10 Gallon Terrarium Ideas

Holidays

• No matter which holiday is your favorite, a 10-gallon terrarium gives you room to celebrate the season. Create a Christmas-themed scene by combining red, white and green. Small geraniums (Pelargonium x hortorum) that bloom in red and white add a pop of color. Include in your terrarium a small short-leaf pine (Pinus echinata), which is hardy outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 6 through 9, or a stone pine (Pinus pinea), hardy in USDA zones 8 through 10. Both pines grow slowly, are low-maintenance and provide a place from which to hang tiny decorative balls to emphasize the Christmas theme.

  If you prefer Easter, opt for robust green plants and pastel-colored flowers in shades such as pale pink, mint green and butter yellow. Brightly colored pebbles or gravel also lend themselves to an Easter-themed terrarium. Add small bunny figurines and plastic Easter eggs for extra effect.

Life Events

• When a major milestone approaches in your life or that of a loved one, you could use a terrarium as a living way to commemorate the event, and it lasts long after the special day ends. If you want to celebrate your wedding day, opt for lots of delicate greenery and flowering plants that reflect the colors used in your wedding.

  A terrarium is also a positive way to remember loved ones who have passed. Gather small plants from any planters that were sent to the funeral home, and create a terrarium with them as a way of creating a miniature memorial garden. If the deceased person was a gardener, an option is to gather clippings or plants from his garden to include in your memorial terrarium.

Terrains

• If you long for sunny days spent at the beach or the cool breezes that sweep through the mountains in the evening, you can bring a little piece of your favorite terrain into your home. Scatter sand, seashells, starfish and seahorses amid the plants in a beach-themed terrarium. Add a couple of air plants such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) or ball moss (Tillandsia recurvata), both hardy in USDA zones 8 through 11, for a tropical ambiance. If you would rather have a prairie setting, use a variety of prairie flowers, and include the prairie grass little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), which is perennial in USDA zones 3 through 9.

Faux Wildlife

• When foliage plants and flowering plants simply aren't enough for your terrarium, consider adding a touch of wildlife. Because placing live creatures in a terrarium isn't always feasible, simulate a setting that would appeal to your favorite creatures. Create the appropriate setting for your faux wildlife, and then insert replicas of the live animals in the terrarium. Replicas of butterflies, frogs, snakes, insects and turtles are a handful of the options available that create an interesting addition to any terrarium.