Terrariums have been around since the 1800s with the first one ever made by Nathaniel Ward. He came upon his discovery by accident after trying to learn about the growth of a certain type of moth in a jar with some decomposed leaves and fern. Much to his surprise, the plants in the jar were thriving as days passed without additional care. Thus, the terrarium was born.
Fast forward to 2021, terrariums are making quite the comeback. Over the years, its popularity has been fluctuating. The community, consisting only of small but passionate groups of terrarium and moss enthusiasts, isn’t strong enough to sustain itself.
Registered nurse and terrarium enthusiast, Froilan Aloro, as if following the footsteps of Nathaniel Ward, used his curiosity as fuel and began building and studying terrariums at the height of the pandemic in July 2020.
One thing he discovered was the challenge of finding resources like moss, locally, and most especially in urban areas. Through his research, he discovered that moss can be found just around his area if you know how to look. He began foraging for moss, particularly in streetsides and pavements, to remain conscientious of taking from native flora and fauna in much greener parts of the city.
The birth of TerraPlantae
Froilan’s growing passion for terrarium and mossarium building has led him to decide to share it via his own brand of terrarium building kits, TerraPlantae.
“I started with creating my first prototype project then I did a deep dive research and found out that the terrarium business locally is fairly young. I saw the opportunity that there might be an industry there, although niche. Drawing from my hobby, my motivation really was to build a business around it by sharing the experience of building terrariums.”, Froilan explains.
Other than business, Froilan is making sure that the terrarium community stays and grows. Currently, there is an active Facebook group and following for terrarium (Terrarium Philippines) and moss (Moss Philippines) enthusiasts spearheaded by TerraPlantae both with a consistently growing number of members. In these groups, members and those interested in starting their own terrariums have their own space where they can freely ask questions, share, and inspire others to build their own ecojars.
Pushing local communities further, TerraPlantae has also launched their very own website, HowToMakeTerrarium.com, to encourage more people to get into the terrarium craze linking them to beginner kits and supplies needed to get started.
“TerraPlantae’s official website, HowToMakeTerrarium.com is currently the only local online terrarium guide for beginners and even intermediate terrarium builders. Aside from the moss and fern propagation and supplies, TerraPlantae offers kits and glass enclosures; all of which were sourced both locally and globally with sources coming from China and Malaysia.”, Froilan says.
The website also features masterpieces done by terrarium artists all over the globe to give recognition to the craftsmanship of the different terrarium builds.
Why terrariums are important now
Terrariums are a great way to add the beauty of nature into your home. They are great ornaments and learning tools for children.
“TerraPlantae is currently the only one with kids and beginners kits which is a great way to reach out to our younger generation and bring them closer to nature in the confines of their homes.”, Froilan tells.
With all the ecological changes that are happening right now, terrariums are the perfect study to understand the workings of the environment.
Terrariums are able to visually explain what it means to appreciate natural resources while also adding another layer of aesthetic value into your home.
