Terrariums my new passion

Flowers butterflies and bees all favourites of mine

ONLINE: Little Sprouts Nature Class - Bees, Butterflies, & Other Bugs

I have always loved and been fascinated by terrariums and from time to time I tried my luck without much success-I only used open bottle but now since I discovered Flower and Twig Nursery in Mebourne my interest is starting to bear fruits I have 2 (listed below) and have updated a fish tank filled with ferns-ferns are a passion as well.I decided to make a page for my blog which I can refer to from time to time and also to get information out there to encourage others to participate. I found Hanora at Flower and Twig a great help with my quest to grow terrariums well

above photo belongs to Flower and Twig but I am using it to decorate my story

The first terrarium in 1829 and they evolved over the years to what we have today

The Wardian Case Terrarium – Invention

A Happy Botanical Accident

As with many scientific advances, the terrarium came about through an accidental discovery.

In 1829, physician and amateur botanist Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward was observing a moth chrysalis in a sealed glass bottle. Though the moth never emerged, he did notice a fern spore germinating in the soil (exciting).

Seeing the humidity inside the container’s atmosphere and the condensation on the glass dripping down to water the soil, he realized he’d created a miniature ecosystem.

And thus, the first terrarium was born! Though naturally, he named his new invention after himself: “the Wardian Case.”

The term “terrarium” came much later.

As detailed in his 1842 book, Of the Growth of Plants in Closely Glazed Cases, the Wardian Case was a revolutionary tool that would change the face of horticulture, and the world, forever.

Terrariums in the Home: A Cultural Revolution

Pteridomania & Orchidelirium by Dan & Rae and the Terrarium Tribe

The houseplant hype may seem like a recent trend, but I assure you it’s not; if anything, we’re less houseplant crazy these days.

While terrariums were facilitating the expansion of the British Empire across the globe, back home in drizzly Britain, they had a very different purpose.

Like today, Wardian Cases allowed people to keep plants alive in colder climates (and polluted cities, which was very helpful during the Industrial Revolution).

They’d often be placed on windowsills to show off your exotic plant wealth and block out the smoggy London skyline.

Alocasia zebrina in window — *Are we very different? I love showing off my giant Alocasia zebrina.*

But it wasn’t a universal hobby. The OG plant people were Victorian upper-class women; they had nothing but time and money on their hands and weren’t allowed to do much with it.

Along with playing the pianoforte and embroidery, plant collecting was deemed a perfectly appropriate hobby for a young lady. It was one of the few that could get them out of the ~~stifling patriarchal environment~~ house.

Many ladies got very into it.

terrariums with ferns and orchid — *Though I’m allowed a vote and a job, I certainly share their love of plants.*

So much so that “Pteridomania” (fern fever) and “Orchidelirium” (orchid fever) were titles given to such ladies who came down with these obsessive conditions.

So while Wardian Cases were a functional tool in the world, in British homes, they were simply a fashionable way to keep your posh plants happy.