What the heck is an aerium you might be wondering? Well....think terrarium, only NO messy soil, no annoying gnats, and way less water. In a nut shell, an aerium is a terrarium, only with air plants vs traditional soil based plants.
Air plants (tillandsia) are wonderful little creatures. They are plants that literally do not need and do not want soil. They grow roots, they even reproduce, but they prefer to do it all in the open. All they need is somewhere to sit or hang, where they can stay nice and dry most of the time. Give your air plant a mist of water about once per week for a quick drink, and a nice, tepid soak about once per month for 20 minutes to replenish brittle leaves, and that's it. As long as you keep your air plant dry (in between the mist and the occasional soak) it will do great. Because these little biddies are so low maintenance, they make for a great, magical desk top garden.
We just couldn't resist taking one of our pickle jars and sharing with you a step by step aerium DIY. We'll use a beach theme for our aerium and include a fun bit of fairy lights, but you can create just about any scene you want, and the lighting is optional. A fairy scene with miniature figurines, a wooded them with small bits of bark or drift wood, a dramatic scene with feathers and jewels. The only limit is the imagination!
Here's what you'll need:
Pickle or other wide mouth jar, with the lid
Spray primer (or other paint to cover lid with a base)
Long tweezers, tongs or other to place items in jar and move around
Sand - terrarium sand from the pet store works great and is cheap!
Modge Podge
Fairy lights
Small decor sea shells
Decor pebbles, moss, bark or other decor items to build your beach scene
1 tillandsia (found at most plant stores and florist)
For the lid and lighting:
1) Take the lid from your jar and cover with primer
2) Add your modge podge to the painted and dry lid and liberally cover the top and sides of the lid; sprinkle with sand until fully covered. To cover the sides, place a small pile of sand on a flat surface (I used a plate) and "roll" the edges through the sand till covered.
Allow to dry on a flat surface for at least 2 hours.
3) Once dry, shake off any excess sand. If you see any bare spots, repeat steps above till the entire lid is covered.
4) Once completely covered and fully dry (again!), gently apply another layer of modge podge to your lid, making sure to cover the sides. Allow to dry (1 - 2 hours). This final coat of modge podge will give your lid a clear, shiny "finished" look and keep any loose sand from crumbling off.
3) Once the lid is fully dry take your glue gun and adhere your fairy lights to the center of the inside of the lid. Be sure to glue your lights screw side up so you can change the battery if/when needed. Lay flat (inside of lid facing up) until the glue dries completely and your lights are secure (about 30 minutes). Once the glue is dry and the lights are secure, wind your fairy lights so they form a circle just slightly wider than the inside of the lid. Tuck them under the "lip" of the lid till fairly secure.
Aerium build out:
1. Take about 1 cup of sand (any color you wish, we used white) and pour it in as the base in your pickle jar. You can also layer coloured sand as your base for a unique twist!
2. Add your decor items, I used sea shells and I found bark in my yard, some green pebbles I've been dying to use and bits of moss; arrange your decor items on top of your sand to create your beach scene, leaving space for your tillandsia.
3. Place your tillandsia on top of your sand, move around until you achieve the look you desire.
The finishing touch:
Turn on your fairy lights and place the lid on your aerium. And...TAA DAA!!
This magical scene is sophisticated yet whimsical, making it the perfect bit of mood lighting for a coffee table, end table, dining table, desk top or just about anywhere!
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