Children’s Terrarium Tutorial

On Thursday I happily spent the morning in Cape Elizabeth, Maine at Fiddleheads Flowers and Vintage Chic Gifts with one of my oldest friends, who just so happens to be an amazing florist. She guided me through building a simple and sweet terrarium for the littlest loves in your life and I would love to share the experience with you!

Since we can’t all have a florist best friend with all the fixings, I’ll provide a list of items you’ll need below.

Keep in mind your succulents will grow over time, so leave a little space!

What You’ll Need:
Small succulents from your local florist or nursery (we used 2)
Clear Glass Bubble Bowl
Reindeer moss or a Moss Mix
River Stones
Potting soil (1 to 2 cups)

Additional Adornments:
Permanent botanicals/silks
Crushed sand
A fairy, bird, unicorn, fox, dinosaur or other tiny figurine that suits your little one
Sea Glass, Marbles and/or Glass Gems
Driftwood, beach rocks or interesting forest finds
Extra Fine Glitter

* They also make some great kits that contain many of the above items in small amounts, which can cut down on the cost, such as the following:
Premium Kit for Small Terrarium (Succulent, Cactus, and Fairy Garden) or
Terrarium DIY Succulent / Cactus Kit (Small)

Designing Your Terrarium

Once you have all of your supplies, start with placement of the river stones, which will help prevent pooling.  Arrange them to one side of the bowl.

Next, add your 1 to 2 cups of potting soil to the remainder of the bowl, patting it down gently, and add any larger design elements you may want to build around, like driftwood, large rocks, bark, et cetera.

Next, loosen and remove a bit of soil from the bottom of each succulent, exposing the roots, and situate them in the potting soil at the base of your terrarium bowl.

        

Now, the fun really starts! Add your mosses, crushed stones, permanent botanicals, marbles, glass gems and figurines however you see fit.

If you’re involving your little one in the terrarium making process, this is the ideal time to let them really take the helm and place all of the smaller elements carefully wherever they think they look best! After everything is in place, sprinkle the glitter throughout.

   

Once completed, use a spray bottle to mist the plants and find a spot to highlight this treasure in your home! Ours is currently sitting in the center of the dining room table where it is checked on regularly by Petunia.

I want to say a big thank you to Lauren for sharing her expertise. For all of your floral deliveries and gift needs in the Greater Portland, Maine area you can find Fiddleheads online at Fiddleheads, on Instagram at @fiddleheadflowers and on Facebook at Fiddlehead Flowers and Vintage Chic Gifts!

If you’re looking for a fun little book to delve further into terrarium building, check out Miniature Garden Grower by Holly Farrell! I hope you enjoyed this little hands-on weekend project. I would love to see what you all create, so please tag me in your social media posts!