No soil? No worries—all you need is water! Check out these Floating Plants to Grow Indoors in Bowls and Containers!
Growing plants in soil is cool, but have you ever witnessed your green babies thriving in water? They turn simple vessels into living art! Here’s our list of floating plants you can grow indoors in bowls and containers—it’s the kind of show you’ll never get enough of!
Floating Plants to Grow Indoors in Bowls and Containers
1. Water Mimosa
Botanical Name: Neptunia oleracea
This mat-forming dense perennial grows rapidly with brown-purple, spongy stems all over the water’s surface. Water mimosa only grows six inches tall and spreads a foot or two! It will flourish in a medium-sized glass bowl indoors in full to partial sun.
Pro Tip: You could also grow this plant in aquariums as it can help fix nitrogen in the water.
2. Creeping Jenny
Botanical Name: Lysimachia nummularia
If you want a plant with pretty foliage, a creeping jenny in a bowl or container can be the perfect choice! It has a lovely cascading growth habit and thrives in part shade or indirect light. Once you plant a cutting, it’ll root in just 10-12 days.
3. Indian Pennywort
Botanical Name: Centella asiatica
The Indian pennywort is an aquatic perennial used in traditional medicine for centuries. To grow it in water, choose a shallow bowl. While the herb is edible in salads and juices in Asian cuisines, excessive consumption could lead to nausea, headache, and discomfort.
4. Water Lettuce
Botanical Name: Pistia stratiotes
Do not be confused by the name—water lettuce is not edible and is poisonous if consumed in large quantities. This spongy aquatic is invasive in the wild but will stay in check indoors in a water bowl or container. It is grown in water gardens to deter harmful algal blooms!
Water lettuce prefers six hours or more of bright sunshine daily, so pick a south-facing window to place it.
5. Red Root Floaters
Botanical Name: Phyllanthus fluitans
Native to the swamps and rivers of South and Central America, this freshwater floating fern is cherished for its stunning deep red roots—and what better way to showcase roots than in water-filled glass vessels? But it also deserves points for being easy to care for!
Keep it in a container with nutrient-rich water under bright light, and you will witness the most stunning red on this plant!
6. European Frogbit
Botanical Name: Hydrocharis morsus-ranae
The European frogbit has stunning leathery, heart-shaped leaves that float on the water’s surface. It can be grown in full or partial sunlight, but it prefers calcium-rich water. Pair it with these water flowers.
7. Watermoss
Botanical Name: Salvinia molesta
Watermoss is invasive in parts of the US and Australia, but you can easily control it in a container. With whorls of light green-yellow leaves in sets of three, this freshwater fern thrives in full to part sun.
Regularly monitor its growth and manually remove any excess whenever it gets weedy.
Pro Tip: If possible, grow it under metal halide lighting and in a CO2-injected tank to control its growth.
8. Water Hyacinth
Botanical Name: Eichhornia crassipes
Water hyacinths are wonderful floating plants best suited for indoor water bowls and containers. In nature, they are often termed noxious weeds that choke out waterways with their rapid spread.
They’re not fussy, bloom in full sun, and have amazing light and dark green foliage. Keep their roots submerged in water and the bulbs above the surface.
9. Bowl Lotus
Botanical Name: Nelumbo nucifera
If you thought lotus could grow only well in big ponds, it’s time to check out the miniature bowl lotus! With compact yellowish-pink flowers and wavy, broad leaves, this houseplant looks dainty and elegant without taking up space.
Use it as an accent on stands, ledges, and even windowsills. These flowers need at least six hours of sunshine, warmth, and water. So either keep it on a sunny ledge or bring it outdoors for a few sunlit hours daily. Here are more such floating flowering plants.
10. Duckweed
Botanical Name: Lemna minor
In its natural habitat, duckweed grows in calm, stagnant water in the coolness of spring and autumn. Thriving in full sun to full shade, these perennials form a mat of foliage that spreads quickly in still waters. Don’t forget to skim excess growth in spring.
11. Marsh Pennywort
Botanical Name: Hydrocotyle vulgaris
Marsh pennywort is an aquatic perennial with round, penny-shaped foliage emerging from long stems. In spring, it produces clusters of tiny green to pink flowers. This rare but easy-to-grow houseplant thrives in water and can tolerate heavy shade!
It can grow 1-2 inches a week, so once it doubles, give it a bigger bowl.
And that’s all about the prettiest and the easiest-to-grow floating plants for bowls and containers! Which one caught your eye? Let us know in the comments below.
