tiny gardens help create a restfulmood and create an emotional link to nature. Ithink the idea is having a resurgence for severalreasons: It fits in beautifully with the currentdesign trend of botanical representation in wallpa-pers and textiles, and it’s a way to exert controlover an environment at a time when people feelthey have little or no control over what happens inthe world and their lives.”

Maxwell suggests retailers invest in vintageapothecary jars to stock one-of-a-kind items inwhich their customers could create terrariums.“The ones with the ground-glass seals for the lidare most effective for proper moisture retention,”said Maxwell. Small plants that are found togetherin nature are also necessary for creating the miniecosystems that recycle water and nutrientsthrough the plants.

Robin Seaton Jefferson is a freelance writer based in Missouri.She can be reached at two11creative@centurytel.net.

Copper accent The forged steel and copperMayfly is one of the manyhandmade creations in thisline of garden sculptures. TheMayfly comes in three sizes from24 to 42 inches. BlackthorneForge. (802) 426-3369. Write in 1401

Garden plaqueHeavenly Garden plaque is one of thedesigns in the new ExpressionsCollection by sculptor George Carruth.Carruth designs are hand cast in stoneand made in the United States. Theplaque is intended to be weatherproofand is available with a lifetime guaran-tee. Carruth Studio. (800) 225-1178.Write in 1402

Flower light Flower Lights are intended for thehome, patio or landscape. They areavai lable in an array of colors.Available materials include copper, off-white petals and multi-colored, air-brushed petals. H&H Manufacturing,Inc. (256) 357-4125. Write in 1425

Gazingglobes These globes areavailable in a vari-ety of styles, fin-ishes and sizes,including 6, 10

and 12 inches, as well as 12-inch swirland 12-inch pin optic. The completeline includes 22 styles and colors.Baker’s Lawn Ornaments. (814) 445-7028. Write in 1400

Metal star These metal stars areavailable in three colors:black, burgundy and rust.Three sizes are also avail-able: 18, 28 and 36 inches.Veldsma & Sons, Inc. (800)458-7919. Write in 1423

Wall plaque The Gate Wall Plaque is made ofwrought iron and hand-painted in anantique finish. It measures 43 inchestall and 251⁄2 inches wide and can bedisplayed indoors or out. A variety ofstyles is available. Jacaman Gift Co.,Inc. (800) 275-3316. Write in 1413

Plant stand Made in the United States, this plantstand is designed to hold five terracotta pots so the steel structure isinvisible to the eye. The stand mea-sures 46 inches tall and has a powder-coated finish. Friendship’s Garden,Inc. (800) 682-9272. Write in 1406

Movable yard accent Yard Swimmers are handcrafted from steel anddesigned to move 360 degrees on a rod, whichshould enable them to face any direction. Bass,crappie and trout designs are available. The tail-fins are intended to catch the wind. The YardSwimmers also feature glass eyes. YardSwimmers. (480) 926-2031. Write in 1424

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P R O D U C T F O C U S G A R D E N A C C E N T S & D É C O R

LearnMore!For more information related to this article, go to www.lgrmag.com/lm.cfm/lg010703

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