The Cutest Little Cloche

Last spring, one of my favorite online places, Longfield Gardens, sent me a terrarium kit.  It wasn't so much a terrarium as it was the cutest little cloche on a saucer you ever did see.  Even if it hadn't included something to grow, I would have loved just the cloche set.

But it contained a begonia tuber, some growing medium, and a biodegradable peat pot in addition to the glass cloche and the green ceramic saucer.  The idea was to plant the tuber in the peat pot, moisten the soil, and cover with the cloche.

I did that, put it in a bright light location and waited for the begonia to begin growing. The glass cloche helps keep moisture in, acting like a tiny greenhouse. If you notice there's a little too much moisture inside, you can just lift the cloche off for a little while.

Once it outgrew the cloche, I transplanted the begonia, pot and all, to a larger container.  I chose to put it in a hanging container because of the growth habit of the begonia.

The kit contains one bulb and you may need more than one to get a really lush container. First bloom
is shown here.

This was a fun and attractive way to get a head start on the season and I still had the cloche to use for something else - like this Cryptanthus:

I also used it to help this spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) cutting get a good start:

I'm a huge fan of cloches and I have several that I use outside in my garden and another larger one that I use inside.  But I adore this smaller one - it's just eight inches tall.

If you're interested in getting one of your own ($29.95), you can find them here.  They'd make a wonderful gift too.  Everything you need to get growing is right there and the cloche can be used in a number of ways.  If you're not familiar with Longfield Gardens, they have other kits too, and all the bulbs I've received from them are ginormous and healthy.

First time customers can receive a 20% discount on their order by using the code LFG20 and shipping is free for orders over $50.

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*I received the Terrarium Kit for review, free of charge, from Longfield Gardens.  All opinions here are my own, as always.