Adult Sized Venus Flytrap - (Dionaea Muscipula) - $17.99

When I was a kid, I loved creating dioramas; little, self-contained worlds in shoeboxes. I’d make them even when they weren’t part of a school assignment. One of my favorite series of books during this time was "The Borrowers" by Mary Norton, which was about a family of tiny people that lived within the walls of a house and borrowed items from the regular-sized people that resided there. So, I guess it follows that I’d have an affection for terrariums, mini plant ecosystems growing in a small glass environment, in my old(er) age. 

Terrariums are easy to take care of once set up. Glass domes, bowls, globes, cloches, bulbs, and jars are all excellent choices for a terrarium.

The best plants for a terrarium are slow-growing and small. For a closed terrarium, choose plants that thrive in jungle-like, humid conditions like ferns and tropical. For an open terrarium, select cacti, air plants, or succulents that are native to arid, desert environments.

Plants suitable for terrariums usually come in small pots, between two and three inches in size. You can purchase sets of assorted plants sold as a terrarium “kit” such as these:

Here are some of the best plant choices for both open and closed terrariums.

Closed terrariums cultivate their own tropical rainforest climate. Plants that are grown in these environments hardly ever need water (because of all the humidity) and grow happily on their own for years. The danger with a closed terrarium is that you may also, unwittingly, grow some mold.

Add a layer of pebbles, rocks, or shells to the bottom of the terrarium to create a drainage layer, then add soil on top of that. This will help prevent mold growth as well as make sure the roots of your terrarium plants are not drowning in a small pool.

Ferns love moist, warm environments like that of a closed terrarium. Maidenhair ferns in particular are well suited as they prefer small containers and are especially intolerant of low humidity and dry air.

Moss is a slow-growing plant that loves moisture and low light. In the wild, moss often grows at the base of a tree.

With over a thousand species, Peperomia comes in various iterations. Some have light green leaves with dark accents, while others have pink or red leaves. A couple of popular varieties include the watermelon peperomia and the peperomia harmony’s great pumpkin.

Polka dot plants get their name from, well, the polka dots on their leaves – white, red, pink, or purple dapples on green leaves. They thrive in warm, humid conditions like jungles and terrariums.

Creeping figs have small, variegated, almost heart-shaped leaves. They can be trained to do their creeping up the side of a structure such as a terrarium.

Venus flytraps love a good wetland or marsh, making them an ideal choice for a terrarium environment – except that you’ll need to bring them their dinner if you are growing them indoors. In a closed terrarium, you can release small flies inside the enclosure. Small spiders and beetles also make an adequate flytrap meal.

Open terrariums are glass enclosures minus a lid. If you want to grow desert-loving plants like cacti or succulents, consider a container with a drainage hole or, at the very least, one that ensures good airflow, such as this double sphere terrarium from Unique Gardener.

Use a container with a wide opening like a shallow bowl for your cacti terrarium. Look for a gritty soil mix that consists of things like volcanic rocks and clay pebbles so the cacti roots will have ample space for aeration.

All sorts of cacti can be grown in terrariums. Some smaller plants include the rainbow pincushion cactus, the peanut cactus, and the domino cactus.

Fleshy plants that need very little water, many succulents stay small, making them great choices for terrariums. They exist in a variety of unique shapes, and colors.

Unlike most ferns, button ferns are especially drought-tolerant, which means they do well in an open, arid terrarium. They have small, round, sturdy foliage (a bit leathery) that grows on brown stems.

Jade plants are often trained as bonsai in terrariums. The word bonsai simply means to grow an artificially miniature, ornamental shrub or tree in a container. Jade plants do need frequent watering so they shouldn’t share a mini-ecosystem with cacti or air plants.

As their name implies, air plants do not need soil to survive. They attach to things like driftwood or a stone and absorb nutrients and water through their leaves. You only need to mist them every week or so. Many people think air plants have an alien, other-worldly vibe.

Terrariums are a great way to add plants to your household without them taking up a lot of space. They look great in bathrooms, on a shelf near a window, and on tables. And if you’re super lucky and believe in such things, maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of the tiny people who live within the walls of your house enjoying your miniature jungle or desert.