15 Cute Small Water Plants for Mini Container Water Gardens

Sherin Woods is a California-based DIY enthusiast and garden design aficionado. With a background in Environmental Science, she combines creativity and sustainability in all her projects. A Pinterest favorite, Sherin is committed to eco-friendly solutions and has contributed to various home and garden publications. Her areas of expertise include DIY project planning, sustainable garden design, and content creation.
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Here are some cute and pretty Small Water Plants for Mini Container Water Gardens that you can grow easily to have a look of a mini pond!

If you want to include a mini water feature in your garden or homes, then try growing these Small Water Plants for Mini Container Water Gardens.

Learn how to create a container water garden here


Small Water Plants for Mini Container Water Gardens

1. Hyacinth

Botanical Name: Eichhornia crassipes

Water hyacinth is a wild floating plant that beautifully roams on the surface of the water. It offers a rosette of round waxy, leathery, glossy green leaves attached in spongy stalks and dark feathery roots suspended in the water below the floating plant.

Note: The container-grown plant needs protection from mid to late afternoon sun though it prefers full sun.

2. Water Wisteria

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Botanical Name: Hygrophila difformis

This undemanding aquatic plant mainly grows in shallow water. It can grow up to 10-20 inches tall and 5-10 inches wide. Water wisteria does well in both high and low lighting conditions.

3. Miniature Yellow Waterlily

Small Water Plants for Mini Container Water Gardens 2

Botanical Name: Nymphea Pygmaea ‘Helvola’

This variety is an ideal choice for tabletop bowls. It features upward-curving yellow petaled, cup-shaped flowers and round green leaves. The plant flowers continuously from summer to fall and prefers full sun to partial shade. It spreads only 2-4 inches.

Here’s all you need to know about growing Waterlily in glasses

4. Mosaic Plant

Botanical Name: Ludwigia sedioides

Also known as false loosestrife, the diamond-shaped leaves coil outward in a circular basal rosette that floats upon the water’s surface in a mosaic pattern. The plant performs well in full sun.

5. Chameleon Plant

Small Water Plants for Mini Container Water Gardens 3

Botanical Name: Houttuynia Cordata ‘Chameleon’

This multicolored beauty shines more brightly under the full sun. The plant stays comfortable in wet to slightly submerged soil (less than a quarter-inch underwater).

6. Water Lettuce

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Botanical Name: Pistia Stratiotes

This beautiful aquatic plant floats on the surface of the water. It doesn’t need any soil as the roots get nutrients from water alone. It is suitable indoors near a sunny window.

Note: Use water fertilizer for better growth.

7. Caribbean Spider Lily

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Botanical Name: Hymenocallis caribaea ‘Variegata’

The vanilla-scented, pure white flowers open up as giant white spiders and bloom from mid-summer to late fall. They do well in full sun to partial shade.

8. Lucky Bamboo

 

Botanical Name: Dracaena sanderiana

This good luck plant is popular for low-maintainance and ease of growing. You can grow this hydroponic plant solely in water. This article will help you in growing lucky bamboo indoors.

9. Perry’s Baby Red

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Botanical Name: Nymphaea ‘Perry’s Baby Red’

This charming variety offers fragrant red double-flower with showy pads. The plant is best for small glasses and can grow up to 1-3 inches tall. It does best in full sun.

10. Dwarf Iris

Botanical Name: Iris reticulata

Dwarf Iris is a semi-aquatic plant that prefers shallow water that sufficiently covers its crown. You can also grow Siberian iris, Blue flag iris, Rabbit ear iris, Red Flag iris, and Louisiana iris.

11. Dwarf Bulrush

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Botanical Name: Typha minima

This charming dwarf cattail brings grace to any container water garden with grass-like foliage. It can grow up to 10-18 inches tall with small tails flowering between July and September, depending on the zone.

12. Water Snowflake

Botanical Name: Nymphoides indica

This water lily family member produces small leaves and flowers compared to lilies like snowflakes floating on water! The plant performs well in both containers in full sun.

13. Horsetail Bamboo

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Botanical Name: Equisetum hyemale

Also known as the Scouring-rush Horsetail, this is not exactly bamboo but looks like one, thanks to its cylindrical stems that can grow quite tall. Its stem form a narrow black-green band that looks quite stunning. It does well in both sun and shade.

14. Umbrella Grass

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Botanical Name: Cyperus alternifolius

The tall stems of the plant look like the spokes of an umbrella, hence the name. It is a great aquatic plant that’s both easy to grow and propagate.

15. Hyacinth

Shutterstock/Bobby Allen Hill

Botanical Name: Hyacinthus

You can easily grow hyacinth bulbs in water and enjoy colorful flowers. Usually, narrow neck glass bulb vases are perfect for it–Set the hyacinth bulb on top of the vase in a way that there is space of 1/4 inch between bulb and water and keep this in a cool spot indoors.

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