AN award-winning nature expert has revealed how to create an indoor garden for free.
Viral TikTok star Ben Newell has shown his 1.1 million followers how to make a terrarium out of “things” he finds on the street.
First, he collects grainy topsoil, English ivy, dog violet, and ivy-leaved toadflax.
He also picks up a patch of dried moss which will be “revived later”.
Next, Mr. Newell adds soil to an empty olive jar and soaks it with water.
It also brings the moss back to life after generously soaking it in water and adding it to the pot as well.
Then he makes a few holes in the moss to add dog violet and ivy lead toadflax.
The final step is to add a tall English ivy to the back of the pot and put the lid back on.
Ben Newell won a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show
The video garnered over 10,000 views on TikTok in less than a week of posting and some social media users have shared how they will recreate their own version.
One user said, “Thanks for this, some followers are going by nature. It’s a fantastic tutorial.”
Chelsea Flower Show
Earlier this year, the TikTok star displayed more than 30 glass terrariums at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
Ben Newell won a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show
Mr. Newell has collaborated with Sarah Gerrard-Jones, known as the plant savior on Instagram, and Mark Lawlor of Happy Houseplantsque.
In preparation for the show, Mr Newell transported 50 glass terrariums from Worcester to London.
He said: “I took 50 terrariums and put them in the back of my Honda and drove very carefully into central London.
Ben Newell won a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show
READ MORE: Worcester TikTok star awarded gold at Chelsea Flower Show
“Each terrarium was successful, luckily the seat remained flat.”
However, Mr. Newell’s love of terrariums comes from his work at a school.
He said: “I used to work at Stanley Road Primary School, and I was in charge of composting, then I took over a housing estate, then I got into terrariums.”
Along with a full-time job, Mr. Newell also teaches people around the world how to make terrariums and how to keep your plants alive.
