The Victorians were big on growing exotic plants indoors in little climate-controlled structures, and they designed some truly beautiful table-top hothouses for the purpose. Often a Victorian terrarium was quite elaborate, emulating the architecture of the conservatories and orangeries attached to British stately homes or part of the public gardens of the era…
But that’s a topic for another day.
Today, we’ve got something a little more unusual in the way of indoor gardening — and a good bit smaller than you might believe possible!
What about a living charm for your cell phone? Leafy or cactus style plants grow in pretty pink or blue gel. Keep it out of direct sunlight so it won’t overheat, and this tiny bottle garden can last up to 6 or 8 months. The Tokyo Micro Garden is $9.50 at Dirty Microbe [via Popgadget].
Even smaller, a plant in a ring! What about a real live “hens and chickens” plant (Sempervivum), growing happily inside a big glass-and-silver ring of contemporary design? It’s the aptly named Vie a la main — literally, “Life on the hand” — from the Cbijoux atelier.
Or, if you have an afternoon to spare, make your own a miniature terrarium in a 4-inch glass ball, the kind that’s often used by craft people to make their own ornaments, easy to find at any good craft supply store. All you add is moist soil, and your pick of the small moisture-loving plants at any garden center.
To get you started on your own tiny terrarium, here are a few of my favourite little green buddies from Cottage Living’s No-Fail Plant List of species that will happily take to being grown under glass: 
- Baby’s tears
- Creeping fig
- Miniature ivy
- Polka-dot plant
- Sundew
- Wintergreen
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