Sunday, August 26, 2001		Sunday Activity

A touch of green for the coffee table

A properly made terrarium, in which air and water are continuously recycled, can go for months without care. An untinted jam jar, decanter, brandy snifter and the like can be used for the purpose.

Clear and sterilise the container. then using a funnel, if necessary, put 1’’ to 2’’ layer of mixed pebbles and charcoal chips at the bottom and cover with 1’’ to 3’’ of sterilised potting mix—not too much, just enough to anchor the plant roots.

To plant, dig a small hole, then take a plant from its container, shake off excess soil from the roots. Position and spread roots carefully, cover with a thin layer of soil. Moisten slightly with a sprayer.

Put the terrarium in a bright but not sunny spot. leave it uncovered for a day and then cover it. a little moisture should collect on its walls from time to time, and then drip down as rain.

Glass terrariums are perhaps the most beautiful combination of stained glass and plants. When planted and landscaped they remind you of elaborate Japanese gardens.

A simple combination of a stained glass container, soil, rocks, charcoal, air, water and plants makes terrariums the easiest and most beautiful way to grow and display plants at home.

Glass terrariums look elegant

To make a stained glass terrarium one should have:

• A basic knowledge of stained glass.

• Some coloured glass

• Lots of clear glass (so that the plant can be seen)

• Appropriate plants

• A truckload of patience!

• Design a pattern that you would like crafted out of the glass. Probably copy it from a book or magazine.

• Trace the pattern onto the required number of glass plates or panels.

• Cut the glass panels—big and small, according to the pattern.

• The glass panels are now ground and foiled and finally soldered together to create a terrarium or a planter as per your design.

The terrarium is now ready for planting. Place gravel, soil and charcoal at the bottom. Landscape it with some decorative objects like shells, or a few pearls, corals and the like, and set your plants inside.

Choose small plants or select miniature saplings like those of cacti, asparagus fern, ferns, parlour palm and geraniums. Although cacti would grow best in an open planter, the stunted variety is suited to growth in a terrarium.

Water your plants sparingly. Make sure that the soil should be moist and never soaked or saturated. Place the terrarium in good light but not direct sunlight.

The terrarium or your miniature glasshouse, green with plants is now ready to embellish your living room windowsill, coffee table or even highlight your hitherto conventional garden!

(Compiled by Chetna Banerjee)