Unusual mini-gardens in glass containers are a wonderful alternative (or addition!) to classic potted flowers. We tell you in detail how to assemble a florarium correctly and beautifully with your own hands!
Home horticulture gives a lot of room for creativity – you can realize your creative abilities by creating a unique interior item. In addition to classic potted plants, it can be decorated with florariums – compositions in glass containers with various plant elements. The most exciting thing is to create them with your own hands, especially since even a beginner can cope with the task. In the article, we give step-by-step instructions on how to make a florarium with your own hands, as well as useful tips and interesting ideas.
What types of floral arrangements are there?
A florarium is a miniature garden, which is most often equipped in a semi-closed glass container. Inside it, a slightly different microclimate is formed from the surrounding one – warmer and more humid. Such conditions are to the liking of many plants – we will tell you about the species that can be planted in the composition a little later. There are two main types of mini-kindergartens.
- Open. One wall of the container is missing, that is, the plantings are not completely isolated from the environment. Nevertheless, the enclosed space is enough to create special conditions. Open kindergartens are convenient because there is constant access to the sprouts, in which case it is easy to interfere in their “universe”. It is not difficult to make a florarium of this type yourself, it is a good option for beginners.
Closed. Growing such ecosystems is a task for more experienced florists. Before closing the garden from the outside world, it is necessary to carefully consider all the conditions created inside, and then plant the plants correctly. Subsequently, a florarium sealed or covered with a tight-fitting lid is not recommended to be opened often – the less often, the better.
The microclimate inside can vary – it can be tropical, mountainous, or desert. The latter is the easiest to create – minimal requirements for the soil, and plants suitable for it are extremely unpretentious.
Suitable Plants and Conditions
Let’s figure out how to create a florarium of any type and which plants are suitable.
With a tropical microclimate
In the walls of a small container, you will need to create conditions close to a tropical forest – moist, warm. To make this possible, take containers with a high narrowed neck so that the space inside is closed as much as possible. So the temperature and humidity will be higher than around. The soil should be light, loose, and should not be compacted too much. Care is not very complicated. “Tropics” should be watered about once every 7-10 days, paying attention to the condition of the land. They need sufficient but diffused lighting.
The following plants are suitable for planting in a tropical mini-environment: ornamental ivy, fern (for example, asplenium or nephrolepsy), dwarf specimens such as myrsina, orchid, dieffenbachia, and a number of others.
How to make a florarium with succulents
Cacti with succulents are planted in conditions close to desert or semi-desert. These compositions are a godsend for beginners, they are easy to assemble, the plants in them are tenacious, and the installations look decorative and stylish. Unlike the tropics, here it is better to choose a container that is more open – with a wide neck or without one wall. Otherwise, the humidity will increase too much, the soil will take a long time to dry out – succulents do not like this. The soil will need to be loose enough, the addition of sand will also come in handy. And you can put a floral installation on the windowsill or on another place open to the sun – cacti and other desert dwellers like this. You don’t need to moisten the soil often, once or twice a month is enough.
Almost any species of cacti, as well as succulents, can be planted in a mini-garden – for example, echeveria, haworthia, crassula, pilea, peperomia, fittonia, gasteria.
Creation of a mountain microclimate
To create a florarium that imitates a mountain environment, the degree of openness of the container is not so important. Of course, the stones are important – they will play the role of mountains and rocks. The soil should not be too loose – a little denser than for a desert garden. Do not allow it to dry out completely, but you should not overpour either. Depending on the rooted specimens, water every 1-3 weeks.
In such “mountains” are planted lycopod, saxifrage, moss, violet along with other mountain flowers. The composition can also be supplemented with succulents that prefer to develop on stones, for example, crass succulents. Many create rocky installations with only succulents.
Where to place and decorate
It is better to choose a container made of glass or fiberglass – these materials are stronger and more pleasant to the touch than plastic. Do not take too small – florariums are assembled in such florariums, but it will be difficult to place all the elements there even with the help of tweezers. In addition, there is little space left in reserve – after all, the plants will grow in height and width, albeit slowly. A popular shape is round, with a hole on the top, slightly on the side. Tiffany-style containers look more impressive — polyhedra of different shapes, more elongated or, conversely, more square. One of the walls is missing, all manipulations are carried out through it. Tiffanys often have a lockable wall-door.
It is important not only to select the main “characters” and root them in a suitable container, but also to decorate the composition. Some elements can be found at home, such as pebbles or shells brought from the resort. You will be able to find something on the street – the same stones or unusual twigs, sticks, snags. So, let’s take a look at the list of all the decorations.
- Stones of different shapes and sizes. In the shops you can find a variety of landscape stones, crushed “marble”, large and small specimens of natural flowers or painted.
- Small snags, unusual branches.
- Decorative sand.
- Some ornamental lichens, such as the miniature lush parmelia.
- Transparent and multi-colored crystals.
- Shells.
- Figurines made of plaster, ceramics or polystone – for example, imitating ancient ruins, houses, stairs, animals.
- Moss.
As for the tools, you won’t need anything special. Almost every home has what you need.
- Shovel for working with soil.
- A wooden stick for deepening and fixing the elements.
- Medium-sized tongs or tweezers to have access to remote corners of the mini-kindergarten.
- Gloves.
- Syringe for moderate and uniform watering of the composition. There is a risk of overpouring with a watering can.
Do-it-yourself florarium: step-by-step instructions
Now let’s take a look at the algorithm for making a floral arrangement step by step. Since working with succulents is simple and pleasant, they are patient and accommodating, so it is easier to use them as the main plants. You will need several sprouts of different types, as well as soil, stones, and the glass container itself.
Step 1
In order not to be distracted in the process of creation, prepare everything you need in advance: succulent sprouts, stones for decoration, soil or its elements, containers. In this case, they did not use a glass container, but made of durable plastic, visually similar to glass.
Step 2
The potting mix can be used ready-made from the store – designed for succulents or cacti.
However, many florists note that plants prefer soil prepared by hand. So you have the opportunity to adjust its composition, acidity, and friability. For the cultivation of succulents in the florarium, the following components were taken.
- Plain soil (universal soil for houseplants).
- Sand.
- Charcoal.
- Vermiculite.
Simply combine and mix the ingredients in a suitably sized container. The soil itself should be the most, add the rest of the components in approximately equal parts.
Step 3
Before pouring the resulting soil mixture into the future florarium, put a handful of drainage at the very bottom. Only then spread the soil in portions. If, in your case, as here, the Tiffany-shaped container is open from the side, and not from the top, then make sure that the soil is evenly distributed.
Step 4
Next is the most interesting, but at the same time easy task. It is necessary to plant the sprouts of succulents so that each has enough space for development, and the composition looks harmonious. The larger Crassula was placed in the background so that it would not overlap the rest of the smaller specimens. Gasteria, senecium, rhipsalis, adromiscus – all of them do not grow too quickly, so they will not outgrow the capacity for a long time.
Step 5
There was quite a large space ahead, and it was decided to occupy it with a low but lush echeveria, a “stone rose”.
Step 6
When all the specimens are planted, it is up to the decoration. You can get a collection of stones once brought from the seas and decorate the soil with them. Here, too, it is important to follow the rules of composition – it is better to put the larger ones farther away, and mix the medium ones with the smaller ones. Additionally, you can add, for example, shells – here they will look appropriate and beautiful.
This is how the florarium turned out.
