Miniature Garden - 17 July 2012

Making terrarium can be easy, quick and does not have to be expensive.  

This was our first attempt to make a terrarium last year. We used our glass aquarium, or otherwise, any glass containers or jars would be fine. The most tricky part was choosing the small plants that were compatible and could survive indoor with indirect sunlight.

Decorating the terrarium was the most fun part for the boys. Decorative things could be pretty rocks, marbles, figurines, driftwood or anything.

But it was a challenge to ensure the plants could grow with the right amount of water and sunlight. Even though we did our research and followed all the steps diligently, the plants still did not survive long. Perhaps it's more difficult to keep the plants indoor, or it could be the overwatering problem. We're still learning....

We went to FLORIA (Flower & Garden Festival) in Putrajaya recently. The above was the award-winning terrarium. Maybe we can try one with cactus the next round. However, we noticed that the plants in most terrariums there were not very healthy either. Indeed very tricky..

Our family got together and did this terrarium, with ideas from our visits to FLORIA. The boys have so much fun and were proud of their work. This will last a while because it did not have any living plants.

Fun with decoration!! The boys made their own hut with roof, owls, stone well, windmill, eggs, bird's nest, grass (from coloured rice), stone pathway, etc.

These were some of the plants in recycled bottles, an idea we got from a recent visit to Taman Warisan Pertanian. Indeed a very practical use of recycled bottles and also make wonderful gifts. They need very little care - much easier than terrarium. The boys were learning about plants and gardening the whole month, and we've even started a rock garden - still at a very preliminary stage.