So recently I became interested in terrariums, and as it happened, my friend Amy was interested too, so a couple weeks ago we embarked on a mission to exotic Lynnwood for supplies. I had read a tip on Yelp to check Michael’s for containers, so we did that and found some good ones. I was coveting one of those bowls that are asymmetrical, and they had exactly what I wanted. Amy got a nice covered round bowl. I’m also happy to report that should you desire a container that is a gigantic version of a traditional alcohol vessel, Michael’s is your place! Wine glass, brandy snifter, martini glass – you name it, they have it.
ANYWAY. We then went to Wight’s Nursery, which is very nice and even had a section of plants just for terrariums! It was there that I discovered my next obsession: air plants! Air plants are AWESOME. They look very otherworld-ly – they are just free-standing pods of odd leaves, and since they get their water from the air, they have no root system. You can put them anywhere, including pinning them on your wall which is totally baffling to me! (Check out Pinterest for some really cool ideas.) Apparently they are native to Latin America and are found growing all over the place, even on power lines. Their latin name is Tillandsia, so terrariums made with air plants are sometimes called tillariums.
But enough of my yakkin! Let’s get to some pictures.
First, Amy and I decided to be “blog-ey” and take a picture of our supplies.
As you can see, we have some rocks, charcoal, moss (which we got for free at Wight’s!), containers, and of course plants! Once we had our supplies and containers gathered, making the terrariums didn’t take much time.
Here is Amy’s final terrarium.
Amy used charcoal on the bottom and then two colors of rocks. She also decided to put a succulent in it, but it turned out that the poor little thing did not take to terrarium living and has already passed on. I think the humidity in there was just too much for it, so now we know! Amy has also since made another terrarium with a taller plant that didn’t fit in this container and it is fab!
Here is how my tillarium turned out originally.
So… it’s a little boring, right? I decided I needed to jazz it up a bit, and some of the terrarium examples at Wight’s had nice use of sticks and shells, so I did a little beachcombing at my folks’ place on Camano Island and found a clam shell and a small piece of driftwood. Once I added those I realized that three air plants didn’t really work in there anymore, so I took one out (the one that is like a ball of weird leaves, on the left there.) I think it turned out a little more interesting with the shell and stick, and then I added some fine sand to add variety in the scale of the elements (or something like that).
Now we’re cookin’ with gas! Oh and also – do you see the purple blooms on the clam shell plant?! Those popped up within a few days of getting the plant! (I have to admit that they didn’t last long though – I might need to give it more sun.) I also love that kooky long-leafed air plant. It’s like a space creature.
So, since I got rid of the third air plant I needed a new container for it. I decided to check out Midnight Blossom in Ballard, because in my initial research it came up as a store with a build-your-own terrarium bar. Sounds pretty bitchin’ right?! It also sounded spendy so Amy and I agreed to avoid it. However, since I knew I didn’t need a ton of supplies I figured it might be the way to go, and let’s just say I was right. Best weird flower shop EVER! It’s a small place but it’s mostly terrariums and container garden supplies, and they have OODLES of air plants! You can buy various container gardens already assembled or make your own with the supplies in the bar. You could go crazy and spend a lot but I think I did okay, and I found a nifty square container that was small enough for my lone little air plant. I also chose some TOTALLY ROCKIN’ turquoise crystals to complement the black sand.
OOOOHHHH!!! Again, it’s so space-age, I love it!
Well, there you have it. Thanks for reading this very wordy post – you’re the best.
More soon, hopefully! I’ve got some sewin’ in the works, SEW get ready! Har har.
Becca
