insituplants, Author at In Situ Plants Toronto | Green Walls | Live Walls

Sansevieria zeylanica, earning its keep in the window of a Toronto clothing boutique. Image © In Situ Plants. — Sansevieria zeylanica, earning its keep in the window of a Toronto clothing boutique. Image © In Situ Plants.

A Kentia palm provides a backdrop for a handbag in a Toronto showroom's display window. Image © In Situ Plants.

I laid out in another post some of the ways plants can improve office and other interior spaces; rectifying poor air quality, reducing stress and improving focus and attention were some of the major benefits, all of which could of course be employed anywhere to optimize indoor environments.

As it turns out, there is also a good amount of data supporting the fact that retailers in particular have the potential to directly increase revenue through the addition of plants in their spaces.

Plants notably improve the customer experience in retail settings, and draw more customers, keep them around longer, and cause them to interact more with the space.

This study from the Vienna University of Economics and Business explored how the addition of plants and other natural features affected the movement and behavior of shoppers in a mall, and found that plants alone increased the inflow of people by nearly 25%, as well as increasing interaction with the space and with other people by more than 33%, creating that much more opportunity for sales. When coupled with other naturalistic elements such as water features the numbers become even higher, making a great case for both, though of course plants are a little less elaborate and more practical for most spaces.

They then go on to invoke this study, which notes that businesses on streets with ample trees rated substantially higher in customer perceptions of merchants and product value and quality, particularly in the case of specialty goods.

How is all this possible? The answer lies in the biophilic instinct, which I’ve gotten into here already, but which is basically humans’ innate need for affiliation with other living things, developed as we evolved alongside other forms of life. Proximity to natural elements helps us to feel grounded, secure, and at home, and indeed we do tend to surround ourselves with these: from houseplants to city parks, plants have figured largely in the way we have lived our lives since at least the beginning of written history.

Biophilic store design, then, is the incorporation of natural elements such as plants to a space to address this instinct in order to improve and enhance the consumer’s experience and ultimately translate this into increased revenue. Live plants are, of course, not the only natural element that could be used to satisfy this; they are, however, as close as one is likely to get to nature in most indoor settings.

For us this is yet another affirmation of the benefits and value of plants in retail spaces; we’ve seen first hand and heard from our clients how, for instance, people come in off the street just to have a look at the plants, only to more often than not shop the store.

And while we feel that any organization can benefit from interior landscaping services, it would appear that retail establishments have an opportunity to profit directly from the addition of plants to their spaces.

The classic Philodendron hederaceum, perfectly contrasting an orange wall. Image © In Situ Plants.

Philodrendron bipinnatifidum, playing at being a tree. Image © Jan Richtr; retrieved from the Biological Library website.

The aptly named Philodendron gloriosum, in its glory. Image @ In Situ Plants.

Philodendron erubescens, the quintessential tropical climbing vine. Image retrieved from fcpn.net.

Philodendron has to be one of my favourite genera within one of my favourite families of plants; the Araceae. They range from miniature specimens great for terrariums to veritable trees. There are several species quite common in cultivation, and several others that are not impossible to find; most are exceptional, hardy specimens in the interior landscape. Care is generally the same across the genus, though the ones in commercial cultivation are generally hardier than the rarer species coveted by serious collectors.

All appreciate bright indirect light, though some species such as P. bipinnatifidum are happy with as much light as you can give them indoors, while others such as P. cordatum can hang in there in spots too dim to grow much else.

Nearly all species in the genus are at least occasionally epiphytic, with most growing above the forest floor, and so appreciate a fair amount of air at the roots; a nice open mix that still holds moisture well is appreciated by these plants. They certainly do not appreciate being waterlogged, and I like to let the surface of the media dry down a bit as an indicator of when they need a good drink again. Humidity is appreciated, but most will soldier through without.

As noted above, there is a lot of variety within the genus; what follows are descriptions of a few of the species more or less common in cultivation. And remember, this list is only scratching the surface of the large and impressive list of interior plants from the Araceae, the family to which Philodendron belongs, and to which Anthurium, Monstera, Epipremnum, Syngonium, Alocasia, Zamioculcas and Spathiphyllum also relate (to say nothing of Cryptocoryne, Bucephelandra, Lagenandra, Anubias [all grown in aquariums] as well as some of the less common genera that find themselves indoors here such as Raphidophora).

Philodendron ‘Rojo Congo’ and other self-heading varieties

These are generally big plants suitable for larger spaces; ‘Congos’ will quickly reach 5-6′ in diameter. The stems and petioles of ‘Rojo Congo’ have a reddish colour to them, and the leaves are a deep green. This one likes brighter indirect light; it is otherwise quite hardy and resilient to drought. Definitely a great choice for a quintessential tropical look, it is an impressive plant that contrasts well with green foliage plants. There’s a ‘Congo Green’ out there that lacks the red colouration, but it’s less popular. Other self-heading varieties include such fanciful names as ‘Imperial Red’, ‘Prince of Orange’ and ‘Moonlight’, and these are for the most part more compact than ‘Congo’.

Philodendron hederaceum

In my opinion one of the best vining plants for the indoors, the humble P. hederaceum now has several incarnations that are all quite nice. People have been growing this one for a long time, and justifiably so; it is extraordinary resilient, and can tolerate low light and missed waterings very well; we often use it in place of the more commonly seen pothos (Epipremnum aureum) because I prefer the leaf shape and more delicate stems. Bright indirect light is best, and will help the plant produce nice large leaves.

Plant breeders have developed a chartreuse variety (I’m unsure of the official name), and a cultivar named ‘Brazil’ (which features a light green stripe down the middle of the leaf), both of which contrast marvelously with the true species and offer a little extra colour in a planting. But perhaps the best variety of this species is one with velvety, almost iridescent foliage and a purplish colour to the undersides of the leaves, which is a naturally occurring variety which probably has a name, but which I won’t try and determine here (wading through the taxonomy of this species is frustrating, to say the least).

Philodendron bipinnatifidum

Say the name above five times fast and I’ll buy you one: this interesting species has to be one of the largest in the genus, though it most often hits the shelves as a young plant. Commonly sold under the cultivar name ‘Selloum’, this species grows a thick, almost trunk-like stem, and indeed can stand on its own until it reaches considerable height, although it is adapted to grow tightly against the sides of proper trees via thick aerial roots. These make wonderful specimens in humid greenhouses when given enough room, and would fare well in larger indoor settings provided they are able to get enough light, though for some conspicuous reason they’re not often seen here either too often anymore. They don’t do so well (and tend to look terrible) in spaces where they’re up against a wall or in a corner, and do even worse when light is inadequate, so try and avoid the temptation to buy one of these unless you truly have the space to dedicate to one.

Philodendron gloriosum

There are several species of Philodendron (and several more in the related genus Anthurium) which look similar, foliage-wise, and thank heavens; gloriosum is an apt a name as could be hoped for. Beautiful large, velvety, deep green foliage with prominent white veins make this species stand out dramatically, and though it’s a bit ungainly in smaller spaces I don’t think I’d ever pass up the chance to use one if I could.

This species is interesting in that it seems to be terrestrial in nature, and wants to spread across the ground, which makes it a bit challenging to maintain in a pot, but certainly well worth the extra effort. This would definitely be a great choice for a larger bed in good light, where it could grow unimpeded and get really well established. Similar-looking but less common species such as Anthurium clarinervium are more self-heading in nature and are more easily contained, though these may be a bit more temperamental regarding humidity.

Philodendron erubescens

There are many cultivars and hybrids from this species, and it really is the quintessential climbing Philodendron, in my books. You’ll see these most often grown on a totem, and a well-grown specimen is impressive indeed, though plants on totems are a little tricky to keep looking nice over the long term (what to do with them when they reach the top, for example?). The sheaths which cover the emerging leaves are often red, and provide a nice contrast to the rich green of the leaves. Several of these in a row can make a great room divider, and are a great way to add a bit of height to a planting without breaking the bank, as these plants grow quickly under optimal conditions and are inexpensively produced by growers. They will also grow well as hanging plants in larger spaces, though all they want to do is grow up something, so a totem really is the most natural way to display these. (The same could be said of P. hederaceum above as well, really.)

In all, I generally find Philodendron species to be hardy and adaptable. I have noticed that they’re susceptible to thrips (see this post for more info on those little buggers), but past that and sometimes mealybug or spider mite to a small degree I’ve not seen too much afflict them. Too much water or too little light are the ones to watch for; otherwise, they’re very rewarding to grow, especially when they get huge.

Bonus: Species Suitable for Terrariums

On the other side, as though there wasn’t already enough diversity in the genus, there are also a few species that stay small enough to allow their long-term use in terrariums. One goes under the name Philodendron ‘Wend-Imbe’, though I’m unsure of the accuracy of this name. At any rate, the one grown in terrariums gets to only about 8″ tall, and features narrow lance-shaped leaves. Another is Philodendron ‘Burle-Marx Fantasy’, which is a small (in its immature form, which it easily retains) climbing vine with beautifully patterned foliage, and which was discovered in the collection of Mr. Roberto Burle Marx, a Brazilian landscape architect. If one gets at all serious about terrariums they will see these available from time to time, and they should definitely jump on either should the opportunity arise, as they lend a lush foliar touch to the tropical terrarium. (There are several other members of the Araceae which are also great terrarium candidates due to their diminutive size such as Pothos scandens, Anthurium gracile and Syngonium rayii, but this list is meant to be about Philodendron specifically, so I’ll leave these for now.) Try them out.

Calathea rufibarba, a beautiful yet rarely grown species with fuzzy, scalloped leaves which are a deep green above and purple below. Certainly a little more interesting than a Spathiphyllum or other similarly-sized plant, this species garners a good amount of attention. Image © In Situ Plants.

Anthurium superbum, a species with beautiful bullate leaves that thrives in bright indirect light. Image © In Situ Plants.

There are an estimated 400,000 species of plants on earth. While this includes species such as giant marine kelp, leafless parasitic plants, and a slough of other ones not ultimately suitable for indoor cultivation, there are a significant number which will do quite well in an interior setting provided a few basic conditions are met, and certainly more species than are typically seen indoors.

It seems then a disservice to our clients, our own industry and plants in general that most companies seem to prefer to play it safe with the tried-and-true varieties that we’ve all become so accustomed to seeing. They’re about as common as dirt, as the saying goes, and, besides the fact that they (hopefully) have been grown as premium interior specimens and not hastened out the greenhouse door in the fashion of so many of the houseplants sold to the consumer market (the subject of another forthcoming post, I’m sure), there’s not really much to differentiate them from the plants that people are growing on their own at home, or at least that they’re so used to seeing everywhere that they don’t even notice them anymore.

It’s a disservice to clients because, while presumably done with good intentions in order to spare clients the sight of an ailing plant should anything go awry (most of these are very tough to kill [or at least they die slowly and relatively gracefully], and perform fairly predictably), it doesn’t really deliver a tremendous amount of value to the client: certainly they will get the physical benefits of having plants indoors (these benefits were touched on in this post), but the aesthetic and biophilic benefits of plants seem to me somewhat dependent on the plants being engaging and actually noticed, instead of looking like furniture as they so often do. And why have something commonplace when something extraordinary is just as much cost (on their part) and effort (on our part)?

It’s a disservice to our industry for several reasons. As I noted above, to the untrained eye these species, even if they’ve been better grown, look nearly indistinguishable from the ones that can be bought for a pittance at a big box store or wherever; it is challenging to justify the price point for them when someone thinks that they’re the same as the ones they saw for a quarter of the price up the road, even if they get the whole spiel about quality, etc. The other side to this is that many people grow these plants in their home themselves; why, then, would they pay us to do it? Yes, we can do a much better job (hopefully!), but it’s just another aspect we need to justify to the customer. Granted, there are some situations (extreme low light, for example) where only the bulletproof plants will do, but in most situations there is likely something more unique that could be used.

Lastly, it’s a disservice to plants (not that they care): what better way to share a passion for all things green than to try and show the public as much of that world as we can? There’s just so much out there that it seems strange to restrict ourselves to the commonplace when we’re in the business of bringing life into our clients’ spaces; certainly showcasing the extraordinary biodiversity that the plant kingdom has to offer is an effective way of doing just this.

Plants are able to do so much for us, and technology now makes it easier to keep species with particular requirements happy without any additional work (the Calathea above would certainly be trickier without the sub-irrigated planters it’s in; it’s relatively easy to grow so long as it doesn’t go dry). Vertical gardens allow the perfect growing environment for plants so uncommon in cultivation that they don’t even have a common name; the combination of ample water and high humidity makes a huge variety of plants available to the vertical gardener. What a shame then to see so many large, high-profile projects populated by pothos and other common plants when the whole of the tropics could have been the designer’s oyster.

In Situ challenges all in our industry (growers, local wholesalers and interior landscaping firms) to venture off the well-trodden path of Dracaena and Schefflera and step into a world rich in plant species which can grow our industry and the public’s love and appreciation for plants indoors.

Feeding damage caused by thrips to a pothos leaf before it has fully developed, resulting in distortion and necrotic patches. Regrettably out of focus image © Plantscape Designs, Inc.; image retrieved from their blog.

Amblyseius cucumeris, a mite predator of thrips, in a moment of glory. Image © Rosemarije Buitenhuis; image retrieved from an article on thrips on the Greenhouse Canada website.

Feeding damage and feces left behind by thrips, the rude little buggers. Image © the respective photographer (there are several credited on the page); retrieved from the University of California, Riverside

When one reads about pests in the interior landscape, spider mites, scale and mealybug are the most often mentioned, and with good reason: these creatures can, if conditions are right, completely overwhelm a plant, literally sucking the life from it. Even if they don’t, they can cause plants to be unsightly, and, in the case of the latter two insects, can cover the plant and the immediate area with sticky honeydew which is a bitch to clean. The signs of their presence are usually fairly obvious: spider mites create webs which can cover leaf surfaces and their feeding damage gives foliage a speckled appearance; scale will populate the foliage and stems with their dark, bumpy selves, and mealybug will crowd leaf axils and stems with their cottony badness.

And then there are thrips; they are small enough that most of the time you won’t know they’re there, and the damage they inflict on plants is often confusing and can lead one to believe that something else is responsible. And often when I’m assessing a problematic plant and mention them, people will frown and ask, ‘What are thrips?’ Hence this post.

Thrips is a large family of insects, many species of which are serious agricultural pests. (And yes, the singular and plural pronunciation and spelling is the same.) Because they have the ability to reproduce so rapidly, they can quickly develop resistance to chemical insecticides, making them a serious nuisance.

Because they feed primarily on new growth (including leaves, flowers and fruit), the damage they do is often caused before this new growth develops fully: flowers and leaves then open with distorted shapes, necrotic patches and streaks that can resemble disease, mechanical damage or nutrient deficiency. They can also feed on matured foliage, leaving behind silverish patches which in some species can become bronze-coloured or corky with time. They are, as I mentioned above, quite tiny, and when hidden deep in a flower bud or the like can be practically invisible. Knocking the plant part while holding it above a white sheet of paper will often dislodge a few and reveal their presence, and they do leave dark little globs of feces near feeding damage as well.

t is not merely enough for them to be sneaky, tiny, and voracious; they are also incredibly mobile. I have visited sites where every single plant on an entire office floor was afflicted (granted, it was stocked mostly with thrips’ favourite food, but still). They are capable of flight and also of being carried by the breeze due to their tiny size (not that this is as much a problem indoors). They also breed at a pace that would make a rabbit blush; they can complete the cycle from egg to breeding adult in as little as two weeks if temperatures are high enough to permit it.

This latter fact is one of the main challenges with their management by chemical means; as they reproduce so quickly, they are able to just as quickly develop resistance to insecticides, and thus these only offer a measure of control for a short time before they are useless. Irresponsible use of these chemicals by producers (failing to rotate chemicals, calendar spraying, and incorrect technique) have not helped the situation, and in fact, probably the most widespread of these beasts in Canadian ornamental horticulture, the western flower thrips, is now resistant to most chemical insecticides.

But before your despair causes you to throw your scarred old pothos into the compost, wait: there is hope in the form of biological control. There are many predators of thrips in nature, and several are able to be commercially raised for use in controlling them. Natural Insect Control, Inc. of Stevensville, Ontario is our most local option here in Toronto, and offers several of these in varying increments, the most common and economical being Amblyseius cucumeris, a predatory mite with a healthy appetite for thrips. This is a great solution if you’re not anti-bug in general (you’ll be intentionally releasing thousands of mites into your plants, after all), though to their further credit they are also very small and innocuous. I won’t get into the importance of knowing a little bit about the life cycle and natural history of both thrips and these mites in order to have optimal success with this technique; that’s a whole other blog post, at least. Suffice to say that it’s definitely a good option, particularly if you have many afflicted plants or what you’re trying to save is of high value (A. cucumeris are reasonably priced, by biological control standards, but certainly cost more than the average plant that one might buy at a garden centre or the like). There are several other thrips predators available to consumers such as Orius insidiosus and several other mite species, but as mentioned above, A. cucumeris is the most economical.

Another option is using products containing spinosad; these have only recently become available to consumers in Canada, so far as I know. They contain spinosyns, which are compounds which were discovered by fermenting a bacteria found at a rum distillery in the Virgin Islands(!); you can read the dry version of that here. Spinosad is wonderfully effective at controlling thrips, as it happens; I first read about it perhaps six years ago as a good tool against thrips in people’s orchid collections, and it has certainly knocked down populations that I’ve treated. There have been reports of thrips developing resistance to spinosyns, so applying sparingly and rotating with another product and/or in conjunction with a thrips predator so that the spray is used less often would help to minimize this effect.

Some products containing spinosad are approved for organic agriculture, which is enticing, though it should be noted that it is very noxious to bees, and so care should be taken with the product in that regard. The LD50 for this stuff is absurdly high compared to pyrethrin, a derivative of chrysanthemum flowers which is used in over-the-counter insecticides, which effectively means that it’s safer (the LD50 actually means that it takes whatever the number is worth of milligrams of compound per kilogram of an animal’s body weight to kill 50% of a population of said animal; a bit strange, but that’s the standard): according to the LD50, presuming you’re as sensitive to this compound as mice or rats and near median human weight, you would need to ingest 310 grams of it in order for it to be fatal; a feat, to be sure.

There are other non-chemical options available to commercial producers which are effective, and which seem to be trickling down and becoming available to the rest of us: the entomopathogenic fungus Beauvaria bassiana has been used as an ingredient in commercially available products for at least several years, and consumer-packaged products are available for order online from out of the country. There is not yet such a product being sold on shelves in Canada, so far as I know.

If you have these pests, you’ll likely be wanting to do something, as they can overwhelm a plant if they like it enough. The pothos pictured above is a common example of a member of the family Araceae, which all the way across the board has been a magnet for thrips, in my experience: Monstera, Philodendron, Anthurium, Spathiphyllum; all of these have fallen prey to the tiny rasping mouthparts of these miniature beasts, while other plants have grown in close contact without sustaining so much as a nibble. There are other susceptible species amongst common and rare indoor plants, and they love many species grown for cut flowers such as chryanthemums and gerbera daisies, to which they cause huge economic damage every year in production greenhouses; tap your bouquets over a sheet of white paper before you set a vase full near your houseplants!

Because their life cycle is so rapid, treatment will need to be fairly frequent in order to ensure they do get knocked down. Biological controls should be released at regular intervals, as many predators such as A. cucumeris feed only on younger thrips and can’t manage the adults (O. insidiosus certainly can, and it’s a joy to watch under magnification, but these guys don’t come cheap).

So that’s the story about thrips; controlling them can be a challenge, so have a close look at any plant you’re thinking of taking home, because you know what they say about an ounce of prevention…

Anoectochilus formosanus, a beautifully-patterned small species of orchid which grows terrestrially in leaf litter in its native habitat, and which loves the moist humid surroundings of a terrarium. Image © In Situ Plants.

The tropical understory; a wealth of interesting species often better suited to the confines of the humid terrarium than the oft-toted succulents. Image © In Situ Plants.

Mosses, to me, are some of the most lush and beautiful plants one can grow, and they do best in a humid terrarium. Image © In Situ Plants.

Peperomia prostrata, a long-standing terrarium favourite which is also quite cute and succulent-looking. Image © In Situ Plants.

You’ve likely read me hint before about my disdain for the current craze in succulent plants, and succulent terrariums in particular. Don’t get me wrong: I’m glad to see an interest in plants in general, and I have nothing against the plants themselves, really; there are a lot of interesting plants that are classified as succulents, displaying a huge variety of shape, colour, and texture, which I suppose is the appeal.They have a reputation of being hard to kill, which I’ll admit is partially true; they grow easily enough when conditions are favourable, and if they are not, most of them are at least slow to decline if pretty much left alone, though improper care can hasten their end, especially via overwatering. They are inxepensive, though (particularly the cute young plants that florists and the like get in), and so are easy to replace when one knocks off.

But are people satisfied with this? Isn’t the whole thing about keeping plants to try and keep them alive and doing well? I’ll readily admit to having killed a plant or two in my time (not usually for lack of trying), but one of the first things I think about when I find a plant I like the look of is whether it’s suited to my growing conditions, and, for me at least, most succulents are patently not. They require (for the most part) very bright light, which is an immediate turn off for me personally, and should be for most people I meet who profess to be ‘really into succulents right now’, most of whom don’t have a window with decent exposure, let alone the solarium or greenhouse that would really allow these plants to do their thing.

These plants end up being stuck in a seashell, a shot glass, or some other kitschy place, or worse yet, a terrarium, where conditions are not exactly optimal; these plants are adapted to arid regions, and most require very bright light, free-draining soil and good air movement to do well, and without special considerations these can be very difficult to achieve in a terrarium environment, which are by design retentive of moisture and humidity.

Seeing as how one might have a glass vessel around after succulent disasters of one kind or another (if not, they’re readily available from many stores now in various shapes and sizes, though of course any glass or otherwise transparent container will do, really), why not give one a go again with plants that are perfectly at home therein? The really nice ones (such as the orchid to the right) can take a little digging to rustle up, but there are many fine species which can be found without too much trouble and with which one can have some rewarding success with terrarium gardening. Because the terrarium should really be a less intensive and more problem-free way to keep plants indoors; soil moisture is held much longer, so issues with forgetting a watering will not be as severe, and most plants will benefit from the extra humidity and reward the grower with larger, vibrant-looking foliage while at the same time avoiding the many foliar maladies that come with dry indoor air.

This was the original purpose of the terrarium, after all; Wardian cases have been around since the Victorian age as a way of keeping exotic tropical plants alive indoors, which was the style at the time. Ferns and the like were and are appreciative of the shelter provided by these glass enclosures, and we now have better technology which allows us to have seamless (and leadless!) glass enclosures for these plants, which makes them all the more attractive while still being quite functional.

What are the prerequisites for a good terrarium plant? First and foremost the plant needs to be adapted to the conditions approximated by a terrarium, which typically consist of lower light, consistently moist soil, higher humidity, lower air movement and limited space, though all of these variables can be controlled to some degree. Fortunately there are many plants who are right at home in such an environment; think of the tropical forest understory, where the light is dim and the air and soil are often very damp indeed. Many species can be found either growing directly on the ground or else epiphytically on the lower portions of trees, and these are often the best suited for terrarium life.

There are plenty of blogs and articles out there that list suitable species, so I won’t bother with one here. Be wary, though, as some of these lists are not entirely well thought out and some of the listed species may eventually grow quite large (relatively speaking); when starting out, working with a larger container will help keep things manageable without needing too much maintenance to keep things from being cramped. Do a little research and find out the maximum size of any prospective species and it will save you trouble in the long run. There are a great many true miniature plants which will stay small for their entire lives, but they are often not available through most retailers, who instead often sell juvenile plants in small pots because they’re cute and inexpensive. An alternative might be creeping or stoloniferous plants, for example, like Pellionia, Pilea, Episcia and others, which are pretty easy to find; their size is very easily managed, for they stay low to the ground and need only be trimmed when they start climbing the walls of the terrarium. There are many upright plants which will stay reasonably short in stature that pass through the garden centres and florists’ often enough, too, so familiarize yourself with a few of the plants from the terrarium-friendly plant lists beforehand and keep your eyes peeled.

There are in fact whole enterprises geared towards selling terrarium-friendly plants (though not so much in Canada, unfortunately); in the USA, Black Jungle, Josh’s Frogs and Glass Box Tropicals are three that are very popular amongst dart frog hobbyists, who build elaborate natural planted enclosures for the species they keep in captivity. Not all of us have access to these places, of course, but their stock lists do serve as a handy reference for plants amenable to the terrarium environment.

A couple tips on setting up and maintaining a terrarium: first, use good quality soil for your terrarium and I guarantee better success than using the dirt from the garden centre (I’d written a little bit about terrarium soil near the bottom of this post): one that allows better aeration and increased longevity will make plants much happier over the long term. And keep up on your watering, but notice that a little water will go a long way; one of the benefits of a clear container is that you can watch the water you apply migrate and spread out into the soil. Do this once or twice while paying attention and you’ll get a sense of how much water it will take to keep things just right. And if you’re a heavy-handed waterer by nature, do not despair; there are plenty of plants that don’t mind wet feet. Plants sold for aquariums, for example, are often riparian species that will do marvelously planted in consistently moist to wet soil and kept humid, and the selection in the trade now is better than ever.

Second, keep that thing out of direct sunlight, especially if it’s without any ventilation holes; if you’ve ever been in a greenhouse on a sunny day you’ve experienced the greenhouse effect, where heat is trapped and accumulates within. This effect works within the terrarium, too, and plants inside can easily be cooked if temperatures are allowed to become extreme. If you’ve picked the right plants, bright indirect light should be the most you’ll need, and many will tolerate deep shade fairly well.

Third, do your homework! If you learn a thing or two about a particular plant’s origins and habitat you’ll be able to make an educated decision on whether it’s a good candidate for the terrarium or not; a simple search online with the species name appended with the word ‘habitat’ will bring up a fair amount of information in most cases. Even cultural tips such as ‘enjoys high humidity’, ‘keep out of direct sunlight’, and ‘keep moist but not wet’ are all valuable clues to the suitability of the prospective species. Knowing your plants a little better also increases the richness of keeping them as a hobby, I feel, so don’t be afraid to nerd out a little.

If you are hellbent on succulents and not having much luck with them inside glass containers, perhaps a dish garden may be a better direction to go for your diminutive landscapes; this will allow for better air movement and the option for higher light in order to achieve greater success with these plants. And of course all of this is not to say that a succulent terrarium is impossible; I’m sure there are people out there who can pull it off (long-term, I mean; anyone can stuff some plants in a jar and put a photo of it on the internet). But the terrarium environment is really best suited to tropical species which will respond positively to those conditions, and if it’s the particular form of succulents that appeals to you, there are many other plants which are succulent-looking in nature but which do hail from tropical forests. Many Peperomia are quite succulent, and most are very well-suited indeed; P. prostrata above has to be one of my all-time favourites. There are some caudex-forming epiphytes such as Mymecodia and Hydnophytum (which are profoundly interesting in their own right due to their mutualistic relationship with ants in nature; read more about that here) which are delightfully rotund at the base and often a little spiny, Cryptanthus and other bromeliads certainly conjure the rosette forms of Echeveria or Haworthia, and the list goes on and on, so give something new a try and have another look at the terrarium; there’s so much out there waiting for you.