Received a small Wardian case as a gift- want to fill it

I have a tiny Wardian case. Maybe about 10" x 10" x 10".

It was suggested I consider Pleurothallids but I've never grown these before and was curious what others thought about mini orchids for inside my little mini glass house.

Critter also suggested these-
sinningias
gesneriads
creeping ficus

Any thoughts?

Equil, I had to look up what a wardian case was. so that's what those are called! I love them, but I had a cheap moment and instead of getting a wardian case proper, I went to the nearest TJ Maxx and bought a lantern, big enough to fit a couple of little plants.

Critter's suggestions are right on target. But I will add the following: IMO, you have to be disciplined about watering/misting. Because I am not, it makes me a horrible houseplant mommie. The poor sinningias, gesneriads and ficus that I initially placed died horrible deaths due to no moisture. So I started using any small succulent that doesn't need as much water and placed my little case near a bright window. This works way better for me but I already killed one little barrel cacti...

If you are good about watering/misting, her suggestions are absolutely perfect.

I LOVE that lantern.

Yes, I'm good about watering. I spritz everything in need of spritzing in the morning, water everything and refill drip trays on Sundays, and spot check other plants before I go to bed. I'd probably be ok with checking on it as soon as I got in the habit of remember I had something growing in it.

I already started checking on some of her suggestions and ran into these-
Sinningia gutatta
S. tubiflora (looks too big)
S. regina
S. eumorfa
S. consinna

Getting ready to check into Gesneriad spp. and then onto Creeping Ficus.

I did run across a Lysionotus sangzhiensis at Lazy S that looked interesting.

Also found this site which looks like trouble for me-
http://www.mountainorchids.com/1_prod_pleuro.asp

whew.......they don't ship outside of the US, saves me a bundle...beautiful plants.

ah hem... not so fast there threegardeners. I would not start counting on saving a bundle just yet-
http://www.canadianorchidcongress.ca/vendors.html
Now click here and get ready to hang on tight to your pocket book-
http://retirees.uwaterloo.ca/~jerry/orchids/vendors.html

And you thought you were "safe" from Pleurothallids up there that far north!
Clouds Orchids was the first to pop up selling them.

Misery loves company- tee he!

uh oh.....I can foresee serious credit card charges...I want them allllll.....oh my, you are such an enabler !!!!
I'll be looking for weeks.....

thank you....I think ;)

Equilibrium you can try many things in their. It may all depend on how difficult a plant you want to grow. The orchids would like high humidity and fresh water. The only real problem is stagnate air in terrarium like setups. The gesneriads do very well but ]do not like over head watering usually. Some interesting forms out their I am very fond of the Episcia they have beautiful foliage some with reflective leaves much like rex begonias. The miniture orchids are very interesting I am currently growing a few on drift wood. I am not very good at growing things indoors other than the fishtank. I find that propagating plants in terrariums inside the greenhouse very helpful though.

This message was edited Jan 4, 2007 6:58 PM

So far, the only one that is out is the Creeping Ficus (Ficus pumila) because it's a little bit too toxic for my liking.

I don't want a plant that is difficult to grow. I don't have the greatest track record with tropicals. I looked up Episcia and found some really wild foliage that was textured and extremely colorful. What I read so far indicated they were easy to grow so Episcia are a definite possibility.

I'd love to see a photo or two of the mini orchids you are growing on driftwood in your greenhouse if you get a spare moment.

I vote for jewel orchids, they are mini and well-suited for that environment, and easy to grow. Lucky you to get such a gift! There's a seller on eBay who specializes in them, I think he's called forestfloorguy. His store will come up if you do a search for jewel or terrestrial orchids.

Hey there bbinnj, I tried to search for that eBay seller and this is what I got-

Equil-this is the kind of thing that I would kill within the week!! lol


What am I supposed to do with this vanilla vine? Still sitting on the top shelf where we left it...been meaning to ask you! I see some new white roots.

Keep it, mine is rooted too. Ha ha ha, just what you wanted, a Vanilla Vine! Stick it in bed with your middle son and let it choke him the next time you're irritated with him??? There ya go, stick it in bed with your kid. Those things grow and grow and grow and I don't think even I could kill one off.

Come to think of it... that other thing rooted too. I forgot what it was from the University but whatever it was it's rooted. And that other thing from Paige rooted too. I forgot what the thing on her counter top was from her but it rooted. And, I am pretty sure the "things" from Biltmore rooted too. And... you guessed it... I forgot what those things were too. I have lots of rooted things around here that I haven't a clue what they are any longer. So much for meaning to take notes. Oops.

The genera of jewel orchids includes Cryptostylis, Cymbidium, Dipodium, Habenaria, Liparis, Malaxis, Nervilia, some Phaius, Corymborkis, Plocoglottis, Tainia, Tropidia and Vanilla. I guess we can toss in Ludisia, Goodyera, Macodes. You’ve put me to work and I like what I’m finding. Thank you bbinnj!

Ah Equi, I am sorry, he is bluemossguy and his store is Forest Floor Orchids. Here's his link:
http://stores.ebay.com/Forestfloororchids-plants
I haven't bought from him (yet) but I've been watching his offering since I discovered I can grow jewel orchids easily. I'm planning to buy some when the weather (for shipping) warms up.

Ah ha! bluemossman! That was very close to forestfloorguy. I do that all the time, I get so close I'm hot but not quite close enough to be on the money. Thanks so much for getting back to me. I'll go check out what goodies he has.

ooooh a wardian case thread talking about gesneriads and orchids, and it's hiding here in the tropicals forum. lol.

The jewel orchids have flower spikes that will hit the ceiling of a 10" case. If you don't like the flowers, you can pinch them off, but if you'd rather not do that, it'll be better to stick with other things.

There are some orchids that would do ok with the stagnant air... but then you have to find the ones that will bloom without a night temp drop (or a seasonal temp drop). It can be done, but there's a bit of trial and error there. There's a thread on orchids for a terrarium in the terrarium forum. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/625864/

Of the Sinningias you mention, gutatta and tubiflora are too big. Eumopha is quite big - I grow mine in 4" pots. Regina is not an accepted name, but there is a clone of Sinn. speciosa that is called Regina - this is about the same size as eumorpha or a bit bigger.

S. consinna, as well as sp. Rio das Pedras and pusilla are micro miniatures. They would love being in a case and would look adorable. Only thing is, they would prefer to have a pot. Planted directly into a "large" terrarium bed, they stop blooming after a while. Here's a photo of a white clone of pusilla: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/589022/

With the Episcias, most would be too big for that size wardian case - except maybe Silver Skies. However, my Silver Skies hated being in the wardian case so I yanked it out. I woudn't recommend it any more.

Here's a terrarium I had going for a little while, which some jewel orchid (I've been cutting off the flower spikes) and Sinningia pusilla. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ki/103661649/
This terrarium is probably about 10 inches tall.

Here's a wardian case with the glass off. It's about 6"x6" and about 10" tall. The big plant is a cutting from a plant that topped out and bloomed in a 3" pot, but apparently if you stick it in a wardian case, it turns into a 3ft tall giant. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ki/107662512/

There's a little begonia that loves stagnant air called Peridot. I have pieces going in quart size ziploc bags. You can see it in the upper left of this photo. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ki/107662512/

I found that the micro mini sinnigias liked a long fibre sphag bed better than a peat mix. Here's a cookie jar with a couple of Sinningia pusilla 'White Sprite', and a Nephelaphyllum orchid (this one should not have tall flower spikes, but mine hasn't bloomed yet.... so I'm not sure that it will bloom in a terrarium). http://www.flickr.com/photos/ki/169727602/

okay, time to stop blathering on....

How tall did your Phinaea ecuadoriana get? I like the looks of that plant.

Beautiful Coelogyne you photographed in your flickr album.

You take some very beautiful photos.

You've really got this down to a science. How long have you been growing these types of plants?

What kind of sphagnum are you using?

Keyring, I love how you lassoed the plants so we can highlight and identify them. Beautiful pictures.

The phinaea was probably 3-4 inches tall. It dies back to rhizomes between flowerings, and it also needs a pot because, you know, I found NO rhizomes when I unpotted that one. Same with another Phinaea species I had planted into a terrarium. Totally lost a batch :-(

the sphag I use is long fibre NZ sphag. I haven't tried it in a window yet, though, and probably won't try it.... I like my plant setups to be hassle-free.....

I've been growing orchids and gesneriads "seriously" (addictively?) for only a few years.

thanks - that "note" feature on flickr is wonderful.

Really glad you mentioned this, "The phinaea was probably 3-4 inches tall. It dies back to rhizomes between flowerings". I probably would have thought I killed it.

Say keyring,
Thanks for all your answers. I really appreciate it.

keyring, marvelous info indeed. where do you get that sphagnum, and then do you mean only sphag. nothing else for growing medium? I have seen the mini begonia at my fave nursery in Dallas, didn't realize it was that special. I'll have to get it next time I'm in the area.

Very good info..leads to an unrelated question...how can I save this thread so I can keep the info handy? I know I can watch it, but eventually people will stop posting to it and it will get lost.....

Hey threegardeners, click on the upper tab for Journals. From there go to the area for your Diary. You can create a diary as well as tabs in your diary that you can add entries to. They can be private or open to subscribers. You can cut and paste the url to this thread into one of your diary entries. I titled mine Instructional threads. Hope this helps.

yes...very much...thank you

lots of people have thrown out pots of gesneriad rhizomes. I've started putting "dies back to RHIZOMES" on the plant tags!

The sphag is standard long fibre sphag used by orchid growers. I usually get mine from calwest tropical - their quality has been good so far. That cookie jar has a layer of small grade leca on the bottom for drainage/wicking up water from the bottom. Then just the sphag. The problem with sphag is that it turns sour so quickly..... but otherwise it's good. I would use chopped sphag mixed with medium perlite/spongerock more (to counter its tendency to compact), but I think it that mix wouldn't do well with my watering schedule....

I'm using NZ LFS and I find that although it doesn't compact as readily over time, it does get yucky from algae as readily as any other LFS which sucks because it's such a great growing medium for so many plants.

From the bowels of another girlfriend's closet, a third Wardian case bought at K-Mart that has been gifted to me and it's still in the box. My cup over runneth with Wardian cases. Looks as if minis are my destiny.

WOW...very nice...I wish I knew people with closets like that :)
You are gonna have so much fun with them....
LA

My neighbor received hers as a gift a few years ago and said she never did want to use it because she didn't have any place for it. Because it was new, she didn't want to throw it out. People around here aren't big on garage sales unfortunately. She said she was going to donate it somewhere but forgot to unload it. Pity! Mine mine mine!

The one I received as a gift was square. The one my girlfriend gave me and the one my neighbor just gave me in the box are both rectangular. One was a rusted pretty bad and had originally been white and the other one in the box was some sort of an oddball copper tinged with black that looked sort of cheap when I compared it to the cast black rod iron square Wardian Case. I sanded down the rusted one this morning and primed it. The one out of the box I also roughed up with sand paper a little bit then I primed that. I'll go touch them up in a few days once I'm sure they're dry. I'll wait a few more days and give those two a high gloss white finish with a paint made for outdoor patio furniture. That should do.

Yes, I'm excited. This will be fun and I have a place for all three of them.

You know, I forgot to ask but what can I use for a tray in the bottoms of these rectangular terrariums? Any suggestions?

you are unbelievably lucky, finding 3 of them...I don't suppose I have seen one around here in the last 10 years.....
interesting choice of the high gloss white...aren't you afraid the white will distract from the tiny plants inside? I suppose it depends on your decor though....

I had wanted one but was too cheap to buy it for myself so my husband ordered the first and a photo of it is below. That one will go in our family room. I mentioned starting this thread and how psyched I was about picking plants to grow in it and about a week later my girlfriend told me she had been offered one that hadn't sold at a garage sale and took it specifically to give to me. The third one was because I showed the first two to my neighbor who seized a golden opportunity to "unload" on me. I know the feeling of wanting to clean house and did it myself last spring. It felt good to get rid of things I knew I'd never use again. Now it would appear I'm filling back up again but I'm thrilled. One person's trash is another's treasure.

The first black rod iron is preferable to me but interestingly enough, I took the second one because I have a master bathroom that I thought it would look nice in that is white with white decking around a white jet tub. There's also a white ceramic steam stall in there which I use all the time for my plants- tee he. I want that room white for reflective light. I have orchids in that bathroom all over the place and the green foliage really stands out because of the stark white ceramics and they all get a lot of good very bright indirect light. When the orchids bloom, the blooms really stand out too. I was afraid to spray the second terrarium black since it was going in the orchid bathroom and figured best to use white on the frame to blend in. Then the third terrarium came my way and I figured go white on that one too and flank the tub with one on each side for symmetry. Decorating is not my forté in life and if you ever visited my home you would not disagree with me.

Equil. I like them black, I like them rusted, I like them white. I think they're lovely and you are so lucky your buds unloaded such lovelies on you. As far as trays, I've seen them on catalogs sitting on copper trays,but that would be pricey, not to mention it probably would not go with your cases.

I would call some of your other buds and ask them if any of them have metal trays they want to unload on you,lol. Then you can paint to match. Or visit your favorite antique store and hunt for the old serving trays.

white in a white bathroom would be amazing...especially with the orchids in there as well, then the green of the plants inside would definitely stand out. Flanking the tub is a good idea too...sounds like a nice place to relax...you'd never get me outa there.....
please post pics when you get them all done and filled up
LA

Hey Voss, I already measured the bottom and started looking through my cupboards for anything I could appropriate for the "cause". I came up empty handed. My husband mentioned glass removable insets. He indicated we could have glass cut to size and sealed just as we would an aquarium. I'm more looking for a drip tray for those two because the bottoms are metal and would leak if I placed little pots in them. The other possibility would be to go to a sheet metal place. They'd have copper there and the little bit I'd need couldn't cost that much. Besides which, I didn't pay anything for the cases. Copper is a great suggestion because it ages to a nice green patina. The copper may look shiny and out of place for a while but over time it would look great with all the foliage in that bathroom. Never thought of old serving trays.

Hey 3gardeners, I have orchids in wall pockets in there. It does look sort of nice. A couple times a year during the winter, me and 2 or 3 of my girlfriends will get in that tub. We light a bunch of candles and relaxe just like you said while our husbands watch all of the kids downstairs. It's sort of nice to just sit in the water to prune and have girl talk with no Y chromosomes around. Other than that, we don't use that tub much but sometimes the kids will hop in after skiing or sledding. It's currently filled with plants that were just watered and are draining right now. Doesn't everyone use their jet tub to drain plants? We use the steam shower to bathe our dogs, it's sort of like a drive in car wash deal and adds nice steam to the room for my plants. My husband wants the Nepenthes out of that shower sometime this year so he doesn't have to keep moving it in and out. Decisions decisions.

Equil, the variegated Ficus pumila is far less aggressive and easier IMO. Selaginella would be a nice addition and there's an 'Aurea' that I like.

Keyring is helping me out a lot so one whole case is going to be her design. The second case is going to be a mishmash. The third case I received is open for grabs.

Invasiveness and aggressiveness don't matter to me in this situation as whatever I buy will be grown inside of these cases inside my house. I liked the Ficus pumila and found the variegated at TopTropicals for sale. I'm somewhat concerned that it might outgrow its space rapidly but I'd be willing to give it frequent hair cuts. Growin, you gotta help me here because I virtually know squat about tropicals unless they are invasive. Selaginella is a club moss. At least that's what I'm familiar with. Explain to me which species you are thinking about and where to get it. I've got that whole third case to play with.