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Terrarium buying guide: plants, litres, door, glass

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have a planted photo open on amazon.co.uk and a gift to sort this week. The picture shows moss and a lid. The bullet list, further down, often says the plants are not in the box. This terrarium buying guide is a pass or fail list for that gap: plants, litres, the door, and the glass. It does not pick a winner. The [terrarium comparison](/hub/houseplants/terrarium) puts the three kept listings side by side. Prices and review counts below are the amazon.co.uk figures for those listings. Peter F. checked them on 21 October 2026. This is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a planted photo open on amazon.co.uk and a gift to sort this week. The picture shows moss and a lid. The bullet list, further down, often says the plants are not in the box.

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.Plants in the box or not
  2. 2.Litres and the door
  3. 3.Glass, leaks and a smashed parcel
  4. 4.The kit that is a toy

Plants in the box or not

The planted photograph rushes the checkout. A kit can look finished and still arrive as glass, dried mix and a leaflet. Breathe Clean UK asks whether plants are included, because a substrate-only kit is a different purchase. PYEF is about £24.99 for a 1 litre jar, 11 × 11 × 20 cm, rated 4.4 from 1,024 reviews. The wording says plants are not included, while the title also names succulents, air plants and bonsai. Treat that title as shop copy. Where the contents bullet fights the photo, assume the plants are not coming.

Litres and the door

A 1 litre jar holds one small plant and a little moss, not three shop pots. PYEF reviews say three plants do not fit, and the dried substrate arrives as hard blocks. The Homtone case is about £32.95, 18 × 18 × 23 cm, sold empty, rated 4.4 from 168 reviews. Reviewers say the geometric door is too narrow for shop pots. You unpot the plant, or you post moss and plugs through the opening. The plant match is on closed or open terrarium. The layer order is on how to plant a terrarium.
Clementoni Clementoni Harry Potter kit, 7+

Testsieger

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

Glass, leaks and a smashed parcel

Glass is what breaks in transit. PYEF reviewers describe smashed jars, including a cut hand. Check every pane before you bin the packaging. Which? says the retailer answers for damage in transit, so contact the amazon.co.uk seller with photos. The Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9, is the satisfactory-quality rule. It does not grade seals. UK reviews on the Homtone house split on leaks. A geometric door does not make a corked bottle. The lead-free solder line is the maker’s sentence, and the metal was not tested here.

The kit that is a toy

The Clementoni set is about £12.90, for ages 7–16, with seeds in a plastic bowl. It shows 4.6 from 3,397 ratings on a toy ranking. Those ratings do not make it a glass terrarium. Buy it for a supervised seed project in that age band. Skip it if you wanted the planted glass in the photo. A £12.90 toy beside a £24.99 jar is a price gap, not one object ranked twice. If plants, litres, the door or the material fail, do not pay for the photograph.

Common questions

Are the plants in the photo actually in the box?
Often they are not. The PYEF amazon.co.uk listing pairs a planted photo with a line that plants are not included, and the title also names succulents, air plants and bonsai. At about £24.99 you are buying a 1 litre jar and dried substrate unless the contents bullet says otherwise. Budget for foliage, or choose a different listing. A substrate-only kit is not a finished terrarium.
Is 1 litre enough for more than one small plant?
A 1 litre jar such as the PYEF, 11 × 11 × 20 cm, fits one small plant and a little moss. Reviews say three plants do not fit, and the dried substrate can arrive in hard blocks. For two leafy plants, use fewer smaller ones or an empty case such as the Homtone at 18 × 18 × 23 cm.
Will a shop pot fit through a geometric door?
Usually it will not. Homtone reviewers say the door is too small for pots, even on an 18 × 18 × 23 cm case. Take the plant out of its pot, or choose moss and plugs that pass the opening. Compared with an open bowl, the door limits what you can get inside, though you can still close the front.
Is a brass-and-glass house sealed, or only decorative?
The Homtone listing, at about £32.95, is an empty brass-and-glass house you plant yourself. The hinged door lets you reach in. It does not by itself make a sealed bottle. UK reviews split on leaks. If you need a closed humid interior for small foliage, read that split before you pay. Succulents and cacti want an open container, not trapped damp.
What if the glass arrives smashed?
Check every pane before you throw the packaging away. PYEF reviewers report jars smashed in transit, including a cut hand. Which? says the retailer answers for damage in transit. Section 9 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is about satisfactory quality, not a terrarium seal test. Contact the amazon.co.uk seller with photos, rather than starting with the courier.
Is a £12.90 Harry Potter kit the same purchase as a glass jar?
It is not. The Clementoni set is about £12.90, for ages 7–16, with seeds in a plastic bowl and 4.6 from 3,397 ratings on a toy ranking. That is a supervised project for a child, not the PYEF jar at about £24.99 or the empty Homtone case at about £32.95. Buy it when the age mark fits. Leave it when you wanted planted glass.
Do I still need soil, charcoal and plants after an all in one title?
You do, unless the contents line lists them. All in one and self sustaining are title language, not a finished garden in the box. The PYEF jar is sold without plants, and the Homtone case is sold empty. You still add drainage, charcoal, compost and plants, then water lightly. Seeds in a plastic toy are a different product again.

Related pages

Best terrarium

Terrarium

Closed or open terrarium: match the plant to the lid

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

Terrarium mould: fog, white fuzz, and when to empty

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)