Indoor Water Gardens: Best Plants to Grow in Water

If you love indoor plants but could happily do without bags of potting mix and messy repotting, growing plants in water is worth trying. It is surprisingly simple, and watching the roots develop through clear glass is half the appeal.

At Little Seedlings, we make our Little Water Gardens using hand-blown glass individually formed over natural timber. We then grow suitable indoor plants directly in water, creating a living display where you can see both the plant and its roots.

Over time, we’ve found that some indoor plants take to water much more readily than others. These are some of our favourites.

Pothos

Pothos is one of the easiest plants to start with. It roots readily in water, is fairly forgiving and produces lovely trailing growth as it becomes established.

It is also a good choice if this is your first time growing an indoor plant without soil.

Philodendron

Philodendrons are another favourite for our Water Gardens. Many varieties adapt well to water and their leafy growth works particularly well with the natural timber bases.

Syngonium

Syngoniums, often called arrowhead plants, are a great option if you want something a little different. There are plenty of varieties available, with foliage ranging from fresh greens through to pinks and softer variegated colours.

Monstera

A young Monstera or established cutting can look fantastic growing in water. Because they can become quite large, we prefer these in one of the bigger Water Garden vessels where the roots have room to develop.

Peace Lily

Peace lilies can also be grown in water, although there's a little more preparation involved if you're transferring an established plant from soil. We gently remove the soil and thoroughly clean the roots before placing the plant into fresh water.

Caring for plants growing in water

Water-grown plants are quite easy to look after, but they aren't completely maintenance-free.

We generally recommend changing the water every one to two weeks. This keeps it fresh and gives you an opportunity to check the roots and remove anything that has started to deteriorate.

Bright, indirect light works best for most of the indoor plants we use. Avoid placing your Water Garden in strong direct sun, particularly beside a hot window.

Because there is no soil supplying nutrients, we also use indoor plant food approximately every four weeks, or as required. You don't need much — follow the directions for the plant food you're using.

If your tap water isn't particularly plant-friendly, filtered water or cooled boiled water is another option.

Starting your own indoor Water Garden

You don't need a complicated hydroponic setup to grow a plant in water. A suitable vessel, a healthy plant and a little regular care are enough to get started.

Our Little Water Gardens are available as empty glass and timber vessels if you'd like to choose and grow your own plant. We also make complete planted Water Gardens for customers who would prefer us to put everything together.

Because our completed Water Gardens contain living plants, they are available for local pickup in Perth rather than postage. Empty vessels can be posted where available.

And because the glass is individually formed over natural timber, each one is genuinely different. If you'd like to choose the exact piece you're buying, we're happy to send photos of the Water Gardens currently available.