There’s nothing more sincere than being given a gift that is handmade—the time spent creating the work, the patience to perfect each line—each fine detail makes the piece feel special and no two are alike. Unique, authentic and enriched: these are the words that we use to describe the handmade designs we love.
This Mother’s Day we want to help inspire you to create beautiful handcrafted gifts and make your home a place where you can express your individual creativity and panache for personal design and decor. What better way to show the mother in your life (or mother to be) you care than with a sentimental and unique gift that combines beautiful handcrafted pieces with the natural beauty of plants: a terrarium.
What is a terrarium you might ask? Think of it as a mini greenhouse that keeps plants growing without any of the mess you might find in an outdoor garden. This an easy and low maintenance way to add life and greenery to any space. For minimalists and maximists alike this is the perfect addition to any coffee table, work desk, and a creative centrepiece for any dining table too.
Try this yourself (it’s easy, we promise!). This gift will surely keep her smiling on Mother’s Day and every day in between.
Materials You Need
Cactus potting soil
Succulents or ferns (*do not mix these together!)
Decorative moss, rocks and wood pieces
Gravel
*Activated carbon (not necessary, but will make your terrarium last longer)
How To Make A Terrarium
Find a glass container large enough to fit at least three plants. We chose a glass bowl on teak root for a more artful, fishbowl look.
Get organized. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when creating a terrarium. Set aside your tools first and place your materials (soil, gravel tools) in containers to prepare. We used a recycled wood serving tray and beautiful handcrafted bowls from our Ceramic Collection to help us arrange everything.
Select succulents that have interesting shapes and are different sizes. Gasteraloe, aeonium, rosularia are hardy plants that will grow. A tip to keep in mind when choosing your terrarium plants is to not mix ferns with succulents (this includes cactus!)
Add one inch gravel at the bottom of the terrarium to help create drainage for water collection, then add soil to help cover the roots of each plant. Use a small gardening spade to help you dig holes to place your plants in—just deep enough to cover the roots of each plant.
Then, add moss, branches and decorative rocks.
There you have it: a beautiful gift that will certainly keep her smiling for many months to come.
Terrarium Care Tips
- Terrariums are low maintenance indoor gardens (great for lazy gardeners!) They only require watering every two or three weeks.
- When creating your gravel base at the bottom of your terrarium, add some activated carbon to it. It’s a gardener’s best secret to preventing bad bacteria from growing in your This will help keep your terrarium happy and clear of any unhealthy bacteria.
- When watering, do not allow the water to fall on the leaves of the plants but instead let the water flow down the sides of the glass container and be absorbed into the soil.
- Do not place your terrarium in direct sunlight—the glass will heat up and burn the leaves and roots of the plants. Try positioning it near a window or an area away from a window.
- Get rid of wilted plants and prune away dead leaves.
And voilà!