How to Create Indoor Water Gardens
Water gardens can be a soothing & enjoyable experience for even beginner gardeners, contrary to the common belief that they are only for experienced gardeners. Water plantain, cattails, & water lilies are just some of the magnificent landscape elements that may be built & maintained in the comfort of your own home. You can also develop a water garden in just about any kind of container, from a pot on the porch to a large reservoir dug into the ground. But how?
Well first of all what exactly is a water garden? How to create indoor water gardens & what are the best underwater plants for your water garden? These questions & more will be answered in this informative guide.
What is a water garden?
A water garden, often called an aquatic garden, is a landscape design that incorporates one or more water elements, such as a fish pond or a garden pond, to showcase a variety of aquatic plants. They can be planted in a wide variety of containers, shell liners, PVC liners, or even indoors, & can be either shallow or deep, depending on the needs of the plants.
Moreover, small animals, such as birds, squirrels, & even frogs & salamanders occasionally, can benefit from water gardens. The cost of installing a pond for a water garden varies depending on its size.
Also Check This: 7 Must Have Water Plants in Your Garden
How to Create Indoor Water Gardens
To create indoor water gardens:
1. Pick an Ideal Water Container:
- Aquatic plants need shallow water-submerged pots. Knowing the minimum water level at which a plant can sustain is crucial, as certain plants are able to tolerate submersion for a few inches. For example:
- Floating plants—like water lettuce, water lilies, & lotuses—float on the surface of the water, provide shade, help keep the water clean, & control algae.
- Oxygenating plants—like eelgrass, hornwort, & anacharis—are best grown beneath the water's surface & filter the water while also controlling algal development while supplying oxygen.
- Marginal plants—like cattails, Water plantain, & arrowhead—are best grown near the edge of the water garden & provide filtration, suppress algae growth, & attract nature's inhabitants.
- Bog plants—like water iris, Rose pogonia, & pitcher plants—like moist soil above the water level & are usually grown on the outside of the water garden.
2. Choose an Ideal Location & Follow Care Guidelines:
- Suppose you want to create a water garden. In that case, you should select a spot that offers a beautiful view & lots of sunlight (for the plants' photosynthetic properties), then carefully adhere to the detailed care directions provided by specialists. If desired, turbines, water features, & fish may also be added.
- A healthy water garden requires routine maintenance, which consists of debris management, plant growth promotion, deceased plant removal, the addition of specialized fertilizer, winterization, leak detection, & prevention of algae growth.
Which plants grow in water indoors?
The best underwater plants for your water garden are:
Floating Plants:
1. Water Lettuce:
Pistia stratiotes, or water lettuce, is a floating plant that grows in warm & subtropical areas. It has light green, velvety leaves & feathery roots. It reproduces quickly & develops dense mats on the water surface, helping aquatic species absorb nutrients, provide shade, & shelter. Water lettuce cycles nutrients & shelters fish & other aquatic life, making it an important ecological resource.
2. Water Lilies:
Nasturtium spp., or water lilies, are perennial plants with leaves that float on the water & roots that are buried. They have big, showy flowers. To do photosynthesis, they float on the water's top in calm areas with mud or silt below. They are rooted in the ground by rhizomatous roots. The water lilies provide shade, keep the water temperature stable, & give fish & animals a place to live.
3. Lotuses:
Large, perennial plants known as Lotuses (Nelumbo spp.) are found in shallow waters throughout temperate & tropical zones. These plants are distinguished by their peltate leaves & fragrant blooms. Their floating leaves shade & prevent evaporation, & they prefer muddy or silty ground. Lotuses are vital to the ecosystem because they regulate nutrients & shade aquatic species.
Oxygenating Plants:
1. Eelgrass:
Zostera marina, or eelgrass, is a flowering plant that lives in shallow coastal seas & estuaries. Its leaves are long & ribbon-like. It grows underwater meadows & tolerates varied salinities. Various marine species can live in eelgrass because its roots keep the soil stable. It is important for coastal ecosystems because it provides habitat for fish, invertebrates, & waterfowl, cycles nutrients, & accumulates carbon.
2. Hornwort:
Hornwort, or Ceratophyllum demersum, is a plant that grows in water & has roots that branch out & fine, whorled leaves. Being adaptable, it dwells in ponds, lakes, & slow-flowing streams. Hormone wort is a great oxygenator because it grows quickly & efficiently to take in nutrients from water. It shelters fish & aquatic life. Its photosynthetic activity increases water oxygen & absorbs nutrients, improving water quality.
3. Anacharis:
Anacharis (Elodea canadensis), or Canadian waterweed, is a submerged aquatic plant with long stems & small leaves. It grows in ponds, lakes, & slow-moving streams & is used in aquariums. Anacharis is a good oxygenator that can grow both attached to something & moving freely. It takes in nutrients & stops algae from growing. It increases oxygenation, nitrogen uptake, & water clarity, sheltering aquatic organisms & suppressing algae.
Also Check This: Breathe Easy: 11 Best Indoor Plants for Oxygen
Marginal Plants:
1. Cattails:
Cattails, or Typha spp., are tall, thin plants with brown flower heads that look like cigars & spikes that are shaped like cylinders. They grow in shallow water & nutrient-rich soils in wetlands, marshes, & ponds. Their rhizomatous roots support soil & spread quickly. Cattails help clean the water by filtering out pollution & providing food & shelter for amphibians.
2. Water Plantain:
Water Plantain or Alisma plantago-aquatica grows in shallow lakes, ponds, & gentle streams. It has slender, broad leaves & groups of small, white, or pink flowers that are connected by branches. Its leaves float & its fibrous root structure tolerates varied water depths. Additionally, water plantain feeds aquatic species, stabilizes sediments, & improves water quality.
3. Arrowhead:
Sagittaria spp. arrowhead plants have arrow-shaped leaves & small white flowers on long stalks. They are also called duck-potato or wapato. They endure flooding & enjoy wet soil. They can live in areas with changing water levels because their tuberous roots store food & energy. Their arrow-shaped leaves soak up the sunshine.
Bog Plants:
1. Water Iris:
Iris spp., often known as water iris or flag iris, is a perennial plant with sword-like leaves & bright flowers. They live in bogs & marshes & do best in shallow water that is acidic. Their rhizomatous roots help them grow & keep the soil stable in wet places. Water iris blooms in late spring to early summer in blue, purple, yellow, & white.
2. Rose Pogonia:
Rose pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides), often known as snake-mouth orchid, with exquisite pink flowers & a slender stem. It lives in bogs, fens, & marsh areas. It likes acidic, nutrient-poor soils & is often found with sphagnum moss. Its tuberous root system stores nutrients & water. This plant produces one rose-colored blossom in late spring to early summer.
3. Pitcher Plants:
Pitcher plants (Sarracenia spp.), which are also called Sarracenia purpurea & Sarracenia leucophylla, have pitcher-shaped leaves that catch insects. They live on acidic, nutrient-poor soils in bogs & marshes with high sunlight. Their modified leaves generate pitchers that collect & digest insects, supplying nutrition. They produce beautiful flowers on tall stems above pitcher-like leaves throughout spring & summer.
Also Check This: Picking Up The Right Spots For Placing Plants
Conclusion
A water garden is a type of landscaping that includes water features like fish ponds or garden ponds & displays plants that live in water. Marginal, bog, floating, & oxygenating plants are good for indoor water gardening. Additionally, opt for a warm area & follow the advice of experts for growing a healthy water garden.
