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ARTICLE BY
SHANE NATALIE THE
A terrarium - ever wonder what that is? A terrarium is like an aquarium, but for plants instead of fish. It is made in just about any glass container. It is planted to look like a miniature garden or forest enclosed in its own little world. For example, you could plant only succulents (including cactus), because they need very little water
Terrariums were founded in 1842 by Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, an English doctor who also studied botany and entomology. He created the terrarium by accident and found out that it is a great way to keep plants alive in the midst of pollution. Terrariums were really popular at that time but they soon decreased in popularity.
Terrariums clearly have a rich history. But what can explain their renewed popularity today? One obvious reason is that, for many people living in apartments without gardens, they are often the only way to exercise green fingers. If you've got a surface with a light socket, you can have a terrarium. How cool is that? In addition, you can make your own Terrarium with just a few materials!
Terrariums not only give people a way to reconnect with nature, it also helps people relax and ease tension and anxiety. The act of tending a terrarium can entrain mindfulness, by putting one pebble on top of another and placing plants such as cactuses and tiny mosses. Also, terrariums have some sense of aesthetic.
The therapeutic benefits of terrariums proved to be a particular attraction in lockdowns. "I saw a real influx in people wanting to get into horticulture and grow their green thumb, " says Emma Terrell, from Ottawa, Canada, whose company, The Urban Botanists, offers kits and workshops on the creation of terrariums. "People saw it as a way to relax, unwind, get creative, and engage with that innate need within us to engage with nature."
The psychological benefits of nature and gardening are the subject of ongoing research, but many studies already lend support to the idea – with mounting evidence that the mere presence of plants can reduce anxiety, and help to refresh the mind after a period of deep concentration.
This is often reflected in subjective physiological measures, such as blood pressure or levels of the so-called "stress hormone" , cortisol. Some have hypothesised that the specific geometry of vegetation – such as the repeating “fractal” patterns of a fern leaf - is particularly restful for the visual system, which evolved to be immersed in flora.
