Terrariums are super popular these days, so about a year ago I set out to create my own!  I ended up creating two; one is a closed terrarium and the other is an open terrarium.  Today I’m going to be showcasing the open terrarium because it’s very easy to recreate, and I have recently!  The images below are from my second iteration of the same terrarium.  The first one was doing so well that I had to remove one of the cacti because it was getting too big for the bowl!  And believe it or not, it’s not the “bunny ears” cacti that I replanted in this new one.

To start, you’ll need a terrarium bowl.  I was able to find the first and the second at local hardware stores here in San Francisco.  Both of these hardware stores sell some terrarium sized plants (and regular plants), so I would recommend checking out local hardware stores (like ACE Hardware branches) you know carry those supplies.  Plus, you’ll be able to grab a few terrarium plants while you’re there!  Second, you’ll need some pebbles for the very bottom of the terrarium.  You should also be able to find these at hardware stores.  Amazon.com is a great place to grab some as well.  Third, you’ll need some soil.  Fourth, some sand.  And lastly, the terrarium plants!  For open terrariums, I have found that small succulents and cacti work best because they prefer dryer soil and low humidity.  My closed terrarium has fern-like plants and I have not had to water in months!

The easiest way to put this together is rocks, some soil, the plants, more soil, and sand.  Once you water it for the first time, some of the soil will creep through the sand, so it will look kind of dirty. I usually combat this by adding some more sand after maybe the second watering.

For last touches, you can add some dinos or any other terrarium creatures you please! I found these at Urban Outfitters in a package with some others (horses, gnomes, dogs, etc).  Novelty stores and dollar stores (in the kid toy/party favor sections) are great places to find these as well.