I’m the first to admit that I did not inherit my mom’s green thumb, so I tend to lean toward succulents when it comes to house plants. While I still inevitably kill them, they at least last a bit longer than most other plants. I found this great blown glass hurricane lantern at World Market and decided to make it into a little succulent terrarium following instructions from the Floral Verde blog, copied below.

Materials:
Glass vase
Decorative pebbles, pea gravel or aquarium rocks
Horticultural charcoal
Cactus & Succulent soil mix
Succulents
A spoon

Start with a clean vase. Add a layer of pebbles about an inch thick to provide drainage so the plant roots won’t rot in water. Smooth out the pebbles, then add a half inch of horticultural charcoal, which will help keep the terrarium smelling fresh. As noted on Floral Verde, it was helpful to rinse the charcoal first to prevent a layer of black dust from collecting on the inside of the vase. Smooth out the charcoal, then add an inch or two of cactus & succulent soil mix. In this case, you want the soil to be dry so it doesn’t stick to the sides of the vase while you work. Using the spoon, scoop out a hole for your first plant. If you have multiple succulents in one pot, don’t be afraid to break them apart and use them separately. Make sure to inspect your plants for any diseased leaves and remove them before planting. Plant the succulent in the hole and then pack the soil firmly around the base of the plant. Repeat until your terrarium is full. Smooth out the soil around the base of all the plants, then give your terrarium a finished look by adding a thin layer of pebbles on top of the soil (my pebbles weren’t very pretty to look at, so I skipped this step).

To maintain your terrarium, keep it in bright indirect light. The glass jar will amplify the effects of the sun and could end up baking your plants if you leave it in full sun! Water your terrarium every week with a shot glass or two of water, making sure to err on the side of underwatering. The last thing you want to do is drown your new succulents!