If you don’t think you have enough space for a full water garden, you might want to consider a container water garden. Container gardening is just as possible with aquatic plants as it is with garden plants. By using a container to house your water garden you can create and enjoy an eye catching low maintenance garden.
The choice of containers for your container water garden can be as diverse as the plants you choose. You can use traditional terra cotta pot, plastic pots, large bowls, whiskey half barrels, or those old-fashioned galvanized tubs for larger water gardens. No matter what container you choose, make sure it is about 1.5 feet deep and measures at least 18 inches across. In order to maintain healthy plants, your container water garden should hold 5 gallons of water.
Now it’s time to choose the plants for your container water garden. Try not to overload the container as this will make the garden look too busy. The best water container gardens have a focus point. Great plants for this are teacup lotus or dwarf lilies. These types of water garden flowers will both produce some great blooms. To add some height to your garden you can add cotton grass or cattail.
Floating plants are also attractive to look at in container water gardens. Some good varieties of these are fairy floating moss, water hyacinth and water lettuce. The good thing about floating plants is that they will help reduce both algae and any floating debris.
It’s important to make sure that your container water plants will get enough sunlight. Seek out the sunniest spot on your balcony, deck, or patio and put your container water garden there. Ideally your water garden plants will need between 4-6 hours of sunlight daily. To protect your plants you’ll need to provide protection from any high winds. Also, to reduce the maintenance of your container water garden, make sure you place it away from any falling debris such as leaves from other plants or trees.
Finally, to ensure good water drainage, place your container water garden on some bricks. This will help to draw focus to your container water garden. If you follow these simple tips, you can enjoy a water garden no matter how little space you have.
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