Guide
Best plants for a closed terrarium
42 of the 49 plants in the guide live happily in a sealed jar. They are listed easiest first, with the light and humidity they want and how big they get.
Pick small, slow plants that like the same things: a closed jar is one climate, so a fern that wants 90% humidity and a succulent that wants 40% cannot share it.
| Plant | Difficulty | Light | Humidity | Full size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrowhead plant (dwarf cultivars, e.g. 'Mini Pixie') | Beginner | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 50 to 90 % RH | 14 cm tall, 14 cm wide |
| Asparagus fern | Beginner | 2,500 to 15,000 lux | 40 to 80 % RH | 40 cm tall, 32.5 cm wide |
| Baby tears pilea | Beginner | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 60 to 95 % RH | 5.5 cm tall, 32.5 cm wide |
| Baby's tears | Beginner | 1,500 to 8,000 lux | 60 to 95 % RH | 10 cm tall, 135 cm wide |
| Cape sundew | Beginner | 10,000 to 30,000 lux | 50 to 90 % RH | 15 cm tall, 20 cm wide |
| Creeping fig | Beginner | 2,500 to 15,000 lux | 50 to 90 % RH | 350.5 cm tall, 137 cm wide |
| Creeping fig 'Minima' | Beginner | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 50 to 95 % RH | 17.5 cm tall, 65 cm wide |
| Dwarf mondo grass 'Nana' | Beginner | 2,500 to 15,000 lux | 40 to 90 % RH | 10 cm tall, 25 cm wide |
| Dwarf sweet flag | Beginner | 2,500 to 15,000 lux | 60 to 100 % RH | 7.5 cm tall, 11.5 cm wide |
| Earth star | Beginner | 3,000 to 12,000 lux | 50 to 85 % RH | 10 cm tall, 15 cm wide |
| Lemon button fern | Beginner | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 50 to 85 % RH | 25 cm tall, 30 cm wide |
| Mexican butterwort | Beginner | 8,000 to 25,000 lux | 40 to 80 % RH | 3.5 cm tall, 10.5 cm wide |
| Mini spider plant | Beginner | 1,500 to 15,000 lux | 40 to 90 % RH | 17.5 cm tall, 25 cm wide |
| Moon Valley pilea | Beginner | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 60 to 90 % RH | 19 cm tall, 19 cm wide |
| Parlour palm | Beginner | 800 to 10,000 lux | 40 to 90 % RH | 40 cm tall, 27.5 cm wide |
| Pennywort | Beginner | 1,500 to 10,000 lux | 60 to 100 % RH | 6.5 cm tall, 40 cm wide |
| Pilea 'Aquamarine' | Beginner | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 60 to 95 % RH | 5.5 cm tall, 40 cm wide |
| Polka dot plant | Beginner | 5,000 to 15,000 lux | 50 to 90 % RH | 45.5 cm tall, 26.5 cm wide |
| Pothos | Beginner | 800 to 15,000 lux | 40 to 100 % RH | 27.5 cm tall, 115 cm wide |
| Red flame ivy | Beginner | 2,500 to 12,000 lux | 50 to 95 % RH | 11.5 cm tall, 30 cm wide |
| Trailing watermelon | Beginner | 1,000 to 8,000 lux | 60 to 95 % RH | 7.5 cm tall, 45 cm wide |
| Wandering dude | Beginner | 1,500 to 12,000 lux | 45 to 100 % RH | 15 cm tall, 60 cm wide |
| Anubias nana | Easy | 1,000 to 8,000 lux | 70 to 100 % RH | 8.5 cm tall, 14 cm wide |
| Bird's nest fern (dwarf) | Easy | 2,000 to 8,000 lux | 60 to 90 % RH | 27.5 cm tall, 27.5 cm wide |
| Dwarf Boston fern | Easy | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 60 to 90 % RH | 25 cm tall, 32.5 cm wide |
| Emerald ripple peperomia | Easy | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 40 to 70 % RH | 17.5 cm tall, 22.5 cm wide |
| Java fern | Easy | 1,000 to 8,000 lux | 75 to 100 % RH | 17.5 cm tall, 20 cm wide |
| Jewel orchid | Easy | 1,000 to 8,000 lux | 60 to 90 % RH | 26.5 cm tall, 34 cm wide |
| Krauss's spikemoss | Easy | 1,000 to 5,000 lux | 70 to 95 % RH | 6.5 cm tall, 37.5 cm wide |
| Mini nerve plant | Easy | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 60 to 90 % RH | 7.5 cm tall, 17.5 cm wide |
| Neoregelia 'Fireball' | Easy | 8,000 to 25,000 lux | 50 to 90 % RH | 11.5 cm tall, 15 cm wide |
| Nerve plant | Easy | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 60 to 90 % RH | 14 cm tall, 30 cm wide |
| Peacock spikemoss | Easy | 1,000 to 5,000 lux | 70 to 95 % RH | 11.5 cm tall, 37.5 cm wide |
| Rabbit's foot fern | Easy | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 50 to 80 % RH | 30 cm tall, 45 cm wide |
| String of turtles | Easy | 5,000 to 15,000 lux | 50 to 80 % RH | 7.5 cm tall, 19 cm wide |
| Trailing jade | Easy | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 40 to 80 % RH | 5.5 cm tall, 30 cm wide |
| Flask-shaped pitcher plant | Moderate | 3,000 to 15,000 lux | 70 to 95 % RH | 37.5 cm tall, 40 cm wide |
| Grass-leaved bladderwort | Moderate | 4,000 to 20,000 lux | 80 to 100 % RH | 2.5 cm tall, 40 cm wide |
| Rex begonia (miniature cultivars) | Moderate | 5,000 to 20,000 lux | 75 to 95 % RH | 17.5 cm tall, 22.5 cm wide |
| Shingle plant | Moderate | 1,500 to 8,000 lux | 70 to 100 % RH | 6.5 cm tall, 37.5 cm wide |
| Maidenhair fern | Demanding | 2,500 to 10,000 lux | 70 to 95 % RH | 40 cm tall, 48 cm wide |
| Tailed orchid (miniature Masdevallia) | Demanding | 10,764 to 21,528 lux | 60 to 90 % RH | 17.5 cm tall, 10 cm wide |
Before you plant
- Pick plants that share light, temperature and soil wetness. Desert and jungle plants never share a jar.
- Small and slow growers: a tall plant soon hits the lid.
- Leave room between them; they spread and shade each other.
- Trim what touches the glass and pick out dead leaves.
More terrarium guides
- Closed vs open terrariumWhich to build, and which plants suit each.
- Best moss for a terrariumMosses for closed and open jars, and what they grow on.
- Terrarium layers explainedDrainage, barrier, soil and top dressing, and what each does.
- Terrarium drainage: LECA vs gravel vs lava rockEvery drainage material side by side.
- Mould in a terrariumWhy new jars fuzz, which mould matters, and how to stop it.
- Springtails vs isopodsThe cleanup crew compared: what each eats and where it lives.