Sunday, February 07, 2016

Review: "Terrariums: Gardens Under Glass" by Maria Colletti

If winter weather has got you down Terrariums: Gardens Under Glass by Maria Colletti might be just the prescription you need to chase the blues. The wealth of information in these seven chapters and resources is designed to serve as inspiration to get you started in Designing, Creating, And Planting Modern Indoor Gardens.

These days terrariums can come in all shapes and sizes. Things have come a long way from the glass bowl with a lid style of terrarium we knew in our youth. In her opening chapter “Terrarium Design” author Maria Colletti shows you how to consider the plants you will use in relation to the vessel the plants will go inside as you create a certain style of environment. Along with plenty of explanation through the text and tip areas, there are numerous colorful pictures to further illustrate the important points.

After taking readers through design, the basics involved with a terrarium, and choosing a vessel to put the stuff into, it is on to “Getting Started” in Chapter Four. This is when she shows you how to put it all together through pictures and detailed instructions. This is an incredibly informative section as she shows you step by step how to construct a terrarium in several very different vessels.

While one could be in a hurry to get started, one should pay a lot of attention to the following chapters which cover all sorts of different plants and their needs as well as maintain the terrarium once you get started. As in the rest of the book, variety is key here and showcase by text and photograph.

An extensive resource guide as well as glossary and a four page index bring this book to a close.

Published by Cool Springs Press, Terrariums: Gardens Under Glass is a visual treasure trove filled with neat ideas. This is one of those books that is done very well and can be a huge help in your quest to recreate a little nature inside your home. 


Terrariums: Gardens Under Glass
Maria Colletti
Cool Springs Press (Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.)
September 2015
ISBN# 978-1-59186-633-6
Paperback (also available in e-book format)
176 Pages
$24.99


Material supplied by the good people of the Haggard Branch of the Plano Public Library System.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2016

2 comments:

  1. We have tried to get a terrarium going for years. Maybe this will help.

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  2. We never have had much luck with them either, Patti. Learned a lot thanks to the book.

    ReplyDelete