DIY | succulent terrariums

I have to hold up my hands and admit to being the ultimate geek when it comes to succulents, I just think they're so darn beautiful!

so when I saw a tray of succulent babies in homebase a week ago I knew it was a sign that I had to make that terrarium I've been planning for so long. it's incredibly simple to do and they're such low maintenance rascals that even my special ability to kill plants is challenged..

you need a few basic things to put together a terrarium:

a selection of succulents/cacti (try garden centres/ikea/eBay)

a glass bowl

cacti/succulent compost (available in most garden centres)

gravel

sand

crushed charcoal (this is harder to find but is only there to minimise odour so is optional)

take your glass bowl and start to layer up the ingredients! the gravel base layer helps the plants with drainage, top with a layer of charcoal followed by a layer of sand (remember to keep the layers neat and even as it'll look nicer in the glass bowl!)

next is the succulent compost, I added a few inches in total (it depends on the size of your plants) remove the succulents from their pots and massage the roots to loosen up the root ball before you pot them into the compost.

I added a layer of gravel to the top to neaten it all but you can also add a layer of moss too.

water them verrrry lightly, you should aim to keep the terrarium only slightly damp. it shouldn't really be bone dry either but don't get carried away as too much water will make them rot! I might invest in a water sprayer to mist them as the succulents in my bathroom seem to love the humid moist environment and I rarely ever water them!

I love my DIY terrarium so much! 

I have a few baby succulents left over so I'm going to find some other ways of potting them.. maybe in some of my old china tea cups?

do you like?

caroline x