Okay so my jam-jar terrariums have elicited a lot of questions – spread across two different photos. For the sake of clarity, am putting instructions and explanations in one single post.

To make a terrarium, you need:

• a clean glass container with a tight lid (jam jar, fish bowl, anything)
• some gravel or tiny pebbles
• potting soil
• small, humidity-loving plants (ferns, spider plants, moss, philodenron, pitcher plants… do not use flowering varieties though, because they will develop mold)
• a gentle hand
• a well-lit spot

Place the gravel on the inside of the lid. Place a small pile of soil on top of the gravel, and spray or sprinkle with water until it is just soaked through – there should be no excess water, just thoroughly moistened soil. Place the roots of your plant into the soil – I use the back of a pencil to make a hole in the soil and then place the plant in it, then I gently pinch the soil to close the hole. Gently place the jar over the plants, and screw into the lid. Done! Place in a well-lit (but not hot) spot.

How it works: This is a self-sustaining system. Transpiration causes the plant to give off moisture, which then condenses on the inside of the glass, and drips back down into the soil, keeping it moist.

You can do this in an upright jar also – simply use chopsticks to place the plants!