The Best Terrarium Plants For DIY Container Arrangements

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Terrariums are one of the trendiest home decor essentials right now, and while it’s pretty easy to make your own at home, it’s important to remember that not all plants are cut out to be terrarium plants. Terrariums are shallow containers, so the plants they hold should have a shallow root system and need to be able to handle the humidity that naturally builds up in this tiny ecosystem. If you’ve been itching to get one of those picture-perfect indoor plant terrariums for your home, try building your own with some of these tiny terrarium plants. 

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The Best Humid Terrarium Plants For A Hanging Glass Terrarium

  • East Indian Holly Fern: We love the fun, shaggy texture a fern terrarium brings into a room, and the East Indian holly fern is a perfect specimen for terrarium containers. It’s one of the best plants for closed terrariums because it thrives in humidity and moist soil, but open terrariums will work too. Luckily in Fort Lauderdale, our climate is naturally quite humid, so you don’t have to worry about constantly misting your ferns.

  • Friendship Plant: This compact plant rarely exceeds 12 inches tall, and it has fascinating foliage with distinct, dark centers, so it’s a great option for terrariums. It doesn’t need much sun at all, so if you don’t get a ton of natural light in your home, friendship plant terrariums are the way to go. 

  • Biblical Job’s Tears: With its tendrils of fine-textured round foliage, this ultra-adorable option is excellent for terrariums, especially as a spiller. This trailing beauty needs indirect sun and flourishes next to a windowsill with bright filtered light. 

  • African Violet: If you’d like a flowering plant for a small hanging terrarium, the African violet is fantastic. One thing to keep in mind with this flower is that they need to receive even amounts of sun exposure on all sides, so you’ll want to rotate the container 90 degrees weekly, just to make sure its velvety green leaves don’t get discolored.  

  • Golden Clubmoss: For a great filler plant to surround your star performers, golden clubmoss gets a gold medal. It only reaches 4 inches tall, and its vibrant lime green foliage is super cheerful and bright. It loves humidity, so it’ll live happily in a closed terrarium. 

  • Philodendron: While best known as a potted plant, philodendron terrariums look quite striking. The way the leaves spill out from hanging terrariums is surprisingly elegant. There are quite a few different philodendron varieties to choose from, so visit us at our garden center in Fort Lauderdale, and one of our experts will help you pick out one in a suitable size.  
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Creating A Succulent Terrarium

By far, succulents are some of the best plants for terrariums, because their roots are so shallow, and they’re pretty low maintenance. Plus, is there anything more Pinterest-worthy than a succulent terrarium? Suddenly they’ve become the must-have home decor piece of the decade. Succulents in dish gardens make cute accent pieces to pop at the end of a bookshelf or on the coffee table. Just fill your terrarium with a layer of potting soil formulated especially for cacti, and you’re good to go. Here are three of our favorite succulents for terrariums: 

  • Hens and Chicks: A hens and chicks terrarium is just as cute as it sounds—these little swirly succulents in a mix of green and purple are downright precious. For a little extra pizzazz, you can add in some decorative pebbles and other flourishes to fill out the container a bit more. 

  • String of Pearls: As the name suggests, this succulent has long, stringy stems adorned with round, bead-like leaves that are perfect for hanging or dish terrariums because they trail down, spilling out the edges.  

  • Haworthia: If you want something with a little more attitude, this spiky succulent adds a cool, edgy vibe to your living space. Since it stands straight up and has a little more height, it looks great in the center of a mixed arrangement, surrounded by a mix of shorter plants, mosses, and decorative stones. 
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Creating An Air Plant Terrarium

Tillandsia, or air plants, are really neat because they don’t need soil to absorb nutrients. Instead, they get everything they need from the air, plus the occasional watering. To care for an air plant, remove it from the container every week or two, and soak it in a cup of water for two hours. You can also add them to a Spanish moss terrarium by just popping one on top of the moss mound. Make sure you only use open terrariums for air plants, not closed ones, because good air circulation is vital for them to get all the nutrients they need. 


For the perfect containers for terrariums and everything you want to fill them with, stop by Living Color Garden Center in Fort Lauderdale, and we’ll help get you set up with everything you need to make this DIY project a success.

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