Guided by our instructors, everything is provided for you to construct a terrarium, along with aftercare instructions on how to look after your miniature ecosystem.

Terrariums, a brief history

The precursor to the terrarium was the 'Wardian Case', an accidental discovery by Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, a medical doctor with a passion for botany. Ward made his discovery after placing the pupa of a sphinx moth in a sealed glass bottle to observe its metamorphis - after some time he noted after the appearance of a seedling fern. Ward had been unable to grow ferns in his East London garden due to the poor air quality. However after removing the insect, he noted the plants continued to flourish and Ward realised the conditions inside the case would be ideal for the safe transportation of plants around the globe. The first trial of the cases took place in 1833. shipping ferns from England to Australia that arrived in perfect condition. The cases evolved over the years to better protect the plants and they were used by Kew gardens right up until 1962.

Although terrariums were popular in Victorian times, they fell out of favour, but experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1970s and again in recent years. I think this is largely due to a renewed interest in engaging with nature and also in compact living. No matter how small your space, you can create a miniature oasis.