Make a funnel of aluminum foil, inserting it so that the narrow end is at the bottom of the bottle. Pour an inch of drainage material down the funnel, then a half inch of crushed charcoal. Tap the bottle on a hard surface. Then add spoonfuls of pasteurized soil that is just moist enough to cling together when squeezed lightly in your hand. Use a long bent stick, wire, slender tongs, or chopsticks to pack the soil firmly against the sides of the bottle. Fill the bottle about one-fourth way with soil. Use the wire or stick to make planting holes. Remove plants from pots, wash the earth from the roots, then drop one into each planting hole. Press earth firmly around the roots of the plants. Trailing strawberry-begonias (Saxifraga stolonifera and its variegated variety tricolor) and dainty ferns like Pteris tremula are choice for bottle plantings. The umbrella-plant (Cyperus alternifolius), or feathery-fern (Asparagus plumosus) provide height-giving centers for bottle plantings. Add a miniature African violet or begonia for extra color and for flowers. For other bottle plants, see list of "Plants That Like the High Humidity of a Closed Container," at the end of this chapter.

   Providing just the right amount of light for terrariums is the key to successful culture. Newly made terrarium plantings set in moist friable soil, given correct light and a cover to hold in humidity, can go on for days, weeks, months-yes, even years without water. Recently I saw a stoppered bottle planted with ferns and saxifragas that had not been watered since it was made some seven years before. But this is not standard procedure. Check terrariums at least once a week to see if the plants have enough moisture.

   The location of the planter will greatly influence just how often water is needed. Naturally, a terrarium placed in a sunny-spot will dry out faster than one in filtered light or shade. Indeed, it is never a good practice to place terrariums, other than those planted entirely with cacti and other succulents, in a bright window. The sun creates a steamy junglelike atmosphere inside the terrarium, and covers the plants with beads of moisture. Sun, shining on these, turns them into veritable burning glasses which disfigure the tender foliage. Place all newly planted terrariums in a shaded area-near a northern window, for instance, or atop a piece of furniture out of the direct sun for a week to ten days. When the inside fogs over with condensation, remove the cover for an hour or so to allow the excess moisture to evaporate.