Closed Terrarium

The true terrarium

The closed terrarium concept was discovered by Dr. Nathaniel B. Ward in the summer of 1829. I find it fascinating that the discovery of the terrarium concept was a happy accident. Today we use terrariums as a fun project but with their creation in the 1800’s they changed the world. Plants could now be successfully transported from their native location to all around the world. This made a huge impact on the economies of many countries and the health of so many people. All with the simple concept of transporting plants in a clear glass closed vessel!

Here is Ward’s account of his discovery from his book:

Being, however, surrounded by numerous manufactories and enveloped in their smoke, my plants soon began to decline, and ultimately perished, all my endeavors to keep them alive proving fruitless. When the attempt had been given up in despair, I was led to reflect a little more deeply upon the subject, in consequence of a simple incident which occurred in the summer of 1829. I had buried the chrysalis of a Sphinx in some moist mould contained in a wide-mouthed glass bottle, covered with a lid. In watching the bottle from day to day, I observed that the moisture which during the heat of the day arose from the mould, became condensed on the internal surface of the glass, and returned whence it came; thus keeping the mould always in the same humidity. About a week prior to the final change of the insect, a seedling fern and a grass made their appearance on the surface of the mould. I could not be be struck with the circumstance of one of that very tribe of plants, which I had for years fruitlessly attempted to cultivate, coming up spent suá in such a situation; and asked myself seriously what are the conditions necessary for its growth? - Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, On the Growth of Plants in Closely Glazed Cases, 1842