POUR YOURSELF A GLASSFUL OF GARDEN

       Aquariums are a fixture in many homes, bringing the serenity of the natural world into the living room. And that aquariums are to water, terrariums are to earth, now making their way into many homes as more and more people seek to "go green".
       "If your love gardening but don't have a lot of time or the space for an outdoor garden, a terrarium may be an ideal option for you," says Indonesia's terrarium pioneer Anie Kristiani.
       And because these pretty miniature gardens are enclosed in glass, you can control everything from moisture to lighting with relative ease.
       "You can bring plants in comventional plastic pots into your home, but most of the time, they're dirty," Anie says during a workshop. "Besides, they're less artistic and you can get bored with them pretty easily."
       Terrariums, on the other hand, "are dirt-free and can be a great way to add a beautiful decoration to your home," she adds.
       And not only for your home: If your office needs a touch of green, terrariums can make lovely desk ornaments there, too.
       Terrariums were first used as study aids in laboratories. Dr Nathaniel Ward, an Englihs physician and amateur botanist, created a terrarium by accident in the early 1800s. After going out gathering insect cocoons, he placed them in a covered glass jar. Several days later, Ward noticed that there were tiny plants growing in the jar, next to the cocoons. Enthralled by what he saw, he began to construct terrariums to study ecosystems in miniature.
       But you don't have to be a scientist to create a little world of your own - even children can do it, creating their own tiny dreamland in a little jar, while learning about about ecosystems at the same time.
       The first thing is to decide on the type of glass container you want your plants to grow in. If you're a beginner, or prefer simplicity, you can choose a small glass, jar or vase. For a more adventurous option, you can choose a wineglass or even a bottle. If you want a bigger terrarium, try a fishbowl.
       The next thing to do is to prepare your minigardening tools: chopsticks, plastic frok (your rake), water sprayer and brushes. Then there is the soil, in this case horticultural charcoal, moss, compost and zeolite sand - all of which can be found in any gardening store.
       These mediums cash have slighly different properties, Anie explains. Moss works to absorb excess water. Charcoal does the same, but has the extra job of absorbing toxins. Zeolite sand consists of volcanic minerals that absorb air from the surroundings. The compost, which Anie says should be made from plant not animal waste, works as a natural fertiliser.
       Once you're set up, you're ready to get creative, with the "landscaping". Designng your terrarium garden will provide you with hours of entertainment as you decide on its theme and how it will look. You can choose all kinds of different themes: an undersea grotto with seashells; spring garden with insects, butterflies and brids; colourful playground full of figuries; or a warm desert with a cactus or two. Decide how you will arrange the plants, flower, rocks and other decorations.
       At this stage, Anie says, it's important to decide what kind of terrarium you prefer: A wet one, or a dry one. The difference between the two lies in the type of plants. If you prefer a dry terrarium, choose cactus, cryptanthus (or earth stars) and succulents like aloe vera and sansevieria.
       A wet terrarium, on the other hand, is for plants that thrive in humid conditions, such as small leafy verieties like calathea and maranta (both are popularly known as "prayer plants" because of their habit of folding their leaves closed each night, like hands joined in prayer), miniature ferns, small palms, dracacna, fittonia, gesneriaceae, peperomia, scindapsus and synogium (or arrowhead vine).
       There are as many options as there are gardeners. You could even combine water-loving plants like bamboo with alyssums, or miniature African violets. Or look around and see if you can find some ultra-mini roses. If your terrarium is large enough, you can try growing herbs such as parsley.
       "For terrariums, look for plants that are slow growing with rather small leaves," says Anie, author of "Making Terrariums: A Tiny Garden inside a Glass". "You'll want to find plants that are tolerant of living indoors and small enough to fit comfortably in your terrarium."