Closed Terrarium Plants That Thrive: Expert Recommendations

At their core, closed terrarium plants are just plants that can live within the rules of a sealed environment.

Sounds simple enough, until you realise how many plants almost fit the bill.

Plenty will look great at first, behave themselves for a while, and then slowly start to struggle once the tropical conditions really take hold. What really matters isn’t short-term success, but how a plant behaves as the terrarium settles in.

That’s what this guide focuses on – plants that genuinely thrive in closed terrariums (not just tolerate them for a few months).

Once you seal a terrarium, you kind of seal its fate too.

From that point on, everything inside has to live with the conditions you’ve created (for better or worse).

That’s why plant choice in a closed terrarium environment isn’t really about what looks good on day one, but how a plant behaves over time once the lid is on.

Some settle in and get on with it – they’re the winners here. Whereas others look fine at first, then slowly start to struggle as the system exposes small mismatches and compounds their problems.

In other words, closed terrariums reward good planning – and can punish optimistic planting.

The plants that truly succeed here are the ones that tolerate constant humidity, cope with low airflow, and don’t need much intervention once the lid is on. Those traits aren’t a coincidence; they’re shaped by how a closed terrarium environment works as a sealed system.

With that in mind, the plants below aren’t just popular picks. They’re species and groups that reliably hold their shape, texture, and balance as a terrarium settles in and matures.

Spend enough time with closed terrariums and you begin to recognise the usual suspects – certain plant types show up again and again, for good reason.

Here’s what works best in our experience.

Compact & Cute Terrarium Ferns 

Ferns are perfectly suited to life in closed terrariums, and nothing delivers more on the texture front.

The best terrarium ferns are all relatively compact, easy to care for (so no Maidenhair Fern, I’m afraid), and ever so pretty. I find the best are often mini dwarf varieties of popular houseplant species.

It’s true – good things come in small packages!

We’ll start with the ever-popular Boston Fern (Nephrolepis).

Vibrant green, with sword-shaped fronds, they bring so much character and verticality. A few amazing varieties always seem to find their way into our projects – I can’t help myself.

1. Lemon Button Fern (Nephrolepis cordifolia ‘Duffii’)

Endlessly versatile and super petite, the Lemon Button Fern is our go-to fern choice. Particularly for smaller closed terrariums.

Despite their minute size, the overarching fronds really lift a scene, and the ability to be divided into tiny clumps of fronds really helps with placement.

Seriously, you can turn one plant into 5 and pop them all over your terrarium. 

2. Fluffy Ruffles Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Fluffy Ruffles’)

Come on, can the names get any cuter? 

The Fluffy Ruffles Fern is one of the more compact yet “full-looking” ferns, making it incredibly easy to use. It’s one of our favorite small terrarium plants.

Pop it in the foreground for an instant texture boost.

3. Heart Fern (Hemionitis arifolia)

These heart-shaped leaves are bursting with charm.

I like to use them both as a centerpiece and a filler, depending on how fabulous my foliage plants are by comparison. 

And though not a dwarf species, it still only grows up to ten inches tall. So, that’s pretty manageable, and the stalk-like fronds are very easy to trim back at the base. 

Honorary mentions

1. I love a Crocodile Fern (Microsorum musifolium). The combination of their scaly, broad-leafed fronds and electric green coloration is amazing. But they do get quite big, so they’re not quite as versatile.
2. The Button Fern (Pellaea rotundifolia) is a dainty-looking fern with fronds that spill in all directions, full of little button leaves. It’s very pretty but a bit harder to style.

Just remember, moisture-loving ferns like these will do best in a terrarium substrate mix that both retains moisture well and provides enough aeration to let their roots breathe.

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Delicate Terrarium Vines

Terrarium vines can include a wide variety of trailing, climbing, and creeping tropical plants.

Generally, anything that grows along the ground of a terrarium or climbs up the sides.

The likes of the classic Pothos come to mind, but those things can grow enormous (our potted Pothos was over 10 feet long).

So, it’s better to think on a smaller scale here for a closed environment.

I favor the small, delicate terrarium vines. Often, you don’t even need to plant them. You can just snip them up and scatter them around your scene.

Over time, they’ll grow to weave amongst the moss and hardscape, adding a dynamic element of natural wildness.

Plus, they tend to be better epiphyte choices for closed terrariums. Where other epiphytes (like Air Plants) can struggle in low airflow environments, these little beauties do fine.

1. Pilea glauca ‘Aquamarine’ 

With dainty metallic gray-green leaves, Pilea glauca is such an elegant little plant.

The colors really contrast with the classic tropical greens of a typical terrarium.

It’s an ideal choice for terrarium ground cover or as a simple accent piece. Once it’s formed a full mat, its vines will continue to wander over surfaces.

2. Ficus pumila (Creeping Fig)

Ficus pumila is a mainstay in the naturalistic terrarium world. 

It’s a very strong grower, thriving in humid and moist conditions. Just a few cuttings can easily fill out all areas of a terrarium container.

So it may need a little pruning every now and again, but you’ll certainly have no problems growing it.

The vines help create a great sense of scale, and their free, unrestrained growth provides a more natural look.

3. String of Turtles (Peperomia prostrata)

As a tropical semi-succulent, the String of Turtles has somehow done the impossible and become popular in the terrarium, succulent, and houseplant worlds simultaneously.

Quite the achievement for such a tiny plant. 

That said, it really is a lovely little vine. It’s easy to grow and even easier to propagate. Even planting a leaf cutting is often enough to grow a new plant. 

4. Peacock Plant (Selaginella uncinata)

Selaginella are the best-kept secret about tropical terrariums.

Little known in the houseplant world, but absolute stars here in the terrarium hobby. They’re technically somewhere between a fern and a moss, but they act more like a vine.

Selaginella uncinata is by far the prettiest, with iridescent blue foliage

Incredibly hardy, perfectly suited to terrarium life, and easy to grow – the perfect beginner terrarium plant?

Showstopper Foliage Plants

“Foliage” isn’t an exact plant category and contains many types of plants.

It’s more of a useful way to group plants that are prized for their stunning leafage rather than their flowers. Think broader, more vibrant, or unique leaves.

So this group includes many different plant types, from lush tropical greenery to shrubs and palm-like plants.

1. Fittonia sp.

Nerve plants are a truly classic terrarium plant.

Tropical evergreen perennials with delicately veined leaves. They come in a variety of beautiful colors, from pink, white, and green.

Plus, they’ll typically only grow to about 6 inches high, but they like to spread wider.

The Polka Dot Plant is another popular choice that ticks a lot of the same boxes.

2. Pilea Moon Valley (Pilea mollis)

Though the Aluminum Plant (Friendship Plant) is probably the most popular Pilea plant species, I think the Pilea Moon Valley is much prettier.

It also tends to stay more compact, whereas the former is more of a bush.

3. Little Tree Plant (Biophytum Sensitivum)

This tiny tree-like plant is adorable and loves high-moisture environments. 

It never grows beyond a few inches tall, and so it’s great for creating a palm-like tropical aesthetic on a micro level. It’s one of our favorite tropical terrarium plants.

4. Earth Stars (Cryptanthus bivittatus)

Something completely different to finish on. 

These are low-growing, low-light-loving little superstars. Definitely one of the best low-light terrarium plants (they can really thrive in difficult conditions).

Coming in all manner of vivid colors, they’re completely at home on the tropical forest floor. 

There you have it – a shortlist of plant types that reliably hold up in sealed, high-humidity environments.

Of course, closed terrariums are just one end of the spectrum. Open builds, drier setups, and low-humidity containers all place very different demands on plants. Which is why something that thrives here might struggle elsewhere (and vice versa).

If you’re weighing up plant choices across different terrarium styles, our broader guide to choosing terrarium plants breaks things down by environment, so it’s easier to see why certain plants suit certain setups.