Starting over with the terrarium by Elizabeth Licata

Here it is when it was given to me in 2008.

I have always looked at plant failure as an opportunity, but I held out against replanting my terrarium for months. It looked … ok. At first, the fact that one of the succulent varieties was pretty much taking over the thing was fine. But eventually I had to recognize that the stems were browning at the bottom, making it impossible to prune them to healthy areas. After almost ten years, it was time.

Close-up with the tiny new plants

So everything got pulled out, and I put in a few new plants, still succulents. These are not necessarily recommended for terrarium planting, but I find that their hardy natures work well in that environment. Some years ago, I lined the edges with rocks, holding the cloche away from the base enough to let some air in, and get rid of condensation issues. Which it does.

Will I get another ten years from the new array? Maybe not-and that will be an opportunity to try some different plants. Maybe I'll finally have to read my terrarium book.

Starting over with the terrarium originally appeared on Garden Rant on February 22, 2018.