Earth Day: How Glass Bowl Terrariums Are Bringing Sunshine, Soil & Serotonin Into Crowded Urban Lives

The next time you’re feeling like your stress and worries are escalating, don’t reach for a coffee or the headphones or roll out that yoga mat. While all of the above are good, too, now try something that also whips up a visual delight—build a terrarium! That’s right, those little glass bowl gardens you’ve probably seen flooding Instagram feeds, can have your stamp of love on them. With a creativity and a few knick-knacks, you can create a beautiful little green nook all inside a jar or bulb! It’s engaging, gets you down and dirty (in the nicest ways) in the soil and notches things up on the décor scale, too! On World Earth Day, here’s looking at why this art is only gaining more followers around the city. 

Green escape...

Zen Gardens To Pandas: Cute Themes To Choose From 

Don’t have a green thumb? No problem! There’s a bunch of cool themes to try out, and you can also just go with your own liking. Leah Umrigar, founder of The Green Bowl who’s been creating handcrafted terrariums, say they come in all shapes and sizes. She says, “There’s literally a whole world inside a bowl to choose from. From zen Japanese gardens to little pandas, fairytale themes with toadstools and pixies or for travel lovers a rainforest, desert bowl oasis or even a pretty beach-theme with shells sand and starfish and resin effect water to remember your summer vacation by. To me, terrariums are like a lovely story in a glass bowl. They’re like a nice conversational piece in your home that can be swapped with the usual floral centrepiece.” 

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A post shared by Patricia Buzo | Doodle Bird Terrariums (@doodlebirdterrariums)

The gravel and rocks apart, you need a little ingenuity to come up with the coolest terrariums. Sharing more on the sheer variety of themes, Deepti Pitre of The Breathing Art, says, “The possibilities are limitless. I’ve done so many kinds of terrariums and got queries for a whole lot of them, too. People love doing a fairy garden or enchanted woods and ocean and jungle themes. Also in demand is the peaceful Buddha. We even had an Eiffel Tower-based theme, pretty ideas for couples for Valentine’s Day, sports lovers who like football match-themed terrariums and the ever-popular Zen garden menageries with little foot bridges, rocks and figurines.”

Touching the soil is often the turning point. It awakens the senses in a way screens and spreadsheets can't. Cool, grainy, and alive with possibility—it invites you to slow down, breathe deeper, and reconnect.

A Sensory Experience That Quietens The Busy Mind

One of its biggest advantages is being able to take close to nature so quickly, which can be a challenge in a big city. Touching the soil, moving your fingers in and around it also makes for a sensory experience, Says Naini Shah, of The Bloomerie, Malabar Hill, “Terrarium-making is less about the outcome and more about the ritual. It’s this quiet, grounding process—where nature meets nurture, and even a handful of moss can bring calm to a cluttered mind.”

 
She explains how in their workshops—whether for corporate teams or green-thumbed enthusiasts - the experience is deeply sensory: the cool texture of soil, the scent of fresh foliage, the slow, satisfying rhythm of assembling a miniature world. It’s a tactile pause, a mindful practice that invites stillness and presence. “Touching the soil is often the turning point. It awakens the senses in a way screens and spreadsheets can't. Cool, grainy, and alive with possibility—it invites you to slow down, breathe deeper, and reconnect. For many of our workshop participants, it’s the first time in months they've felt truly present. They leave feeling lighter, often surprised by how deeply restorative the experience is.”

Each terrarium becomes a self-sustaining ecosystem, a reminder that growth can be slow, beautiful, and entirely self-contained

The plants used in this little, self-sustaining ecosystem, are special. Shares Shah, “Along with layered textures of pebbles and moss, the deep greens and veins of fittonia or the magic of fleshy water-storing succulents along with the little figurines that help create a little world of its own. Each terrarium becomes a self-sustaining ecosystem, a reminder that growth can be slow, beautiful, and entirely self-contained. As many of our participants share, it’s not just a creative outlet—it’s a moment of clarity and mindfulness in an otherwise busy day.”

For many, creating it from ground zero makes for a completely stress-busting experience. Rishika Alwani, who has taken one into her office, says, “I’d been looking for something that lends some calm to my work desk, so I made a terrarium with ferns moss and fittonia. I love the peace it brings. My colleagues have loved talking pictures of it.” 

Tips: Create Your Mini Garden In a Lightbulb 

Crunched for space or want to use your home area better? Go for a lightbulb terrarium that uses smaller areas effectively. On its popularity, Pitre informs, “Bulb terrariums are always quite in trend. They are cute ways to create small miniature terrariums and add artistic touch to your home. You can use transparent bulb jars which are nowadays easily available online or in glassware shops. All the tools you need are: a funnel, chopstick, bamboo stick or skewers, tweezers, a small spoon and spray bottle (optional).”

She shares a quick DIY on how to create your own beautiful bulb terrarium at home:
Step-by-step
Wash the bulb with a mild soap solution
Using a funnel, add 1-2 tsp small pebbles or sand.
Powder some charcoal and add 1 tsp of charcoal on top of the pebbles.
- Next add 1-2 tsp soil on top of the charcoal
- Add a tiny indoor plant - a small money plant or a small fern can also be used. Insert the plant with the help of tweezers.
- Once the plant is inserted, add more soil to cover all the roots. You can use a funnel to add the soil or a small spoon.
- Now add some decorative items - like small pebbles or sand. If you have any tiny figurines or toys, that can be inserted too.
- Next, water your terrarium with a small spoon or spray it and your terrarium is ready!
- You can also wind a jute thread on top of the bulb and hang it up. 
- Water it once every 4-5 days and keep it indoors.

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