Thursday, February 19, 2009

Spring in a bottle

The weather has been all over the place lately. Several days last week I didn't even wear my jacket outside! And today it snowed. Ah March, you are coming in like a lion after all.



In these cold days I wish I had a terrarium on my bedside table, like these that I photographed at Zoey's house over the holidays. A little slice of the forest floor. They were all over the house and ranged in size from the one above to an aquarium-sized one in the study.



When I was at the Missouri Botanical Garden in November I picked up a little fact sheet on how to make terrariums (which have only plants) and vivariums (which can have animals too, usually amphibians). You can find the fact sheet online here. I will do it one day, I even have several old aquariums sitting on my front porch waiting (and they will probably wait forever).



Last winter I was visiting Providence with M and we went to an old historic estate and garden outside the city with a gorgeous restored greenhouse out back. When we knocked on the door to the greenhouse and requested to see the inside (it was in an employees only section of the grounds, whoops) we found a gardener in there who was making little terrariums for her friends and family for the holidays. Watch out, friends and family, guess what you're getting for Christmas next year!



And lastly Jaja found this, which has been inhabiting my dreams ever since.

3 comments:

miss alexandria said...

hi Darling!
I miss your organic nature and craftiness around the house!
i love the terrariums.

I Am A Librarian said...

This post had me wanting to make terrariums, and today I found out about this book: http://tinyurl.com/ch8lx2. Woot.

Sarah said...

Very nice! I want to make some terrariums, too. It might be the best way to get houseplants to survive the combination of dry air (from heaters) and really cold drafts (from old windows). None of our houseplants survived the first winter at our current apartment.

You should check out these:
http://valleyflowercompany.blogspot.com/2008/10/terrariums-have-visitors.html