Bottle gardens are back in vogue and have shaken off their Seventies vibe. With an increasing realisation of the therapeutic benefits of nature, more people are enjoying the benefits of making friends with plants and introducing greenery to their interiors. Also known as terrariums, the miniature landscapes viewed through glass are the ideal low-maintenance indoor gardens for urban dwellers with limited space.
The first bottle garden was an accidental discovery by Nathaniel Ward in the 19th century. A keen amateur botanist, he discovered a fern growing in a glass case which was holding moths. He developed this idea and the Wardian case was born.
This was a glass enclosure which protected plant hunters’ bounty on their voyage home. The case protected the plants from salt water and sea gales while retaining moisture within, thereby keeping them hydrated as well. When the Victorians went through a period of pteridomania, or fern madness, they adopted the Wardian case for use at home to house and display ferns.
In the run up to Christmas you may have seen plant terrariums in the shops and wondered how they were created. It’s a fun project to do and you can either source your own bottle or many florists and garden retailers now sell bottles as well as long handled tools for manipulating the plants.
The choice of container is key — it needs to be large enough to allow for some growth of the plants and with an opening that you will be able to squeeze the plants through without too much difficulty. Ideally you will be able to seal the bottle with a cork as this will keep the moisture in and negate the need for watering your mini garden.
Whatever you choose, give it a clean as you want the glass to be as clear as possible so that light can enter and the plants can photosynthesise. Photosynthesis is essential for plant growth and the transformation of carbon dioxide to oxygen creating a healthy environment.
Next, create two layers within the base of the container. The first layer will be a porous material to help with drainage and prevent fungal attacks. Use gravel, pebbles or sand and add a thin layer of activated charcoal which will reduce any smell caused by decomposition of dead leaves. Now add a couple of inches of compost.
Choose plants which require a high degree of humidity and are fairly slow growing. Ideally they will all need similar light and water requirements. Suitable candidates include most ferns, fittonia, the nerve plant, peperomia and, of course, moss will thrive here.
Getting the plants inside is the hardest part of the task and the difficulty factor is the size of your bottle neck opening. If the neck is large enough for you to get at least one of your hands inside, things are normally easy as you just need to carefully put one plant in at a time and then bury the root ball into the layer of compost you added previously.
With narrow openings, use long-handled spoons to enable you to dig out a small trench and then to help you lower the plants into the newly created hole.
Firm the soil gently around the roots. Don’t crowd the plants — allow them space to grow and spread and don’t plant directly against the sides of the container.
Water carefully by pouring the water against the inside rim of the bottle. It will run down the sides of the vessel, cleaning it along the way and into the soil. This way it flows to the very edges without dislodging the plants or splattering the compost. Go easy on the amount used — more can always be added but too much will drown your newbies.
Place your new bottle garden in its new home, in a bright environment but away from direct sunlight. If you have a closed terrarium — if it has a lid or cork — put that cover in place. A closed bottle garden may never need watering again and you don’t need to feed it as you’re not trying to encourage growth.
Plant of the week
Clematis ‘Winter Beauty’
Clematis ‘Winter Beauty’ While we usually associate clematis with spring and summer, there are some evergreen varieties that will flower now and bridge that gap until Clematis montana appears. ‘Winter Beauty’ is an evergreen clematis with white, waxy-looking, bell-shaped flowers with a gentle scent and it flowers from now until March. Lovely on a pergola or fence, it provides welcome winter interest.
Reader Q&A
We have a cotoneaster in our garden that we planted 27 years ago and it always thrived. We had a tree surgeon tidy it up last year but it looks like he butchered it. Is it dead or is there anything we can do? James
Cotoneaster
I don’t think it was the tree surgeon — it looks like fire blight and that is a bacterial disease that cotoneaster can get. Unfortunately there’s no cure for this so you will need to think about a replacement instead.
Submit your gardening questions to Diarmuid via his Instagram @diarmuidgavin using the hashtag #weekendgarden