I’m not trying to brag, but I was one of the lucky ticket holders to the SOLD OUT terrarium workshop held at Strangeways Brewing. What’s the big deal, you ask? Well for one, terrariums are awesome and for two, craft beer is awesome.
Combining those two variables creates the recipe for a fun and creative evening.
As much as I like gardening and greenery my occasionally oblivious and laid back nature has caused the premature death of more than a few house plants. Terrariums on the other hand are basically self sustaining and therefore perfect for me.
As I stood in line waiting to check in I could see a table of plants available for building the terrarium just ahead and set my mind on a couple of perfect choices. This resulted in trying to telepathically convince anyone who picked up my chosen plant to put it right back down. My mental dialogue went something like this:
“Hey…….no, put that one down! These others are more your style……..yes, that one…….wait NO, don’t pick up MY plant……..hand’s off, move it along!”
Apparently this must have worked because I ended up with the small pot of plants I had my eye on, and I sauntered into the backroom at Strangeways with my prize.
The terrarium building supplies were placed on shared tables and as my fellow plant enthusiasts got their beers and settled in the folks from Strawberry Fields Flowers and Finds went over the basics of terrarium creation.
But first some history…………
The terrarium, as we know it, was invented by accident in 1827 by an English doctor who dabbled in botany outside of his time applying leeches or whatever they did for medical treatment back then.
While studying moth cocoons under covered jars in his backyard he noticed plants were growing beneath the glass, and (shocker) looked much healthier than the uncovered plants which were subjected to polluted London air.
Thus the Wardian Case, as terrariums were called in Victorian times was born, and believe or not they became a must have trendy household accessory in the mid 1800’s.
……….now back to the present.
As the workshop started we were shown how to put together the various layers which go into making an open terrarium (pea gravel, soil, activated carbon and of course, plants) and their purpose. All of the plants in our terrariums would be succulents.
I was hoping to make a mini Jurassic Park with ferns and dinosaurs in a closed terrarium but it was explained that open terrariums are an easy DIY project and succulents require very little care to thrive.
This of course is perfect for people new to terrarium creating or whom may or may not have killed no less than 5 plants in the last four months. Not naming names, just sayin’.
The steps for placing the base layers of a terrarium are simple and based on your creativity can take anywhere from 40 seconds to however long it takes for an obsessive compulsive personality to meticulously arrange every piece of pea gravel perfectly.
I decided on a layer cake approach, putting down my pea gravel, a layer of soil topped with activated carbon, some more pea gravel and then my final layer of soil. The hardest part is actually the most fun and creative step – placing the plants.
Obsessive personality is not how I’d describe myself however anyone observing the way I placed my plants might say differently. I put them in the top level of soil, then moved them around a little, then pulled them up again, then re-arranged them again. I’d crouch down, rotate the glass jar, move things around again a bit more before standing to observe my creation.
Having never tried my hand at terrarium building before I have to admit to being pretty pleased at how it turned out. The fact that I also only have to water the terrarium every one to two months bodes well for my new plant friends.
May they live long and prosper.
The terrarium workshop was fun and I love how my creation looks. It was great to do something I normally might never have thought to do, and get to see the results every day. Strawberry Fields Flowers and Finds offer other workshops aside from terrarium building and I’ve already looked to see what’s next. You can check it out the workshop schedule at the Strawberry Fields Flowers and Finds website.
