Terrariums are open or closed clear glass containers in which plants are grown. They are a popular choice for growing houseplants because the environment, including the temperature and humidity, can be more closely monitored and controlled, similar to a greenhouse.
As the name suggests, closed terrariums are entirely enclosed glass containers whereas open terrariums are mostly enclosed with an open top or side wall. In a closed terrarium without airflow, the air is recycled and the forced humid environment acts as a mini ecosystem that does not require additional water once it’s established. In contrast, open terrariums receive fresh air so they don’t get as humid. Plants for closed terrariums should be humidity-loving and thrive in consistently moist conditions, while plants for open terrariums should be okay with above-average humidity. The most important thing to remember when planning your terrarium is to ensure you choose plants that have the same growing requirements as one another including humidity, watering, soil, and light.
- Closed terrarium benefits: great for humidity-loving plants, low-maintenance once established.
- Open terrarium benefits: no lid, easier to access, fresh air reduces the risk of mold.
Here are 25 easy terrarium plant ideas for open or closed glass terrariums.
Tip
Be sure to buy plants that are small enough to fit into your terrarium container, preferably without touching the sides of the glass. A good way to make sure they’ll fit is to bring your container with you to the nursery or bring measurements.
Artillery Fern
The Spruce / Kara Riley
Artillery ferns are not actually ferns at all but are members of the Pilea family. They are called artillery ferns because they shoot seeds with a popping sound—and sometimes for quite a distance. Despite that explosive trait, these plants are delicate and have a lovely, interesting texture. Artillery ferns are easy to grow, and they will best thrive with minimal care in a closed terrarium, as this plant loves moisture and humidity.
Name: Artillery Fern (Pilea microphylla)Light: Medium to bright indirect lightWater: MediumColor: Insignificant bloom
Aluminum Plant
The Spruce / Krystal Slagle
The aluminum plant (Pilea cadierei), a native of Vietnam, likes low to medium light and warm temperatures. This plant thrives in a closed terrarium, as it favors the humid environment. The leaves of the aluminum plant have almost iridescent white markings that make them shine. This plant grows fairly quickly, so you might have to pinch it back occasionally. The aluminum plant is easy to root as well. Simply take a small cutting and plant it in moist soil.
Name: Aluminum Plant (Pilea cadierei)Light: Low to medium lightWater: Regularly in spring and summer; less at other timesColor: Green leaves with white markings
Polka Dot Plant
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
Polka dot plants seem to have a great sense of humor. This plant is cheerful and comes in pink, red, and silver varieties. This terrarium plant is easy to care for and might need to be pinched back if it gets too tall or starts to become spindly or leggy. For this reason, the polka dot plant favors the controlled microclimate of a closed terrarium. A closed terrarium will plant growth in check, preventing the need for extra maintenance.
Name: Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)Light: Bright, indirect lightWater: Regularly in spring and summer; less at other timesColor: Green leaves with colorful, often pink, markings
Watch Now: How to Grow Polka Dot Plants Indoors
Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)
The Spruce / Cara Cormack
Red-veined prayer plant is a stunning plant that can grow up to eight inches tall, so consider it for a large terrarium container. The prayer plant received its common name because it folds up its leaves at night, as if in prayer. If it is not receiving enough light, you will know because the leaves will stay folded even during the day. Prayer plants thrive in greenhouse-like, humid conditions, so grow your prayer plant in a closed terrarium kept away from cold windows and chilly drafts.
Name: Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)Light: Medium, indirect lightWater: Regularly in spring and summer; less at other timesColor: Green leaves with white markings
Watch Now: How to Grow and Care for Prayer Plants
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Pothos
The Spruce / Kara Riley
While the meandering golden pothos vine might look pedestrian as a houseplant, it can look fabulous in a terrarium. Golden pothos has a well-deserved reputation as a bulletproof, indestructible houseplant, and it is even truer in the controlled environment of a closed terrarium. Prune it back regularly so it does not become unruly, and your pothos should look good for years. It can also handle low light conditions and is easy to propagate by rooting the stems in water.
Name: Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)Light: Bright, indirect lightWater: Relatively little water; do not overwaterColor: Green leaves with white markings
Ripple Plant
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
There are about 1,000 peperomia cultivars. The common ripple plant (Peperomia caperata) is known primarily for its deeply ridged leaves that come in a variety of colors and patterns. This small, slow-growing plant does beautifully in closed terrariums where the environment is warm and humid. Peperomia also sometimes produces cool-looking flower spikes. If you are lucky, these showy flowers add a nice color pop to your terrarium.
Name: Ripple Plant (Peperomia caperata)Light: Low to bright indirect lightWater: Relatively little water; do not overwaterColor: Green leaves or green with red
Baby Tears
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Baby tears is a small plant with a lot of common names. The plant is also called angel’s tears, mind-your-own-business, peace-in-the-home, Pollyanna vine, mother of thousands, and the Corsican’s curse. The curse may be referring to the fact that, given the right conditions, baby’s tears can be seriously invasive, taking over whole gardens. In a closed terrarium, however, this low-growing plant will behave quite well.
Name: Baby Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii)Light: Bright lightWater: Consistent moistureColor: Creamy ivory flowers
Button Fern
ValMcNic / Getty Images
There is something about a small button fern that is terrifically appealing. Hailing from New Zealand, it’s hardy and drought-tolerant. It is slightly mop-headed, but also kind of delicate and elegant at the same time. Because button fern can tolerate periodically dry soil, an open terrarium will suit this plant just fine.
Name: Button Fern (Pellaea rotundifolia)Light: Full shade to filtered lightWater: Water weeklyColor: Green foliage
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Creeping Fig
The Spruce / Kara Riley
Creeping fig, with its small, variegated heart-shaped leaves, makes a lovely addition to almost any terrarium. It is a perennial climbing vine, so you can train it to creep up structures, which could be interesting to try in a large terrarium. Creeping fig prefers a warm, moist environment and will grow well in a closed terrarium. You can easily propagate creeping figs by rooting branch cuttings in water.
Name: Creeping Fig (Ficus primula)Light: Partial sunWater: Water occasionallyColor: Green foliage
Croton
The Spruce / Kara Riley
A small croton can add some bling to your terrarium. Its shiny, thick leaves come in a huge array of amazing colors and shapes. The gold dust croton, for instance, is one of the narrow-leaved varieties that will have various amounts of gold, depending on the cultivar. It is not well known as a terrarium plant but works particularly well when grown in large, open terrariums.
Name: Croton (Codiaeum variegatum)Light: Bright indirect, dappled lightWater: Water occasionallyColor: Green, gold, and salmon foliage
Hens and Chicks
The Spruce / Kara Riley
Succulents can be grown in open terrariums because they stay small and don’t need to be transplanted. One of the best types of succulents for an open terrarium is hens and chicks, which form small rosettes and offshoots. Hens and chicks are not the only succulents that look great in a terrarium. Mix this type with other small desert plants, like ‘Mini Jade’ or ‘Hobbit’ jade plants (Crassula ovata).
Name: Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum tectorum)Light: Bright lightWater: Let dry out between watering, drought-tolerantColor: Red, green, blue, gold, or copper leaves
Sphagnum Moss
The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong
Moss, especially sphagnum moss, is used in terrariums for its practical and decorative purposes. It stores water in the terrarium for other plants to use and works well in both open and closed terrariums. Water and mist the moss frequently so it can continue to do its job and make your terrarium thrive, though overwatering can result in mold growth.
Name: Sphagnum Moss (Sphagnum capillifolium)Light: Indirect light, shadeWater: Keep moist, lightly water once a weekColor: Brownish sage green
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Air Plants
The Spruce / Kori Livingston
An air plant doesn’t need any soil to grow because it attaches itself to another surface, like driftwood or a stone, for its survival. The plant will absorb water and nutrients through its leaves. But, this type of plant greatly prefers an open terrarium so it doesn’t drown from too much humidity.
Name: Air Plant (Tillandsia spp.)Light: Bright to medium indirect lightWater: Varies per variety, but likes an occasional soakingColor: Various shades of green, brown
African Violet
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
African violet is a huge fan of bright, warm, and humid conditions. This compact flowering plant is ideal for closed terrariums. The only caveat: the violet cannot touch the sides of the terrarium or water will collect on its leaves and blooms resulting in rot. Check the plant every so often to make sure the water is draining into the gravel that you need to layer beneath the African violet potting mix. The African violet prefers a terrarium temperature between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Name: African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha)Light: Bright but not direct sunlightWater: Moisten soil with warm waterColor: White, pink, red, blue, and purple
Nerve Plant
The Spruce / Alonda Baird
This attractive, slow-growing tropical plant is a classic closed terrarium choice because of its love for humidity and warmth. It can be used as the main plant in the terrarium because of its beautiful variegated leaves.
Name: Nerve Plant (Fittonia albivenis)Light: Bright, indirect lightWater: Constant moisture is important or it will wiltColor: White and red flowers with colorful veined leaves
Maidenhair Fern
The Spruce / Anastasiia Tretiak
Maidenhair ferns (Adiantum raddianum) are a great choice for closed terrariums since they thrive in high humidity. In fact, these delicate plants are difficult to grow indoors unless they are grown in a terrarium or greenhouse. Maidenhair ferns are relatively small ferns, but can still grow to be about one to two feet tall at maturity. For that reason, a medium to large terrarium is ideal. However, don’t be afraid to trim back the fronds if the plant begins to outgrow the space a bit.
Name: Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum raddianum)Light: Bright to medium indirect lightWater: Keep soil consistently moistColor: Light green fronds
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Venus Flytrap
The Spruce / Kara Riley
Carnivorous plants thrive in high humidity which makes them an excellent choice for closed terrariums. Due to its compact size, the venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a particularly popular choice. Keep in mind that since they are carnivorous, these plants need to “consume” insects periodically in order to survive, so opt for a closed terrarium that you can open when needed to feed the plant.
Name: Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)Light: Bright indirect lightWater: Keep soil evenly moistColor: Green with orange and red tints
Frosty Fern Spike Moss
Amelia Martin / 500px / Getty Images
Moss is a staple in many terrarium setups since it thrives with low light, high humidity, and consistent moisture. If you’re looking for something a little flashier than standard moss, Frosty Fern Spike Moss is a great choice. It’s characterized by frond-like foliage that is edged with bright white tips. Opt for closed terrariums for this moss to provide it with the humidity it needs to survive.
Name: Frosty Fern Spike Moss (Selaginella kraussiana ‘Variegatus’)Light: Partial to low lightWater: Keep soil evenly moistColor: Green with white tips
Living Stones
The Spruce / Anastasiia Tretiak
Due to their small size, Lithops, also called living stones, are great for open terrariums. Their unique shape and rock-like appearance will add a quirky touch to any terrarium space. These otherworldly-looking plants develop showy flowers in the fall and winter which will add some fun color to your terrarium. Like all succulents, they are sensitive to overwatering and do best with well-draining soil and infrequent watering.
Name: Living Stones (Lithops spp.)Light: Direct sunlightWater: Allow soil to dry thoroughly between wateringsColor: Green, orange, red, brown
Pilea Silver Sparkle
Struzhkova Ilona / Getty Images
Pilea Silver Sparkle (Pilea glauca) is known for its tiny silver-grey round leaves and red stems. It’s commonly confused with the baby tears plant, although they are two separate and distinct species—just notice the difference in coloring. This pilea is a high-humidity plant, making it ideal for closed terrariums. Keep the soil evenly moist to prevent this plant from drying out.
Name: Pilea Silver Sparkle (Pilea glauca)Light: Bright to medium indirect lightWater: Keep soil evenly moistColor: Silver-green leaves
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Haworthia
The Spruce
Haworthia is a large genus of small succulent plants that make great additions to open terrariums. They are slow-growing and look like small aloe plants with similarly-shaped foliage and growth habits. There are many different kinds of Haworthia to choose from, with the most popular being H. margaritifera and H. fasciata. These desert plants do best in warm temperatures, bright indirect light to full sun, and infrequent watering.
Name: HaworthiaLight: Bright indirect light to full sunWater: Allow soil to dry between wateringsColor: Green
Friendship Plant
Elena Shikanova / Getty Images
The friendship plant (Pilea involuctrata) is prized for its striking deeply textured foliage. It thrives with consistent moisture, warm temperatures, and high humidity, making it a natural choice for closed terrariums. Keep the soil evenly moist and provide this plant with medium to bright indirect light to keep it happy.
Name: Friendship Plant (Pilea involuctrata)Light: Bright to medium indirect lightWater: Keep soil evenly moistColor: Dark green, red, maroon
Strawberry Begonia
The Spruce / Anastasiia Tretiak
Strawberry begonia (Saxifraga stolonifera) plants make a great addition to open or closed terrariums. They require regular watering and do best when the soil is kept evenly moist and can tolerate average to high humidity. Their textured leaves, colorful petioles, and interesting growth habit add visual interest to any terrarium setup. They grow to be six to 18-inches tall and 12 to 24-inches wide, so a medium to large terrarium is best,
Name: Strawberry Begonia (Saxifraga stolonifera)Light: Bright indirect lightWater: Allow the top 2-3 inches of soil to dry between wateringsColor: Dark green with light green veining
String of Turtles
The Spruce / Krystal Slagle
String of turtles (Peperomia prostrata) is practically made for terrariums thanks to its small size, shallow roots, and spreading growth habit. This plant has succulent-like leaves that make it susceptible to overwatering, so open terrariums are best for this tropical plant. That being said, they should be paired with other tropical plants rather than succulents like hens and chicks or Lithops, which require drier conditions.
Name: String of Turtles (Peperomia prostrata)Light: Bright indirect lightWater: Allow soil to dry between wateringColor: Dark green with light green veining
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Peperomia Pixie Lime
Maksims Grigorjevs / Getty Images
Peperomia pixie lime (Peperomia orba) is a cute compact plant with bright green leaves. It enjoys medium to high humidity which makes it a great choice for open or closed terrariums. This Peperomia is a semi-succulent plant that should be allowed to dry slightly between waterings, so be sure to choose companion plants for your terrarium accordingly. When these plants are happy they send up unique-looking flower spikes to spice up your terrarium setup.
Name: Peperomia Pixie Lime (Peperomia orba)Light: Bright to medium indirect lightWater: Allow the top 2-3 inches of soil to dry between wateringsColor: Lime green leaves
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What terrarium plants should I avoid?
For closed terrariums, avoid succulents or any other drought-tolerant plant that can’t withstand high humidity and regular moisture. While open terrariums are less humid than closed terrariums they still have above-average humidity, so plants like cacti that prefer dry environments and infrequent watering should be avoided.
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Do terrariums attract bugs?
Air-tight terrariums don’t attract bugs, but open terrariums can be affected by gnats, mites, or mealybugs. Overwatering is usually the cause, so make sure to keep your terrarium balanced to ward off invaders. If you notice that your closed terrarium has pests, it’s likely that the bugs were present on the plants before they were added to the terrarium. For that reason, it’s a good idea to always check your plants for bugs before planting your terrarium, and apply a preventative insecticide to the plants beforehand if you are worried.
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How often should I water my terrarium?
Closed terrariums should be watered every two to three weeks, taking care not to wet plant leaves, which can cause damage. That being said, keep an eye on the moisture levels in the terrarium and be careful not to overwater. Established closed terrariums may need very little water since they develop their own ecosystem. Open terrariums should be watered at least once a week, and Tillandsia (air plants) can be misted regularly.