Indoor Water Gardens Pamela Kock

Have you always wanted a pond or water garden, but lack space in the yard to create one?  Show off your creativity and design skills with an indoor water garden. 

Indoor water gardens can range from a simple vase of water with a few sprigs of Spathiphyllum (peace lily), to an elaborate fountain complete with fish!  You might not want a fish pond in your living room, especially if you have pets or young children, but water gardening is a very adaptable endeavor.  Your water garden will need between 9-12 hours of direct sunlight, so they’re best suited for a solarium or south-facing window. 

Simple Water Gardens 

Select a water-tight container that suits your décor.  This might be a galvanized bucket, a fish bowl, a cookie jar, a glass baking dish, or a plastic dishpan.  Next, choose your plants.  Here are some plants that do well in indoor water gardens: 

• Water lettuce

• Water hyacinth

• Dwarf papyrus

• Spathiphyllum – peace lily

• Pothos

• Taro (Colocasia)

• Sweet Potato vine

• Dracaena (including “lucky bamboo”)

• Arrowhead Vine (Syngonium)

• Wandering Jew (Tradescantia)

• Umbrella Plant

• Grape Ivy

Plants that are normally grown in pots may do better in a sandy soil mixture to help anchor the roots.  Place the pots in the bottom of the container, add pebbles to hide the pots and keep them in place, then fill with water.  Then add floating plants like water lettuce, if desired, to round out the display.  You’re done! 

But…won’t the water turn green?  

Using broad-leaved floating plants will block out some sunlight, thus preventing algae from growing in the water underneath.  You can also obtain a special dye from a pond supply shop to further inhibit algae, or use a chemical called a “nutrient degrader”.  For an organic approach, try adding snails. 

Feed your water plants with liquid houseplant fertilizer or aquatic plant fertilizer pellets. 

Advanced Water Gardening 

Once you’ve got the hang of indoor water gardening, you might want to try a bigger, more ambitious project.  Your indoor pond can include a fountain or waterfall, too.  You can garden in a specialized free-standing pond form, a large galvanized washtub, or a seasoned wine half-barrel.  Use bricks or upside-down terra-cotta pots to elevate plant pots to the correct level in the water.  

After your garden is growing well, try adding fish and snails.  Consult a pond supply shop to find out how many fish your pond can support. 

Maintaining your indoor water garden is easy.  If you’ve set it up well, the garden should be a self-contained ecosystem that requires very little work.  Just make sure to feed the plants (and fish) regularly, and top off the water occasionally.