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What a great article! I have several terrarium books from the 1970's and they almost all used large glass bottles or containers as examples. This was before the development of many forms of plastic.
I am the Junior Flower Show chairperson for the Flower Show in Boston. I have seen many styles of containers used as entries by our kids. There was the old style plastic soda bottle, large canning jars, and small aquariums. I have also made terrariums with my garden club and with my daughter's Girl Scout troop.
I have three favorite entries from past shows. One was a terrarium made from a large clear Christmas ornament, the kind you get at a craft store to decorate yourself. It utilized a canning jar ring as a stand. Our exhibitor had three tiny plants and some moss in it. Needless to say, it fascinated the judges and won a blue ribbon. The other is an entry that was made in the globe of a gumball machine! It had a large enough globe for several plants and a removable lid to maintain or adjust moisture. This entry also made a hit. My daughter made one with a single sago palm in a large brandy snifter. She lined the snifter with clear glass pebbles so that the soil could not be seen. This also fascinated the judges and she won two prizes for this. They wanted to know where the soil had gone!
We found that we could not place the terrarium entries directly under the path of the stage type lighting that is utilized in our exhibit hall as it warmed up the entries too much, just as the sun would.
I would also say that you must not view your terrarium as a static piece. If you use a 10-15 gallon fish tank for your terrarium {as I do} or a smaller container, that this should be viewed as a work in progress. Successful plantings will grow quickly and need to be pruned or replaced by smaller plants. I have a variety of small figurines that I put in mine as well to keep it interesting, as this terrarium lives in my dining room with a small flourescent aquarium light on top. I have kept this for over 14 years.
I enjoyed all the pictures as well. Thanks!
Martha
