The History of the Terrarium
Posted: Thursday, February 28, 2008
by Will Kalif
Kalif Publishing
It is little known today but terrariums are also called Wardian Cases and this is in tribute to the man named Nathaniel Ward who began the whole art and science of terrarium making. It started with his unexpected discovery of some plants growing in a sealed bottle.
The bringing of the art of the terrarium is generally credited with a man called Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward. This came about with the publishing of his book called "On the Growth of Plants in Closely Glazed Cases" which he published in 1842. The second edition of this book was published in 1852 and is readily available in the public domain.
The story of how he first discovered the terrarium is rather interesting and Ward tells it in his book.
He had the desire to watch an insect chrysalis transform into an insect so he placed it, along with some mould in a capped wide-mouthed glass bottle. He observed this bottle on a regular basis and noted how, because of the sun, moisture would be drawn to the top of the bottle during the day then circulate back down to the mould and soil in the evening.
But his big surprise came when quite unexpectedly a seedling fern and a sprout of grass bloomed inside the bottle. He was very surprised by this because he had been unsuccessfully trying to grow these very things in his garden. He had surmised that pollution from local factories had been hostile to the plants and was killing them. This made him believe that the plants were doing well in his little bottle because they were sealed off from outside influences and protected from contaminants. He placed this bottle outside the window of his study and the plants inside continued to thrive for four years with no watering or outside intervention at all! From this he devised further experiments and thus his pursuit, and the science of the terrariums, was born. For a very long time these small glass enclosures were named Wardian Cases after him and even though the term is still in use today it is generally not well known.
Terrariums Grew In Popularity
During the Victorian Era and predominantly in England Wardian Cases became very popular and many people kept them in their homes. But over the course of decades the practice fell in decline and in today's world they have made a bit of a comeback but have never reached the every day popularity that they had achieved in the days of Ward.
The Style of the Wardian Case still remains today
The style of case, which was created by Ward, and was very popular in Victorian England, was a series of sheets of glass framed together with metal. They look very much like stained glass windows with the exception that all the glass is of course clear and without any colors so light can get through. And this Victorian style case has made quite a comeback over the past decade or so. Several companies now manufacture and sell them.
Terrarium making has been around for over a hundred and fifty years and it has remained relatively unchanged in all that time. It is still a great way to keep a collection of exotic plants and flowers in your home with little maintenance or worry.
For more interesting terrarium projects and ideas visit the authors website at: Terrarium Man
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