Which plants to choose for a closed terrarium?

Tired of your kitten nibbling the leaves off your misery? Instead of turning the unfortunate feline into a bonsai cat, enclose your plants in a closed terrarium. As well as being decorative, these airtight jars allow you to grow demanding species, almost without doing anything. As long as you choose the right varieties.

Your terrarium needsa plant with an upright habit to give height and relief to your composition. It allows you to make the most of the volume available in your jar and attract the eye.

Ferns love humid environments. They're perfect for your terrarium. Depending on your tastes and your project, opt for the wavy fronds of bird's nest fern, the cut foliage of boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) or the bright green of Phlebodium aureum (Phlebodium aureum). Your ferns will love their glass house. They'll grow faster than in the open air. Buy small specimens and prepare a container high enough to accommodate them.

Prefer mini-terrariums? Choose tropical plants. They won't grow as fast, and you'll be able to prune them to control their development. Calathea adapts well to cultivation in a closed environment. Choose varieties with a slender habit and narrow leaves, such as goeppertia lancifolia or goeppertia warscewiczii. Begonia maculata and syngonium wendlandii are also well-suited to a jar. Their limbs occupy the space without colonizing it.

If you want to give your terrarium a Japanese garden feel, look no further than asparagus. With its dark green foliage and parasol-like silhouette, asparagus setaceus (Asparagus setaceus) looks like something out of Princess Mononoke, while asparagus sprengeri (Asparagus aethiopicus) could be Totoro's home for a springtime siesta.

Some orchids require at least 70% humidity and are difficult to keep alive in an apartment. But in a terrarium, these delicate plants become child's play. The large green and gold leaves of the Macodes petola jewel orchid will look great in a terrarium. And you won't have to do a thing to look after them.

You can also add verticality by planting small shrubs. Saw Palmetto (Chamaedorea elegans) is very slow-growing and loves moist environments. These two characteristics make it an eyesore as a houseplant, but an ideal candidate for cultivation in a closed terrarium. For a modest price (around six euros), you can buy a plant a few centimetres high. With its drooping fronds, your miniature palm tree will give your creation the air of a beach paradise.

Dreaming of a tropical jungle? coffea arabica
(Coffea arabica ) will transform your candy box into an Amazonian rainforest, minus the tarantulas and snakes. This bushy plant appreciates high humidity and can thrive in a terrarium.

The less common Aralia (Polyscias fructicosa) can also be grown in a confined space. This shrub, with its gnarled trunk and dissected leaves, grows quickly when exposed to full sun. To slow it down, place your terrarium in semi-shade.

Finally, if you're worried about killing your plants, even in a terrarium, schefflera arboricola can put your mind at rest. The umbrella tree is robust, even when young. A sunny exposure is recommended, but it can tolerate part shade.

Epiphytic plants have no roots. They don't need soil to grow, and cling to anything. In a closed terrarium, this particularity allows you to dare the craziest stagings. Branches, shells, pebbles, other plants... It's up to you to offer them the support that inspires you.

Girls of the air (Tillandsia) are native to America. They are among the easiest epiphytic plants to maintain in a terrarium. Indoors, they should be misted several times a day. But in a jar, you hardly need to do a thing.

Creeping plants are the other essential element of your terrarium. To make them spectacular, focus on the color and shape of the blades.

Fittonia albivenis comes in almost every hue. Its green, pink, white or red foliage is enhanced by a dark central rib. You can play with contrasts by combining a pink Fittonia with an Asparagus, or create a cameo by juxtaposing a plant with lime-green leaves with a fern. Fittonia albivenis will live its best life in a closed terrarium. It will grow rapidly and may need pruning.

The ephelid plant Hypoestes phyllostachya) offers a wide variety of colors. You can use it to enhance the rest of your terrarium, or dedicate a jar just for it to sublimate the patterns of its foliage. In pots and indoors, this species is always thirsty. But in a closed environment, it benefits from condensation and you don't have to water it too often.

Ficus pumila (Ficus pumila), with its green and white blades, is a more classic alternative. However, the plant is just as effective at creating a carpet of greenery in your terrarium. And best of all, this ficus is hardy. There's no risk of losing its leaves in the first few days, during the adaptation phase.

Finally, if you're planning to create a romantic garden atmosphere in your terrarium, try ivy (Hedera helix). Combine it with a fern, for example, for an English undergrowth effect. Like the other ground-covering plants on this list, this liana is hardy. It requires very little maintenance, especially in a closed jar.

An essential decorative element in closed terrariums, mosses also give us information on the hygrometry and condition of the substrate. As long as they stay green, all's well. But if they start to turn yellow, your jar is running out of water. It's time to water, preferably with rainwater. But which moss to choose? That depends on your tastes and the plants you've already selected.

Ball moss (Leucobryum glaucum) seduces with its roundness and bright green color. It's an excellent choice if you're planning to grow plants that like part shade, or if you want to place your terrarium in an area with subdued light.

The shape of Marchantiophyta sp is more random. It can follow the contours of a stone, a root or any other raised detail you want to highlight (or hide). Once well established in the terrarium, this acid-green moss requires no special maintenance.

Selaginella kraussiana may be a primitive plant, but its foliage is no less elaborate. The bright-green, light-green or acidic limbs are sharply cut. They add a graphic touch to a minimalist composition. As for care, there's nothing to report. Selaginella benefits from the humidity and constant temperature of the terrarium. You should, however, remove the yellowing leaves that appear after a few years.

When you design your closed terrarium (or buy a kit in the shops), make sure all plants have the same requirements in terms of substrate, light and temperature. Consult the growing instructions on the Monstera app. We'll show you the recommended exposure and soil type. Never mix a variety that requires high light levels with a species that can't stand direct sunlight. Even if the result is charming.

Make sure, too, that life in an airtight jar is suitable for your plant. The closed terrarium technique is suitable for plants that appreciate humidity, such as tropical varieties and ferns. But be careful! It is not recommended for plants from arid environments, such as cacti and succulents. On the other hand, houseleeks, Echeveria and sea urchin cacti are ideal for a plant wall or an open terrarium. Other semi-succulent plants, such as chinese coin plant and Peperomia, won't do either. They'll survive, but the high humidity may make their leaves soft and droopy.

Carnivorous plants such as dionaea muscipula, Nepenthes and Drosera can be grown in closed environments. But their cultivation conditions are particular (watering exclusively with rainwater and acid soil) and are rarely found in varieties usually planted in closed containers. It's best to dedicate them their own terrarium and not mix them with species with different needs.

Experienced gardeners also recommend avoiding plants with rapid growth rates, such as pothos or monstera deliciosa. Mini cuttings look great in a terrarium. But after a few months, they'll start to touch the walls. You'll either have to prune them or repot them in a larger container.

Finally, stay away from fragile plants that find it hard to cope with change. They may not survive the first few days, when the terrarium is regulating its humidity. It would be a shame to spoil your work with a half-dead Alocasia or a balding Ficus microcarpa.

Have you just bought your first terrarium and don't know what to do? Read our Nine tips for maintaining your closed terrarium on the blog.