If you live in the city but want to be close to nature . . .
If you call the countryside home but have no time to step outside . . .
If you are confined to an office fifty hours a week . . .
If your home needs the soothing touch of the natural world . . .
In The New Terrarium, Tovah Martin, one of America’s favorite gardeners, introduces you to the whimsical yet practical world of gardens under glass—a no-fuss way to bring snippets of nature indoors. Wherever you are, in whatever little time you have, terrariums are the perfect tool for nature lovers and gardeners everywhere.
With gorgeous photography, The New Terrarium reveals how this classic garden tool has been reimagined in a modern way. When encased in glass, plants thrive with almost no help from outside their little enclosed world, so you can host a plant almost anywhere—in your apartment where the air is dry or in your cubicle where there’s little natural light. Tucked inside something crystal and contained, the bounty of the forest or treasures from the beach or the meadow can merge seamlessly into your home or office environment. It’s amazing how some frothy fern fronds or colorful blossoms can transform a room by giving it a burst of vibrant green life.
With clear, simple step-by-step instructions and photographs to inspire and guide you along the way, Martin shares her years of experience growing and tending terrariums and shows how terrariums can enrich your life, including:
• different venues for cultivating your terrarium
• plants that flourish in these gardens under glass
• ideas and designs for creating your first terrarium
• how to care for and maintain the environment you’ve made
Martin has designed a unique range of imaginative terrarium projects, including ones that are suitable for children, enliven the seasons, incorporate plant propagation, and show off a nature collection. Whether you are a gardener or city-dwelling nature lover, The New Terrarium is the perfect way to spark your creativity, while helping you to bring your favorite plants into your home and giving them a place to thrive.
When nature is out of arm’s reach and you crave a little greenery, The New Terrarium can show you how to bring all the benefits of the outdoors close to you.
Just as she did in her moss jar segment on PBS's Cultivating Life, noted garden writer Martin (Indoor Gardens) continues to shatter the outdated images of terrariums in her new book. Knowledgeable enough to give a history and an overview of gardening under glass, Martin is not trapped in the stuffy Victorian Wardian cases or in the funky 1970s bottle gardens of the past. Nice photos feature sophisticated and whimsical terrariums that can green today's homes and cubicles or ignite a modern child's imagination and love of nature. Discussing a wide array of containers and plants, Martin instructs readers on creating and caring for terrariums and suggests the use of trinkets and natural, seasonal mementos to personalize our glass gardens and make them more interactive. Encouraging a child to use a Wardian case as a doll-size florist shop is a fresh approach, but more traditional, practical uses of terrariums (such as propagating cuttings and showcasing orchids) are represented, too. Since American gardening books largely ignore terrariums, this title will be popular. Highly recommended for public libraries.
—Bonnie L. Poquette
Anonymous
Posted February 1, 2013
This is a beautifully illustrated book with a lot of good information and new creative ideas. I fondly remember when terrariums were all the rage years ago. I am delighted that they seem to be making a comeback, and am looking forward to creating some new ones for myself and as gifts.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Wickdjypsi
Posted April 9, 2010
I was so impressed whrn I read this book. It has beautiful pictures that I not only want to copy but inspired so many other ideas for me as well. It is a very thorough book that provides details in the process of beginning, maintaining, and displaying your terrarium. Enjoy - you will not regret purchasing this title!! A++
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 11, 2009
This is a visually beautiful and entertainingly written book that offers some new takes on terrariums. It contains enough practical advice to be helpful to a beginner, and shines when it comes to thinking outside the box (or closed glass container), with ideas including open containers and terrarium under glass (such as a cloche). Living in Maine, I found this to be a wonderful antidote to what felt like the seventeenth month of dreary late winter, and will make sure to begin next winter with some lush, green terrariums at home and at work. For seasonally-bound gardeners, or anyone who loves green spots at home, this would make a great gift.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 27, 2009
Terrariums are presented as bright, new ways of showing off houseplants that might otherwise be difficult for the home grower to maintain. Tovah Martin has a pleasant and user-friendly style of presenting unusual containers and plant materials along with in-depth directions for their planting and maintnence. Beautifully illustrated and chock full of all the information one needs to make an updated 21st Century terrarium. A great gift for any home gardener.
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Posted July 19, 2011
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Posted January 28, 2010
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Posted January 18, 2010
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Posted January 4, 2010
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Posted January 1, 2011
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Overview
If you live in the city but want to be close to nature . . .
If you call the countryside home but have no time to step outside . . .
If you are confined to an office fifty hours a week . . .
If your home needs the soothing touch of the natural world . . .
In The New Terrarium, Tovah Martin, one of America’s favorite gardeners, introduces you to the whimsical yet practical ...