10 Famous Plants For Terrariums That Are Easy To Grow

Terrarium plants are a fun and easy way to have living plants inside your home year around. A terrarium garden takes up very little space, requires minimum maintenance and costs very little to start. Use these tips and plant ideas to get started growing your own decorative terrarium today.

What is a Terrarium?

A terrarium is an indoor, mini-garden that grows under glass. Inside the glass cover a separate environment begins to evolve and plants will thrive with very little human intervention. Plant it and forget about it. The look of a terrarium is as individual as the gardener who plants it, Go with an elegant look, tropical terrarium plants look or anything in-between, there’s no right or wrong in this type of indoor gardening. The only rule of thumb is to select plants that have the same water and lights needs for planting together.

Small Terrarium Plants

Go for a thriller, a spiller and a filler anytime you plant a container that will hold more than one plant. That rule applies to terrarium planting too. Choose from some of these famous plants for terrariums that are easy to grow to create your own DIY under-glass growing garden:

1- Baby Tears: (Helxine soleirolii)

It is a low-growing, slow-growing miniature plant for terrariums. The tiny oval leaves provide green interest and will cover the bottom of the container nicely.

2- Mini Ferns Terrarium Plants

These terrarium plants come in several varieties and add interest to a terrarium with their unique leaf texture. Mini ferns can be trimmed and shaped to grow as desired.

3- Hair Cap Moss

These are small terrarium plants that you can probably get for free from your own back yard. Hair Cap Moss look like a tiny sprig of grass, then it develops a hair-like cap on top. This easy-care moss is perfect for terrariums and usually found in wooded areas near old tree stumps or felled trees. Hair Cap moss will slowly spread and cover the bottom of the planting container.

Thriller Terrarium Plants

4- Herb Plants

Good terrarium plants that will draw attention and create a WOW factor in the glass garden are any type of herb plants. If creating an edible indoor garden is of interest to you, try growing dill, basil, sage, thyme or cilantro under glass. Selective harvesting will keep herb plants growing neatly and confined to their small indoor growing space.

5- Miniature African Violets (Saintpaulia ionantha) 

These are the best terrarium plants bloom color. Miniature plants that will provide green leaf color year around and a variety of bloom color for part of the year. Good thriller plant for small terrarium gardens or great for large terrariums when planted enmasse. Choose from purple, pink, red, white or peach color blooms.

6- Bromelaids (Bromeliaceae)

Bromelaids are a thriller plant that provide a tropical flair to an indoor terrarium. In the cacti family, bromelaids are slow-growing, with large green leaves that will develop a colorful center cap that resembles a bloom. This thriller plant comes in red, yellow or orange cap varieties and can be kept pruned to fit any size terrarium. Bromelaids also grow well outdoors or in any type of open container.

7- Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)

Kalanchoe with its various bloom colors, are a staple in floral departments and garden centers due to its fuss-free care requirements. This slow-growing succulent is inexpensive and perfect for growing in a terrarium. Trim as needed for year around greenery and warm season bloom color.

Spiller Plants

8- Miniature Ivy (Hedera helix)

Miniature Ivy grows to produce a few tendril that can be trained to spill outside of the terrarium. The spreading plant can also be trimmed and trained to grow within a very confined space.

9- Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

Pothos comes in several varieties, all of which make good plants for terrariums. Hardy, easy-care, easy to train, these trailing plants can be used as spillers or fillers.

10- Partridgeberry Vine (Mitchella Repens)

It is an evergreen vine that produces tiny red berries in the winter. This slow-growing vine is a great choice for pairing with moss varieties, adding leaf texture and color to any terrarium.