Choose your plants to give a mixture of colour and form and remember not to plant too closely together to allow the plants room to grow. Some suitable plants are ferns, bromeliads, African violets, ivy and spider plants, all these plants being the small or miniature varieties. Once the plants are established in a bottle they need the minimum of care. Water inside will evaporate and condense against the side of the bottle, running back down into the compost and you’ll probably find that you will only need to water every three to six months. Plenty of light is needed, but not direct sunlight. Trim back any plants that are growing too fast and remove any dead leaves immediately to avoid any disease getting hold.

Wash out the container and dry and clean the inside thoroughly. Good drainage at the base of the container is essential. Place gravel or similar to a depth of 2.5cm and cover this with a layer of peat based potting compost, moistening the compost lightly first. Try to avoid touching the inside of the glass whilst planting, it's harder to clean once filled with plants. Use a funnel made with newspaper to put the compost into the bottle. Use a narrow piece of stick to spread the compost and to make holes for the plants. After planting, firm the compost around the roots of the plants using a cotton reel fixed on to the end of a cane.