31 Stunning Terrarium Ideas for a Home Garden Under Glass

A Beautiful Display

This stunning display from drawingplantlady not only features a handful of little pots filled with cacti, but the vintage terrarium is by far one of the most unique. Because a cactus requires more circulation of air, an open terrarium is a better choice for these guys. 

A display like this is a great way to consolidate a lot of little indoor cactus pots into a larger piece that really stands out. 

Geometric Terrariums

Adorable little geometric terrariums are the perfect display for a desk or as a centerpiece on your dining room table. This pyramid glass terrarium features a lovely assortment of mini-succulents and cactus.

Succulents need a lot of light to survive, so make sure to pick a spot in your home that provides ample sunlight throughout the day.  

Gold Terrariums

Another beautiful geometric terrarium, this lovely display is ideal if you're into decorating with gold finishes. We love the echeveria purple pearl succulent that sets the stage for the rest of the display. With plants that need only a little water like these succulents, pumice stones mixed with dirt will keep your plants from drying out between waterings. 

Plant Clippings

This adorable little cork and glass cloche is perfect for propagating plants from clippings. Here, a tony terra cotta pot holds a pilea clipping that's slowly but surely growing into a new plant. Not only is this adorable display worth showing off, but it also provides the moisture this little clipping needs to grow big. 

Orchid Terrarium

We love this beautiful glass display from plantzadddy, which features a single orchid amidst other terrarium-friendly plants like ferns and moss. Orchids are notoriously hard to care for and keep alive, but a terrarium actually creates the perfect humid atmosphere for them to thrive. This little terrarium also features a "false bottom" that allows excess water to drain out. 

Wall Planter Terrariums

Looking for a way to decorate your hallway or staircase? These adorable wall planters are the perfect way to bring a little greenery into your home in a unique, fun way. This display features air plants and golden clubmoss, but if you want to recreate this look in a hallway without a lot of light, consider using low light plants.

Cake Display

If you have glass jars or pedestals sitting around your house just waiting for a cake to show off, consider repurposing them to use as a terrarium. We love this terrarium that features moss and fern in a beautiful glass cake display. 

The best thing about terrariums is you can almost use any container as long as you are aware of the light and air that your plants need. 

Terrarium Plant Stand

This vintage plant stand is perfect for displaying plants that aren't exactly terriarum-friendly, while still getting the same look and feel. Large potted plants can be expensive and hard to care for, but this is a great way to create a larger, more eye-catching display with small and medium-sized plants. 

Hanging Air Plants

If you want to create an even more interesting display in your home, consider hanging glass globe terrariums from your ceiling. This one is the perfect setting for a small air plant. Air plants are great for open terrariums because they need very little water and no soil. This is one of the easiest terrariums to recreate, just be sure you have enough light for your air plant. 

Succulent Garden

A small succulent garden like this one is a lovely way to spruce up your desk and bring in a little air-clarifying beauty. Succulents need very little water, but they do need a lot of sun to really thrive, so make sure you find a spot that provides plenty of light. If you have a lot of glass space to fill, creating layers of stones and dirt can make the display even more visually interesting. 

Moss Terrarium

Another great plant to display in a terrarium is moss. This little glass fishbowl terrarium is earthy and unique, and perfect for your coffee table. Moss loves humid environments, so a terrarium works well. Plus, as pretty and interesting as moss is, it's one of those plants that many of us don't know how to display. 

Grouping of Terrariums

A group of terrariums can add a lot of personality to a room. Try to vary the sizes and shapes of your jars. When choosing terrarium plants for your grouping, it can work well to have some plants that are the same in all of the jars and some that are different. This gives you a sense of flow and continuity, while making each terrarium unique.

Air Plants in Glasses

This air plant assortment from bobshome proves that even an antique canning jar or platter can make the perfect terrarium for an air plant. We love the idea of using a wine glass or a mason jar to show off air plants or succulents. A simple plant mister is all you need to keep your air plants thriving in nearly any glass container.  

A Mini Bonsai Tree

A terrarium is an adorable way to create your own little forest inside your house. This mini bonsai tree terrarium from botanical.lab is a calming little jungle you can put on a desk or a table. Most trees don't like an abundance of soil, so be sure to create a false bottom in any terrarium so your water has somewhere to drain off. 

Fish Bowl Terrarium

Any wide-mouth glass bowl can be a fishbowl, and these can often be found at thrift shops or estate sales. Dream Green DIY made a lovely succulent terrarium using a glass fish bowl, and you can, too. Place rocks and sand in the bottom, add soil, succulents, and a bit of whimsical art, and you have a lovely table top terrarium.

Faux Terrarium

Make a DIY terrarium with faux leaves and moss that you can decorate seasonally. Made in a Day decorated this one with a gold spray painted plastic praying mantis to add a creepy-crawly element for Halloween.

Mason Jar Terrarium

Mason jars come in all shapes and sizes, with wide and narrow mouth openings, and making a terrarium with a mason jar is very easy. You can make an open terrarium by simply leaving the lid off, or use the lid for a closed one, and you can also lay jars on their side for a different look.

Tiny Rain Forest

This terrarium uses carefully chosen plants, like the miniature parlor palm with its lacy serrated leaves, to create the look of a miniature rain forest.

Punch Bowl Terrarium

Cut glass punch bowls often find their way to thrift shops and they make a great container for open terrariums. They can be quite heavy so keep this in mind when adding layers of sand and soil.

Fairy Mushroom Terrarium

Tiny handcrafted mushrooms made by Mosspot can make your terrarium into a fantasy fairy woodland. These red amanita mushrooms are recognizable to many folks but there are many others available, including some that glow in the dark like phosphorescent mushrooms.

Jewelry Box Terrarium

Any glass jewelry or trinket box can make a terrarium. Some of them have beveled glass, colored glass, or mirrored glass, adding to their charm and mystery. The lid can be kept open or closed.

Driftwood Terrarium

Adding a small piece of driftwood creates a beautiful sculptural, natural focal point for a miniature terrarium. Moss mades a good accompaniment to driftwood as it can cling gently to the wood.

Victorian Greenhouse

This lovely miniature Victorian style glass greenhouse with metal trim makes a wonderful terrarium inside a sunny room. Victorian greenhouses were popular destinations for gardening enthusiasts all year round, and miniature versions of larger greenhouses were popular displays inside.

Cookie Jar Terrarium

Use a vintage glass cookie jar with a wooden top to make a beautiful table top terrarium. Vintage cookie jars make great DIY terrariums because the lids are wide enough to accommodate hands reaching in. You can make either an open or closed terrarium, and maintenance is easy with this design.

Tiny Terrarium Lockets

These tiny glass and metal terrarium lockets may be the stuff of fantasy, but they're a wonderful inspiration for creating terrariums in small glass containers. The lockets are a closed design but can be opened to build and maintain the tiny, tiny terrarium inside.

Perfume Bottle Terrarium

After cleaning them thoroughly of perfume residue, glass perfume bottles with crystal or glass stoppers can make unique, gorgeous small terrariums. Diply showed off these DIY upcycled terrariums using vintage perfume bottles.

Tea Pot Terrarium

Glass teapots make wonderful terrariums. Whether a squat round shape or a narrower coffee percolator shape, the easy open or removable lid makes it flexible for an open or closed environment, and the washable glass makes it a breeze to clean.

A Mini Blue Lagoon

This design idea is colorful and eye-catching. Use a glazed ceramic dish and dyed stones to create a small blue pool or lagoon and place plants and rocks around it for a miniature landscape scene of a lakeside or lagoon.

Miniature Cave Terrarium

Using three tiny pieces of slate or other flat stone, and some sand, soil, and moss, you can create a miniature cave with foliage and plants growing around it inside a tiny spice or craft jar. This wee cave terrarium can be created in any size container, adjusting the size of the cave with smaller bits of stone.

Hobbit Terrarium

Adding a little hobbit door to this tiny terrarium makes it a delightful fantasy land for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien. Nestled in moss makes it look like it opens into a small hillside.

Rainbow Sand and Succulents

Layering colorful sand in an open terrarium is an easy way to create a striking display with these shallow-rooted succulents.