My Little Greenhouse

For my 22nd birthday last October just gone, I only wanted one thing. But it was a tricky-to-find/ even-harder-to-get-shipped thing, naturally. I wanted a little greenhouse/terrarium to keep some of the Lithops that I have collected over this last year in.

I found one; hand made, beautiful, small- everything I could've asked for! Here's a link to it- though bare in mind, if you order one, due to the nature of gorgeous handmade goods, yours may differ slightly from mine.

Here is a couple of recent pictures of the little 11cm tall terrarium, housing various species of Lithops (also known as living stones) and succulents.

I love the hinged roof, I love the size and I am so impressed with the quality. As you can see I've chosen the black patina (the edging between the glass panels) as opposed to the copper finish, but both are so beautiful. In fact I am so impressed with this little addition to my plant family, that I've started to investigate copper foiling classes in London, so that I might create my own little greenhouses. There is a surprising amount of workshops and courses available, but I will let the Christmas attack on my bank balance subside before I book anything.

(cue me pushing my glasses up my nose, and getting all green fingered nerdy on yo' ass)

The species shown here are as follows:  the largest Lithop is (I think) an 'Aucampiae', and the three brainy looking ones are 'Julii. fouscous' ('focous' basically means 'brown', as mine is the brown variety). The little greeny pink things aren't Lithops at all, they're succulents known as 'baby toes', which is apt as that's exactly what they feel and look like. Their scientific name is: 'Fenestraria', the windows on the top of each little stem allows for photosynthesis. Baby Toes are ridiculously easy to care for and absolutely beautiful to look at, though you must be careful when handling (in my case, stroking them) or repotting them, as they tend to show injuries a few days after the actual damage has occurred. 

These plants have been in the terrarium for 2 months now, and seem to be doing wonderfully. The bottom of the box allows me to witness the growth of a healthy root system, which I will post a picture of soon, as it is exquisite! 

On hotter days (my windowsill gets full sun from 8am til 11am), I have to prop the roof open ever-so slightly. I usually use a small paintbrush or hair grip. This prevents condensation, which can lead to mould, which would be disastrous for these tough, but young, plants.

If you'd like to know anything else about keeping succulents or living stones, drop a comment below or email me: fifi.nicholls@gmail.com.

Thanks to my lovely mum for getting this beautiful birthday gift for me.