When writing about the miniature mock landscapes of photographer Matthew Alabanese and the window farming movement last week, I never thought that these two seemingly disparate posts could be linked together. Well, they can be. Take miniature, self-contained "landscapes" and indoor gardening and what do you get? Terrariums. 

 

If you’ve perused the home and garden section of a major newspaper, shopped around Etsy, or regularly read a shelter blog, you’ve probably noticed that terrariums are all the rage. Combining gardening, DIY/crafting, creative upcycling, interior decorating, and a healthy dose of imagination, terrariums have come a long way since Wardian Cases and the moss-and-a-plastic-mushroom-in-a-pickle-jar days.

 

Below you’ll find a dozen eye-catching, living room-friendly terrariums of all shapes and sizes that are decidedly not for kids and range in price from under $50 to over $500. Some come empty — fill ‘em with flora as you see fit — while others have already been filled with lilliputian landscapes. 

 

That said, creating and keeping a terrarium can require a bit of guidance. Excellent resources include The Fern and Mossery, HGTV, a jillion Design*Sponge and Apartment Therapy posts, Tovah Martin’s The New Terrarium, this recent slideshow over at Dwell and, last but not least, Terrarium.com. And although the 12 terrariums below are terrific as described, you can also save a few bucks and try starting from scratch by repurposing a variety of household objects — vintage apothecary jars, two-liters, light bulbs, wine bottles, salt and pepper shakers, fish bowls, cookie jars, and the list goes on and on — into terrarium vessels.