Terrariums: for those of us who like the IDEA of plants but lack a green thumb!

Typically speaking, I’m not a huge fan of faux flowers/plants. There are some really well made ones that do look quite realistic, but nonetheless, that’s just not something I love; I don’t like the idea of someone looking at a plant in my home and saying, “wait, that plant is fake.” Oddly enough, I’m also weird about having live plants in the home because I’m scared of spiders and I always think I’m going to pick the plant that has a whole nest in it and my home will become infested! (I know, I know… I’m so complicated.) So, I’ve found what I feel is the perfect solution…. TERRARIUMS!

You can certainly have live terrariums… wait do you know what I’m talking about? There’s all types, but I love the ones in cool glass “vases” in unique shapes usually framed in gold, silver, rose gold, or black… it is actually glass pieces sottered (is that a word?) into geometric shapes with a small opening to fill the terrarium. I’m going to do my best to “paint the picture” for you… but here’s a little inspiration before you continue reading:

So back to the live vs. fake terrarium discussion. I’ve seen many live ones and initially they look awesome with the layers of rocks, dirt, moss, and plants. But I’ll be honest, I’ve never had one that really stays looking good… maybe it is just me but it is incredibly difficult to gauge how much water and sunlight it needs so it doesn’t mold. Even getting the ratio of soil to rocks, etc. is a bit challenging. Plus, as we know, plants require some maintenance so you’re going to have to pick up fallen leaves, clip dead pieces, etc. SO, here is why faux succulents and air plants (not just any plants, I really think succulents or air plants are the way to go) are AMAZING for terrariums. Obviously, fake anything doesn’t require watering, sunlight, etc. AND, you can make them so easily. Here’s the quick and simple steps…

Go to your favorite craft store and find the “vase.” Honestly, you can find them pretty much anywhere at this point… Etsy.com has some cool hanging vases, Home Goods tends to have them, I actually just saw some at the grocery store, craft stores like Michaels, Amazon has a little bit of everything, and even World Market has tons of options, but I got mine at Hobby Lobby.
If you want to use fake succulents, your job is fairly easy… find some you like. Something wonderful about fake succulents and air plants is that real ones are kind of odd looking in that the texture, color, and shape already looks a bit fake. So finding realistic faux succulents/air plants is not that difficult. Tip: try and pick some that don’t have long stems because if so, you’ll have to use wire cutters to cut off the stem.
Figure out what your favorite color rocks are, and buy a bag or 2. I picked white… but there’s more natural looking options as well. Tip: I got rocks that were rough rather than smooth and shiny to look more authentic (as if pure white rocks look so real…) but the only thing I don’t like about them is the dust they give off. If you don’t want to worry about dust getting on the inside of the glass (which can be difficult to clean), you may want to get smooth stones. Another option is using sand and then sprinkling different sized rocks… whatever you think makes your terrarium look most authentic will work.
Clean the inside and outside of the vase, put rocks in the bottom, and add your fake plant. You can also add some fake moss for an added touch but I chose not to so they would look more simple and clean.
Enjoy your new creation!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not against live terrariums but they’re just more work than I’m willing to do. If you want a touch of nature in your home, but don’t have a green thumb, consider a terrarium with faux succulents or air plants… it is so easy (and fun to make), plus adds unique design elements to any room.

Shop some of my finds below. Each item’s name is linked.

Ashland Terrarium ($8.99):