Indoor Gardens - Terrariums

As a child there was an object in our house which I remember with great affection.  It was a large green carboy which variously stood as a beautiful glass object, a lampshade (my mother made the shade) and most excitingly, a terrarium.

I remember helping planting it with spoons and forks attached to garden canes, so they would reach the bottom, and having to be so neat so as not to get soil and marks on the side of the glass.  When planted it was a magical and fascinating thing.  The plants were somehow precious and enlarged, clean and lush.  You could see what was going on underneath the soil, roots and movement.

I've recently come across Paula Hayes, who seems to have mastered the art of indoor gardening and I find her plant filled glass shapes very engaging.  Her planters and bird projects are inspiring too.

I'm asking round the family now to see what happened to the carboy, hopefully it is collecting dust and I can pinch it and plant it up once again.