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Best terrarium for a closed jar, empty case or child

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have three amazon.co.uk listings left, and the planted photograph is doing most of the selling. One is a 1 litre glass kit with the plants left out. One is an empty brass-and-glass birdcage. One is a plastic Harry Potter seed set for ages 7–16. The best terrarium here is the one that matches the job you have this week, and the skip is as useful as the pick. The [terrarium comparison](/hub/houseplants/terrarium) holds the prices, stars and box lines. Peter F. set these picks on 21 October 2026 from those listings. This is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have three amazon.co.uk listings left, and the planted photograph is doing most of the selling. One is a 1 litre glass kit with the plants left out. One is an empty brass-and-glass birdcage.

Our top picks

Clementoni Clementoni Harry Potter kit, 7+

Best overall

Clementoni Clementoni Harry Potter kit, 7+
5.5/10about £12.90
View offer
PYEF CRAFTS PYEF CRAFTS 1 litre jar kit

Rank 2

PYEF CRAFTS PYEF CRAFTS 1 litre jar kit
7.4/10about £24.99
View offer
Homtone Homtone golden birdcage, 18 cm

Alternative

Homtone Homtone golden birdcage, 18 cm
6.1/10about £32.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The closed jar kit
  2. 2.The empty birdcage
  3. 3.The children’s seed kit
  4. 4.What best does not mean

The closed jar kit

If you want a first closed jar and you will buy one small plant yourself, the PYEF CRAFTS kit is the top pick. It is about £24.99, a glass cylinder of 11 × 11 × 20 cm, rated 4.4 from 1,024 reviews. The box holds soil, moss, charcoal, stones and tools. Plants are not included. Reviews say three shop plants do not fit, the substrate can arrive as dried blocks, and two reports describe the jar smashed in transit, including a cut hand. Kew and the Royal Horticultural Society put humid foliage under a lid. The title’s succulent wording does not change the cork. The checks before you pay are on the terrarium buying guide.

The empty birdcage

The Homtone case is the buy when you already own small dry plants. It is about £32.95, brass and glass, 18 × 18 × 23 cm and 1.51 kg, rated 4.4 from 168 reviews. Plants and soil are not included. UK reviews like a flap that can stay open, and they say the door will not pass a nursery pot. One review reports no leak so far. Others say water leaks if you water freely, which is why one buyer added a tray. Skip it for a sealed ecosystem or a planted gift. The lead-free solder line was not tested here. The plant-to-lid match is on closed or open terrarium.
Clementoni Clementoni Harry Potter kit, 7+

Testsieger

Clementoni Clementoni Harry Potter kit, 7+
5.5/10about £12.90
View offer

The children’s seed kit

The Clementoni set is the buy only for a supervised seed project at about 7–16, not a houseplant. It is about £12.90, plastic, model 19248, rated 4.6 from 3,397 reviews on a Toys & Games ranking. The box holds seeds, soil, sand, stones, plaster, moulds and tempera. UK reviews describe clover, cress or grass, plus mould, a soaked hut and paint that fails when watered. Size lines conflict, and 800 g disagrees with 1,195 g on the maker’s UK page, which also says not for under 36 months. It is the best value for that child’s job, not a cheaper jar.

What best does not mean

Those 3,397 toy ratings sit on a different ranking from the 1,024 reviews on the PYEF listing. Self sustaining and all in one are title language. The Royal Horticultural Society still expects a sealed jar to need water a few times a year. BBC Gardeners' World uses condensation on the glass as its own picture. Those publishers disagree on the detail. Live-plant kits with Fittonia already in the glass are a different purchase, and they are not priced here. If none of the jobs fits, walk away.

Common questions

Which of these three should I buy for a first closed jar?
Buy the PYEF CRAFTS kit at about £24.99 if you will add one small humid plant yourself. It is a 1 litre glass cylinder with soil, moss, charcoal, stones and tools, rated 4.4 from 1,024 reviews. The plants are not in the box, and reviews say three shop plants do not fit. Skip it if you expected a finished planted jar, or if you wanted succulents under the cork.
Is the highest star rating the best houseplant terrarium?
No. Clementoni’s 4.6 from 3,397 reviews is a Toys & Games pool for a plastic seed kit at about £12.90. PYEF’s 4.4 from 1,024 reviews is the garden-jar pool. The star line does not move a toy bowl into the same job as a corked litre of glass. Use the job, then the stars.
When is the empty birdcage the right buy?
Choose the Homtone case at about £32.95 when you already have small succulents or cacti and you accept an empty brass-and-glass house, 18 × 18 × 23 cm. UK reviews say the door is too small for pots, and they split on leaks if you water freely. It is the wrong buy if you wanted a sealed bottle that holds humidity for ferns and moss.
Is the Harry Potter kit a good first terrarium for a 7-year-old?
It can be, as a supervised build, because the title says 7+ and the manufacturer age is 7–16. Reviews mention children around 7, 9 and 10, sometimes with an adult mixing the plaster. Expect clover or cress, not a houseplant, and read the mould and crumbling-plaster comments before you treat it as a gift that lasts. It is not for a child under 36 months.
Who should skip all three?
Skip all three if you need named live plants in the parcel, a jar large enough for several shop pots, or a geometric case the listing itself calls watertight. None of these three is that object. A live-plant kit is a different purchase, and it is not scored here. Paying for the photograph alone is the mistake these listings keep producing.
Does best mean it never needs water?
It does not. A closed jar still needs a light watch on condensation. The Royal Horticultural Society talks about watering a sealed jar a few times a year. BBC Gardeners' World uses fog on up to a third of the glass as its own guide. Those pictures disagree. A dry succulent in the birdcage needs spare water in the growing months, on the BBC care page, and a hard soak is what UK Homtone reviews link to leaks.

Related pages

Terrarium mould

Terrarium

Terrarium buying guide: plants, litres, door, glass

Closed or open terrarium: match the plant to the lid

How to plant a terrarium: layers, then a light mist

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these three listings were read for this comparison. Page updated 21 October 2026. Other price bands are a 20 October 2026 snapshot, not a market average.

  1. RHS, Terrariums and bottle gardens (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. Kew, Make your own terrarium (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. BBC Gardeners' World, How to make a terrarium (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. BBC Gardeners' World, Terrarium care (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods rights (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. Which?, damaged goods in the post (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. GOV.UK, invasive non-native plants (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  9. terrarium.co.uk, why a terrarium goes mouldy (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  10. Small & Green, terrarium care (retrieved 21.10.2026)