Garden Cloche
Remember as a child learning the difference between an aquarium and a terrarium. I went right from minnows in a glass jar to wanting the glow in the dark fish in an aquarium. I remember bringing home the square glass container. The fish survived the trip home in the plastic bag, but after a month of sporadic feedings and not maintaining the water temperatures needed, my little glow fish went to the other side and I was left with an empty container. I felt I had let my fish down, and as a eight year old, I felt like it was the end of the world. My Dad came to the rescue. He said , “why don’t you try making a terrarium with your empty container?” I didn’t know much about terrariums; certainly no more than the I did about aquariums. I was unsure, but dad boasted my interest . I went to the local library and found a book on terrariums. It seemed pretty easy. I needed pebbles, small charcoal , potting soil and plants. Once you plant them in the glass container, you put a lid on it and watch your plants grow.
I created my terrarium and loved the way the plants seem to grow overnight. Some mornings I wake and there was condensation on the sides and I remember the book saying to open up the top to “let the fog lift.” I came in one day and saw something moving in the terrarium. It was a little turtle. My Dad had put him in there. I now had another mission. We took a little shell and fill it up with water and found what little turtles needed to eat. I kept my terrarium for three years. The little turtle grew and he seemed very happy . He definitely thought he was human. Eventually my passion for terrariums subsided and other passions came into my life. I decided to let my turtle go. He crawled away into the water of our ponds.
This favorite memory stayed with me. Loving floral design and gardening has always been my passion. And I love what you can do with plants under glass. If you don’t have a green thumb, this is the ideal planter for you.
There are so many pretty and versatile miniature terrariums available. Your local nursery/greenhouses make it easy. They have potted plants that favor living in low light and under glass. Also there are even kits available from Amazon that give step by step in creating your garden.
Garden cloches make a beautiful gift for that special someone. And you will want to have your own.