Gardening Houseplants

31 Stunning Terrarium Ideas for a Home Garden Under Glass

Small glass container holding a variety of terrarium plants on coffee table

The Spruce / Michelle Becker

If you've already embraced the decorating with greenery trend, it's time to take it to the next level. Terrariums are modern, unique and make for a great eye-catching piece on a table, shelf, or even hanging from the ceiling. Think of a terrarium like an aquarium, but instead of fish you are caring for plants. 

Here are our 31 favorite terrarium ideas. 

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    A Beautiful Display

    Multiple plants under a glass dome

    @drawingplantlady / Instagram

    This stunning display from drawingplantlady not only features a handful of little pots filled with cacti, but the vintage terrarium is by far one of the most unique. Because a cactus requires more circulation of air, an open terrarium is a better choice for these guys. 

    A display like this is a great way to consolidate a lot of little indoor cactus pots into a larger piece that really stands out. 

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    Geometric Terrariums

    Cactus in geometric terrarium

    @simply.terrarium / Instagram

    Adorable little geometric terrariums are the perfect display for a desk or as a centerpiece on your dining room table. This pyramid glass terrarium features a lovely assortment of mini-succulents and cactus.

    Succulents need a lot of light to survive, so make sure to pick a spot in your home that provides ample sunlight throughout the day.  

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    Gold Terrariums

    Gold terrarium with purple plant

    @terracottacorner / Instagram

    Another beautiful geometric terrarium, this lovely display is ideal if you're into decorating with gold finishes. We love the echeveria purple pearl succulent that sets the stage for the rest of the display. With plants that need only a little water like these succulents, pumice stones mixed with dirt will keep your plants from drying out between waterings. 

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    Plant Clippings

    Small terrarium with clay pot

    @green.me.on.paris / Instagram

    This adorable little cork and glass cloche is perfect for propagating plants from clippings. Here, a tony terra cotta pot holds a pilea clipping that's slowly but surely growing into a new plant. Not only is this adorable display worth showing off, but it also provides the moisture this little clipping needs to grow big. 

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    Orchid Terrarium

    Terrarium with orchid

    @plantzadddy / Instagram

    We love this beautiful glass display from plantzadddy, which features a single orchid amidst other terrarium-friendly plants like ferns and moss. Orchids are notoriously hard to care for and keep alive, but a terrarium actually creates the perfect humid atmosphere for them to thrive. This little terrarium also features a "false bottom" that allows excess water to drain out. 

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    Wall Planter Terrariums

    Wall terrariums with air plants

    @nature.steps / Instagram

    Looking for a way to decorate your hallway or staircase? These adorable wall planters are the perfect way to bring a little greenery into your home in a unique, fun way. This display features air plants and golden clubmoss, but if you want to recreate this look in a hallway without a lot of light, consider using low light plants.

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    Cake Display

    Terrarium made from cake display

    @botanicalsanctuary / Instagram

    If you have glass jars or pedestals sitting around your house just waiting for a cake to show off, consider repurposing them to use as a terrarium. We love this terrarium that features moss and fern in a beautiful glass cake display. 

    The best thing about terrariums is you can almost use any container as long as you are aware of the light and air that your plants need. 

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    Terrarium Plant Stand

    Standing terrarium with plants

    @inevitably_orchid / Instagram

    This vintage plant stand is perfect for displaying plants that aren't exactly terriarum-friendly, while still getting the same look and feel. Large potted plants can be expensive and hard to care for, but this is a great way to create a larger, more eye-catching display with small and medium-sized plants. 

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    Hanging Air Plants

    Hanging air plant

    @thefunkyfreshdesign / Instagram

    If you want to create an even more interesting display in your home, consider hanging glass globe terrariums from your ceiling. This one is the perfect setting for a small air plant. Air plants are great for open terrariums because they need very little water and no soil. This is one of the easiest terrariums to recreate, just be sure you have enough light for your air plant

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    Succulent Garden

    Small air plant terrarium

    @giurgeina / Instagram

    A small succulent garden like this one is a lovely way to spruce up your desk and bring in a little air-clarifying beauty. Succulents need very little water, but they do need a lot of sun to really thrive, so make sure you find a spot that provides plenty of light. If you have a lot of glass space to fill, creating layers of stones and dirt can make the display even more visually interesting. 

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    Moss Terrarium

    Moss in a fish bowl

    @aishahomestylist / Instagram

    Another great plant to display in a terrarium is moss. This little glass fishbowl terrarium is earthy and unique, and perfect for your coffee table. Moss loves humid environments, so a terrarium works well. Plus, as pretty and interesting as moss is, it's one of those plants that many of us don't know how to display. 

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    Grouping of Terrariums

    Terrarium in a glass jar

    @terravivadesign / Instagram

    A group of terrariums can add a lot of personality to a room. Try to vary the sizes and shapes of your jars. When choosing terrarium plants for your grouping, it can work well to have some plants that are the same in all of the jars and some that are different. This gives you a sense of flow and continuity, while making each terrarium unique.

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    Air Plants in Glasses

    Air plants in glass jars

    @bobshome_ / Instagram

    This air plant assortment from bobshome proves that even an antique canning jar or platter can make the perfect terrarium for an air plant. We love the idea of using a wine glass or a mason jar to show off air plants or succulents. A simple plant mister is all you need to keep your air plants thriving in nearly any glass container.  

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  • 14 of 31

    A Mini Bonsai Tree

    Glass jar with small tree

    @botanical.lab / Instagram

    A terrarium is an adorable way to create your own little forest inside your house. This mini bonsai tree terrarium from botanical.lab is a calming little jungle you can put on a desk or a table. Most trees don't like an abundance of soil, so be sure to create a false bottom in any terrarium so your water has somewhere to drain off. 

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    Fish Bowl Terrarium

    Fish bowl terrarium

    @dreamgreendiy / Instagram

    Any wide-mouth glass bowl can be a fishbowl, and these can often be found at thrift shops or estate sales. Dream Green DIY made a lovely succulent terrarium using a glass fish bowl, and you can, too. Place rocks and sand in the bottom, add soil, succulents, and a bit of whimsical art, and you have a lovely table top terrarium.

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    Glass Lantern Terrarium

    glass lantern with candles

    @violetgreydecorative / Instagram

    You can purchase these glass lantern terrariums from Terrain, but you can also make your own with glass lanterns bought from craft stores or during summer or holiday sales. If there is room in the lantern you can add small candles or battery powered lights for illumination at night.

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    Mason Jar Terrarium

    Mason jar terrariums

    Make Me Some Soap Blog

    Mason jars come in all shapes and sizes, with wide and narrow mouth openings, and making a terrarium with a mason jar is very easy. You can make an open terrarium by simply leaving the lid off, or use the lid for a closed one, and you can also lay jars on their side for a different look.

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    Tiny Rain Forest

    Glass bowl terrarium

    @forest_floor_terrarium / Instagram

    This terrarium uses carefully chosen plants, like the miniature parlor palm with its lacy serrated leaves, to create the look of a miniature rain forest.

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    Punch Bowl Terrarium

    Glass punch bowl terrarium

    2.bp.blogspot.com / Pinterest

    Cut glass punch bowls often find their way to thrift shops and they make a great container for open terrariums. They can be quite heavy so keep this in mind when adding layers of sand and soil.

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    Fairy Mushroom Terrarium

    Terrarium with tiny mushrooms

    @forest_floor_terrarium / Instagram

    Tiny handcrafted mushrooms made by Mosspot can make your terrarium into a fantasy fairy woodland. These red amanita mushrooms are recognizable to many folks but there are many others available, including some that glow in the dark like phosphorescent mushrooms.

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    Jewelry Box Terrarium

    glass jewelry box terrarium

    Decor Pad

    Any glass jewelry or trinket box can make a terrarium. Some of them have beveled glass, colored glass, or mirrored glass, adding to their charm and mystery. The lid can be kept open or closed.

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    Driftwood Terrarium

    small driftwood terrarium

    @terrarium.designs / Instagram

    Adding a small piece of driftwood creates a beautiful sculptural, natural focal point for a miniature terrarium. Moss mades a good accompaniment to driftwood as it can cling gently to the wood.

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    Victorian Greenhouse

    Miniature glass greenhouse

    @meijergardens.org / Pinterest

    This lovely miniature Victorian style glass greenhouse with metal trim makes a wonderful terrarium inside a sunny room. Victorian greenhouses were popular destinations for gardening enthusiasts all year round, and miniature versions of larger greenhouses were popular displays inside.

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    Cookie Jar Terrarium

    Cookie jar terrarium

    A Piece of Rainbow

    Use a vintage glass cookie jar with a wooden top to make a beautiful table top terrarium. Vintage cookie jars make great DIY terrariums because the lids are wide enough to accommodate hands reaching in. You can make either an open or closed terrarium, and maintenance is easy with this design.

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    Tiny Terrarium Lockets

    glass lockets with terrariums

    Chasing the Green Faerie

    These tiny glass and metal terrarium lockets may be the stuff of fantasy, but they're a wonderful inspiration for creating terrariums in small glass containers. The lockets are a closed design but can be opened to build and maintain the tiny, tiny terrarium inside.

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    Perfume Bottle Terrarium

    glass perfume bottle terrariums

    Diply

    After cleaning them thoroughly of perfume residue, glass perfume bottles with crystal or glass stoppers can make unique, gorgeous small terrariums. Diply showed off these DIY upcycled terrariums using vintage perfume bottles.

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    Tea Pot Terrarium

    Glass teapot terrarium

    u/khaosENRGY / Reddit Terrariums

    Glass teapots make wonderful terrariums. Whether a squat round shape or a narrower coffee percolator shape, the easy open or removable lid makes it flexible for an open or closed environment, and the washable glass makes it a breeze to clean.

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    A Mini Blue Lagoon

    terrarium with blue pool

    @glassgardensyeg / Instagram

    This design idea is colorful and eye-catching. Use a glazed ceramic dish and dyed stones to create a small blue pool or lagoon and place plants and rocks around it for a miniature landscape scene of a lakeside or lagoon.

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    Miniature Cave Terrarium

    Miniature terrarium

    @terrarium.designs / Instagram

    Using three tiny pieces of slate or other flat stone, and some sand, soil, and moss, you can create a miniature cave with foliage and plants growing around it inside a tiny spice or craft jar. This wee cave terrarium can be created in any size container, adjusting the size of the cave with smaller bits of stone.

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    Hobbit Terrarium

    terrarium with miniature hobbit door

    @terrarium.designs /Instagram

    Adding a little hobbit door to this tiny terrarium makes it a delightful fantasy land for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien. Nestled in moss makes it look like it opens into a small hillside.

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    Rainbow Sand and Succulents

    terrarium with colored sand

    @saoriartebotanico / Instagram

    Layering colorful sand in an open terrarium is an easy way to create a striking display with these shallow-rooted succulents.

What Plants to Put in a Terrarium

Choosing appropriate terrarium plants depends on a few factors but one important consideration is whether you have an open or closed terrarium. Tillandsia (air plants) can be grown in both closed and open terrarium containers.

Plants for Closed Terrariums

Closed terrariums preserve humidity much more effectively than open ones, and this is the type to choose if you want a lush, moist plant environment. Here are some plant suggestions.

Plants for Open Terrariums

An open terrarium is a good choice if you want to grow drought-tolerant plants with low humidity needs such as succulents or cacti. You can also use plants that need more moisture, though will need to pay more attention to the water and humidity needs of your plants.

How to Care for Your Terrarium

Once your terrarium is established, it should be fairly low maintenance. Most terrariums do best in partial light conditions. Too much bright sunlight can cause the glass container to overheat, especially with a closed terrarium.

For closed terrariums, the atmosphere should remain humid enough that you won't need to do any extra watering. If the plants start to get too dry, mist the inside with water and consider moving the plant to a lower light location.

Open terrariums with low moisture needs will still benefit from occasional misting with water, especially if you have dry heated indoor air during the colder months.

The humidity in a closed terrarium can sometimes cause a bit of debris to build up, which necessitates glass cleaning. Use a small microfiber cloth and a gentle cleaner to wipe down the inside.