Terrarium figurines: how to choose, place and care for miniatures

A terrarium figurine is a small piece of decoration, about 1 to 5 cm, that you set on the moss or between the plants. It gives the landscape a scale: moss becomes a meadow, a fern becomes a tree. To get it right, choose a size smaller than the plants, a material that does not mind humidity, and only a few pieces.

What a figurine adds

Without a point of reference, the eye cannot tell if a terrarium is large or small. A 3 cm house at the foot of a fittonia changes that. The plant looks tall, the moss looks vast.

A figurine also tells a simple story. A trail of red mushrooms leads the eye from one side to the other. A fox near a stump suggests a clearing. The glass becomes a small stage.

A figurine does not replace the plants. The living landscape stays the subject. The figurine is the detail the eye notices second.

Choose the size

Scale is the most useful rule. Always compare the figurine with the nearest plant.

• 1 to 2 cm: the most discreet size. It suits small containers and foregrounds.
• 2 to 3 cm: the size of the houses and animals. It stays readable in a medium-sized bottle.
• 3 to 5 cm: pieces you see from across the room. Keep them for a large container, or use just one.

Also measure the neck of your container. A figurine must go through the opening, held in tweezers. In our Woodland kit, the bottle is 20 cm in diameter and the neck is 10.5 cm: every figurine in this guide fits.

Which material under glass

A closed terrarium stays humid all the time. US university extension services therefore recommend objects that do not absorb water: glass, ceramic, metal or plastic. They advise against raw wood in a closed terrarium, because it rots and can bring in insects and fungi.

Our sets are made of painted plastic or synthetic material. The supplier sells them for terrariums: according to the supplier, they do not mind condensation or contact with damp moss.

Avoid objects made of cardboard, fabric or paper, and valuable objects. An old family piece can stain or come unglued in the humidity.

Build a scene

A good scene needs only a few pieces. Here are four ideas, from the simplest to the richest.

The mushroom trail

Ten red mushrooms with white spots, about 2 cm tall, set in a curved line. The trail starts at the front edge and climbs towards the back. The curve gives depth, even in a small bottle.

The hamlet

Three houses of 2 to 3 cm, with red or orange roofs and ivy painted on the walls. Group them a third of the way across, not in the center. Leave free moss around them: a village needs room to breathe.

For a brighter village, the set of six white houses with colored roofs stands out against the green of the plants.

The autumn clearing

A stump, a campfire, an acorn, a fox and two squirrels, 1 to 3 cm tall. Set the stump and the fire in the middle of the clearing, then the animals around them, facing the fire. The warm tones of these pieces go well with dark green moss.

The mushrooms with faces

Four mushrooms about 3.5 cm tall, in green, yellow, pink and red. These are the largest mushrooms in this guide. One or two are enough in a medium bottle. For a softer effect, scatter the set of thirteen small multicolored mushrooms, about 2 cm tall, in little groups.

Place the figurines

Figurines go in last, once the plants and the moss are in place.

1. Clean each piece before you put it in. University guides recommend this for any object added to a terrarium.
2. Hold the figurine with long tweezers. It goes down through the neck without touching the glass.
3. Push it a little into the moss, or wedge it against a pebble. It must stand upright.
4. Keep a little space between the figurine and the glass. A piece pressed against the glass holds a drop of water and gets dirty faster.
5. Step back a meter and look. If the scene looks crowded, remove a piece.

The right number depends on the volume. Extension services advise against cluttering the space. In a medium-sized bottle, a few pieces are enough.

Care and changing the decoration

A figurine needs little care. The supplier says a dry paintbrush is enough to clean it.

If a figurine turns green, take it out with the tweezers. Rinse it in clean water, dry it, then put it back. If the deposit comes back quickly, check the humidity of the terrarium: our guide to condensation explains how to read the fog on the glass.

A figurine comes out without disturbing the plants. So you can change the decoration with the seasons. For winter, see our guide to the Christmas terrarium. For a scene that glows at night, see the glow-in-the-dark terrarium.

Do not confuse a figurine that has turned green with a real mushroom. A small mushroom can grow by itself on the wood in a terrarium. Our guide to mushrooms on wood helps you recognize them.

Safety

These are decorative objects, not toys. The pieces are small. Health Canada advises against giving objects with small parts to children under 3. Its test is simple: an object that fits through a toilet paper roll is too small for them.

Store opened sets out of reach of young children. Once inside a closed terrarium, the figurines stay behind the glass.

In short

1. Choose a figurine smaller than the nearest plant.
2. Prefer a material that does not absorb water, such as plastic.
3. Place the figurines last, with tweezers, pushed into the moss.
4. Use only a few pieces and leave space around them.
5. Clean with a dry paintbrush and change the decoration with the seasons.
6. Keep the sets out of reach of children under 3.

Sources

• Creating a Closed Terrarium, Penn State Extension
• How to Design a Closed-System Terrarium, Mississippi State University Extension
• How to Create and Care for a Terrarium, Iowa State University Extension
• Toy safety tips, Health Canada
• Manufacturer data sheets (contents, size, colors and material of the figurine sets, dimensions of the kit bottle)