moss terrarium made with dragon rocks and small bonsai tree

The making of this terrarium can be divided into three parts: the framework, the planting substrate, and the plants.

Let’s start with the framework.

I chose pieces of dragon Stone in various sizes.

Two larger pieces were placed diagonally facing each other to form the main structure, and a smaller tilted stone was placed in the front.

The rest were smaller fragments scattered around.

First, if I slant the stones directly into the soil, they’ll be unstable. So I added some weight and stabilize them. I glued a few small stones to the bottom of the slanted stones, forming an “∠” shape.

The most troublesome part is gluing the stones, but it’s actually quite easy—because all the glue marks will be buried under the plants anyway, so it doesn’t matter if the joints look ugly.

Once the framework is done, you can start planting.

Planting substrate: volcanic gravel, sphagnum moss, and Akadama soil.

After spreading a layer of Akadama soil, you can place the finished framework in.

Akadama slides easily, so after laying a layer, you need to spray it with water—once wet, it sticks together nicely.

Looking at the photos, you may notice a bit of a slope. For this level of slope, simply lay the Akadama thicker in those areas.

Then you can add a few more small pieces of Dragon Stone.

Finally, the plants.

I chose Leucobryum (pincushion moss), Saxifraga stolonifera, and a bonsai tree.

Any small bonsai-style plant works: small azalea, small-leaf boxwood, etc. Choose small bonsai tree—they’re usually inexpensive. Then use bonsai aluminum wire to bend the branches into the shape you want, and prune any excess.

A quick note: bonsai aluminum wire is incredibly useful. If you have a plant that won’t stand upright, you can use it as support. Even herbaceous plants without a trunk can be shaped into an attractive trunk-like form using wire.

I even used aluminum wire on one of my ferns for a while.

Planting order:

First place the tiny bonsai plant—just dig a small hole in the Akadama and pop it in.

Next, lay the moss.

After that, use tweezers to plant one Saxifraga beside the bonsai.

This terrarium was made several years ago. At the time, I used a regular Saxifraga, and it quickly grew too large and ruined the proportions. I later replaced it with micro saxifraga, which stays small and keeps the miniature look.

Building video: