Which Plants Grow Best in Closed Terrariums? Find 15 Types Here

Some people stumble into terrariums completely by accident. They get drawn into a workshop, or spot one sitting on a shelf, and something about it just clicks. A sealed glass jar, a little moss, some tiny ferns, and it’s just alive in there. No need for watering it daily. No dramatic wilting on a Wednesday morning. Just green and growing, doing its thing.

That self-sufficiency is the whole appeal. Moisture evaporates from the soil, condenses on the glass, and drips back down. A gentle, repeating cycle that keeps everything alive without much outside intervention. The plants inside essentially live in their own private rainforest—warm, humid, sheltered. Which is exactly why the plant choices matter so much.

Get it right, and your terrarium practically runs itself. Get it wrong, say, you thought a succulent would look nice in there, and you’ll be dealing with root rot within a few weeks. Even with the best intentions, incompatible plants will struggle or die quickly.

Here are 15 that genuinely belong in a closed terrarium, and a few that definitely don’t.

What Kind of Plants Actually Thrive Here?

Before you buy anything, it helps to picture what life is actually like inside that sealed container. Humidity sits consistently high, often above 80%. Light comes in filtered and indirect. There’s almost no airflow. Soil stays moist for long stretches. Space is limited.

The plants that do well here are overwhelmingly tropical in origin. They’ve evolved in conditions that mirror exactly this. Low light doesn’t bother them. Constant moisture is welcome. And most of them stay naturally compact, which keeps your terrarium looking tidy without constant pruning.

Succulents, cacti, and most herbs are built for the opposite conditions entirely. So, leave them off the list.

The 15 Best Plants for Closed Terrariums

Mosses

1. Cushion Moss — Forms dense, rounded mounds that look almost sculptural. That soft grey-green colour is unlike anything else you’d plant alongside it. Once settled, it asks almost nothing from you.

2. Sheet Moss — Your carpet layer. Flat, spreading, bright green. It fills gaps between other plants and gives everything a cohesive, finished quality. The most forgiving moss on this list—great starting point.

3. Fern Moss — Feathery and lace-like up close. Adds real depth to the terrarium floor, especially layered alongside cushion moss. Looks delicate but handles humidity well.

Ferns

4. Maidenhair Fern — Famously difficult in open air. In a closed terrarium, though, the story flips. The stable humidity gives it exactly what it’s always been asking for, and when it’s happy, maidenhair ferns are exceptionally beautiful, with delicate fan-shaped leaflets on dark, wiry stems. But keep it away from the glass walls. Condensation dripping directly on the leaves causes spotting.

5. Button Fern — Compact, glossy, unfussy. Round dark green leaflets on neat arching fronds. Stays proportionate in most container sizes without aggressive pruning. If you want a fern and you’re new to this, start here.

6. Birds Nest Fern (Miniature) — Bold, architectural, and a strong focal point. Wide, wavy fronds fan outward from a central rosette. Just make sure you source the miniature cultivar specifically; the standard variety grows far too large for most containers.

Tropical Foliage

7. Nerve Plant — Dark green leaves laced with vivid veining in white, pink, or red. Better known as fittonia. Visually immediate in a way most plants aren’t. Notoriously fussy about humidity in open air, which makes a sealed terrarium its ideal home. Mix a couple of colour varieties and the effect is striking.

8. Miniature Peperomia — Hundreds of species to choose from, all compact and relatively low-maintenance. Leaf shapes range from round and waxy to deeply textured. Peperomia rotundifolia (trailing jade) is a particularly lovely choice; it creeps along the soil surface and fills space naturally.

9. Baby Tears — Tiny, round leaves on thread-like stems that spread across the soil like a miniature meadow. It sounds gentle. It grows with quiet determination. Pair it with plants that can hold their own, and plan for it to spread because it will.

10. Polka Dot Plant — Purely green terrariums can start to feel flat after a while. The polka dot plant fixes that without needing flowers—leaves splashed in pink, red, or white add colour that holds up long-term. Pinch the tips regularly to keep it bushy rather than leggy.

Ground Cover and Creeping Plants

11. Creeping Fig — In open air, it’ll cover a wall. Inside a terrarium, it becomes something more interesting: a trailing, climbing element that weaves naturally through other plants. Trim it regularly, or it will take over.

12. Artillery Plant — Small, bushy, easy. Fine-textured greenery that fills the middle layer without demanding attention or competing with everything around it. A reliable filler plant.

13. Selaginella (Spike Moss) — Not technically a moss, but it behaves like one and looks right at home on a terrarium floor. The golden variety (Selaginella kraussiana ’Aurea’) is worth seeking out; that warm colour against deep green plants is subtle but really effective.

Worth the Extra Effort

14. Miniature Orchid — For those who want their terrarium to stop people mid-sentence. Cloud forest species like Lepanthes produce flowers so tiny and intricate that they look almost unreal. Research the specific species carefully, because not all orchids tolerate sealed conditions.

15. Dwarf Umbrella Plant — Adds height and structure that most plants on this list can’t. Glossy palmate leaves on upright stems create a small-tree effect that gives larger terrariums real drama. Needs a container of at least 30cm in height to work properly.

Plants to Leave Out

Succulents and cacti need soil that dries out completely between waterings. In a closed terrarium, it never does. Root rot sets in fast.

Pothos is gorgeous but relentlessly vigorous. It will crowd out everything else before you’ve had time to enjoy the arrangement.

Herbs need airflow and regular harvesting. A sealed terrarium gives them neither.

A Few Honest Setup Tips

1. Layer your base properly. Drainage layer first (pebbles or LECA), then activated charcoal, then soil. Each layer matters.
   

2. Start slightly drier than you think you need to. Moisture levels rise after sealing as the ecosystem settles. It’s much easier to add water later than to deal with an oversaturated terrarium from day one.
   

3. Learn to read your condensation. A little on one side each morning means things are balanced. Completely fogged glass all day, open the lid briefly. No condensation at all, add a small amount of water.
   

4. Remove dead leaves promptly. In a warm, humid sealed space, organic decay introduces mould faster than you’d expect.
   

5. And give it time. Most terrariums take a few weeks to find their balance. Resist the urge to keep intervening. Patience is part of the process.
   

Want to Build One Yourself?

There’s a real difference between reading about terrariums and actually making one with your hands—choosing your plants, layering the soil, arranging everything until it feels right, then sealing it up and taking it home.

At J2 Terrarium, that’s exactly what our workshops are about. We run terrarium-making sessions in Singapore for all group sizes: intimate gatherings, family afternoons and corporate team events. Our facilitators bring over five years of hands-on experience and walk you through every step so you leave with something you’re proud of.

It’s a slower, more tactile kind of afternoon. And for most people, that’s exactly what makes it worth doing.

Find out more.