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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

More MCM-friendly plants: Terrariums

My posts about plants that look good in mid-century homes continue to be some of the most popular, so I decided to share another idea with you that we're really into these days...terrariums.

My SIL had found a huge glass bowl at an estate sale a few months ago, and he asked our friend Hiram (whose gorgeous home I featured in a previous post) to make one of his knock-out indoor gardens for us. It was so beautiful that we wanted more, so he now has several for sale in the store.

I think they look wonderful with mid-century and modern decor, and care is minimal.  In fact, Hiram has made it easy by printing simple care instructions on the tag.

15 comments:

  1. They are the bomb! If you were closer I'd just pop in and snap one up!

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    1. I think they're fantastic too. I especially love the succulents and cactus, which I bet are your favorites too. :)

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  2. I love all of them. When I meditate or have a quiet time, for whatever reason I always think of this green mossy place with a little waterfall or pond. That little moss and fern terrarium would be like a microcosm of my fantasy. I can smell the moss from here.

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    1. I had never thought about using a terrarium for meditation, but in this urban world most of us live in, that might be as close to the kind of quiet place you describe as we're likely to get.

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    2. It seriously is the closest thing here in Brooklyn. When they say concrete jungle, they aren't talking about anything to do with a green landscape, instead of tall trees there's tall slabs of cement, telephone wires for vines and instead of rain we get dust and soot blowing around. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?

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    3. When friends of mine from other large cities come to visit, they're always amazed by the amount of green space we have in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Most of us still have large yards, and even apartment complexes are beautifully landscaped, with lots of trees, grass and balconies where things can be grown. You can actually find undeveloped pastureland with cattle grazing on the outskirts of Fort Worth's city limits. I should take time to notice and appreciate it more.

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  3. So pretty. So 70s - my mom tried and tried to make and keep them when I was a kid but she didn't have much success with her home made ones.

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    1. I started to read a bit about terrariums, and I realized there's much more to it than I ever realized. It's necessary to choose the right shape/size of a container, type of soil and the plants in order to create a sustainable ecosystem. I have very young neighbors who just planted zinnias, bronze-leafed begonias and petunias in a flower bed that gets almost no sun. I think they're about to learn their first lesson in plant selection. :)

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    2. Man, I thought there might have been hope for me with the succulent terrariums. Is there really that much to it? I am a HOPELESS gardener.

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    3. I think the succulent and cactus terrariums are a lot easier, because you don't have to regulate the moisture as much. They have open tops and can survive being ignored a lot more...and for some reason, you aren't as tempted to overwater them.

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    4. Might give those a try then. My poor yucca plant has seen better days :(

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    5. I have a fairly green thumb, and it's been my experience that yuccas reach their life expectancy (whatever that is) and just quit, no matter what you do for them. I had a huge one that had three branches and reached the ceiling. It was in a pot that was large enough, it was getting the same amount of sun and water it always got, and it just started dying, for no apparent reason. I finally had to toss it.

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  4. I was at a nursery near me the other day, and they had made a custom succulent dish out of an art glass bowl that was beyond gorgeous. We have a brown speckled bowl that I'm thinking would be perfect for one.

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    1. Sounds great! Why don't you take it home and get on that...

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    2. You'd do anything to get rid of that bowl. :)

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