A new Urban slogan – “miniaturize it”.

The answer was no to “super-size it” and passé is the call to “legalize it”. This one is smart, useful and fun. A mini-garden can visually enlarge a tight spot and liven it up in the process.

Turn a small space into a magical place – this one is known as “Lily Pot”

Large planter – Lily Pot must be water tight

Inner pot – to contain roots and soil within Lily Pot

Miniature Water Lily – example in photo is Perry’s Baby Red

Water – if added from tap, allow 1-2 days for chlorine to dissipate, keep topped up to an inch or two from the rim

Sunshine -minimum of 6 hours for best flowering (Hardy lilies  go dormant through the winter & must be kept from freezing – treat Tropical water lilies as annuals)

Water Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) also puts on a good show in small spaces – really more spectacular and dramatic than Water Lily, (Nymphaeaceae) because lotus sends it’s big round leaves and tall stems of giant blooms up above the planter, whereas the lily leaves and blooms stay on or near the water’s surface. Simply substitute a lotus for the lily if you have a space that would better suit a tall plant.

For more detailed information about container water gardens,  see http://urbanext.illinois.edu/watergarden/container.cfm

Also, check out a great article via this link: Fine Gardening Magazine

Photo at left from the Fine Gardening Magazine article titled “Make a Big Splash with a Tiny Water Garden”