I have never planted anything in my life or maybe I have but the plant didnt last very long. I believe that I do not have any green fingers and have no love for plants or gardening. However, I do not want my kids growing up like me having no love for plants and gardening. And the in thing now for urbanites are terrarium as there is little maintenance required to keep the plant alive. A terrarium is a low-maintenance miniature garden inside a clear glass case.And kids as young as 4 years old can also indulge in terrarium making as well (with some supervision of course). Hence, stemming from my own interest of wanting to know more about terrarium and to have some parent and child bonding time with J and C, I signed them up for a terrarium workshop with The Plant Story which is situated at Hort Park itself, how apt, a nursery cum cafe in the middle of a park.

To begin a terrarium session, the participants ie my kids have to choose a DIY Kit (they have mainly glass terrarium which is nicer than acrylic but for kids, they really need to handle with care and supervision).

DIY kit comes with all the basic materials (plant inclusive) for you to assemble your own garden in the comfort of your own home with instruction included which cost from SGD 45 onwards for the small glass jar. You can also pay for workshop fee of SGD 10 to have some one guiding you in the terrarium making process at the shop which was what I choose.

making a rainforest terrarium

After selecting their jar, they were brought to a table with a huge selection of coloured sands to begin their session.

The first layer being the drainage layer, the kids can choose coloured sands to fill the bottommost layer.

pretty coloured sand

guided workshop

After filling 2 layers of coloured sands, they used a compactor to “‘compact” each layer so that the layers can stay in place. Thereafter, another layer of grey sands which are larger than the coloured sands are added into the jar.

using a compactor

The next layer will be the soil.

The next step, which is to plant the actual plant into the soil layer. This is pretty difficult as I too as an adult find it difficult to nicely cover the roots in soil especially in smaller jar like the one that C chose.

Another thin layer of coloured sand is placed over the soil after planting (mulch layer). A piece of charcoal is placed inside to absorb excess moisture and purification purposes. And some stones for decorative purposes. You can also purchase decorative murano glass figurines to beautify the garden.

And finally a few squirts of water …..and we can cover it. And we have successful made a terrarium!

The experience doesnt end there. The kids/I will have to maintain the terrarium at hom. On a weekly basis, open the lid for a couple of hours. You only need to water the plant once a month and do not to place the terrarium in places with direct sunlight. I really hope that the plants will thrive under my kids /my care. For now, the terrariums are sitting very prettily above my shoe cabinet near my front door. In the event, the plant do not thrive under my care, I can always go back to A Plant Story and pay for the sand and plant cost to redo the terrarium as I/my kids already know the basic steps of making a terrarium.

And the DIY kits make great gift for kids and adults too!

The Plant Story
HortPark, 33 Hyderabad Road
(Off Alexandra Road)
#01-01 (Beside the Lawn)
Singapore 119578

Telephone:
+65 9722 0438

Email:
ihaveaquestion@theplantstory.com

Opening Hours:

10am – 7pm
Closed on Wednesday and major PH