The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature
by Tovah Martin, Kindra Clineff
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kindra Clineff, Tovah MartinEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-02-24
ISBN: 0307407314
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Book Reviews of The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature
Book Review: The New Terrarium
Summary: 5 Stars
The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature
The New Terrarium
What do you picture when talking about a terrarium? Do you have the memory I do of my summer vacations? We summered up at Green Lake for many years. Dad would cut firewood in the woods behind the cottage. Mother would walk back with us kids so we could explore the woods. She gathered moss, decayed wood, a few pine cones, and the tiny British Soldier fungi we found on downed logs. These were carefully protected on our trips home. Then, she'd carefully arrange these treasures in a brandy sniffer terrarium. It served as a vacation reminder until the next summer.
This childhood memory left me with a permanent yearning for a terrarium. Unfortunately, I didn't seem to acquire the knack of putting these together successfully. I've tried various containers including my current 20 gallon long aquariums purchased originally to over winter some carnivorous plants. I've even tried with so called no-fail plants and failed.
Last summer I heard a rumor of a new book on terrariums. It was ordered as soon as amazon.com started taking pre-publication orders. It finally arrived at the end of February. This is one of the few books I've started reading at 11:00 p.m. and stayed awake until I reached the back cover--at about 3:00 a.m.
Tovah Martin and Kindra Clineff (photographer). The New Terrarium. Clarkson Potter Publishers, New York, 2009.
Tovah Martin starts out by defining a "terrarium" and showing us how a simple terrarium can help to connect us with nature even when indoors. She states:
Terrariums can be implements in a makeover. When glass enclosures enter the scene, not only is gardening possible inside your home, it's downright glamorous. The ante is upped as far as aesthetics go. You've elevated houseplants to an art form. ... (page 23)
She discusses all the different terrariums possible in Part 2. This includes anything from a cold frame outside protecting tender plants to canning jars or even to a full size Wardian case inside. The emphasis is on finding some way to keep a plant, enclosed in glass, near your bed, dining table, living room, or that cubicle office, far from a window, where you spend your days.
Now that she has you craving a terrarium she provides instruction to complete the process. She discusses the different containers possible followed by ideas for where a terrarium might fit into your lifestyle. The information includes the basics of planting and maintaining your personal creation. Her ideas will challenge you because she doesn't limit potential plants to our traditional houseplants. She even suggests using some of our perennials such as Heuchera (coral bells). I really appreciate her emphasis on making the terrarium something that satisfies you--not something another person might want.
The final Parts (5 and 6) provide a discussion of suggested plants - ranging from moss to orchids - with a discussion of where they might do well in your home. Of course, emphasis is on matching the plant to your décor and your indoor climate and light conditions. Then she provides some project ideas.
I find the "extras" in this book as important as the main text. Her case study section walks you through creating several projects suitable for a child to those best suited for adults. Her resources include names and addresses for various garden centers, some online sources, and a listing of plant societies that may be interesting to you.
The pictures provided are almost sufficient to make owning this book valuable. When you combine the pictures with the text, you have a book that will send you shopping for some glass containers and plants. I wonder if this book might challenge garden shows - indoors and out - to add a "terrarium" section to their show catalogs.
Do I recommend this book? I don't know why an indoor gardener would want to be without it, if only for the project ideas. May I suggest you order this book from your favorite bookstore or from amazon.com? I am confident that you will enjoy it as much as I do.
om? I am confident that you will enjoy it as much as I do.
Summary of The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature
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.
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