Grow & Tell: Create a Peaceful Focal Point
Imagine stepping onto your patio and hearing the gentle sound of water while dragonflies dart overhead and water lilies bloom just a few feet away. It may sound like something reserved for large botanical gardens, but creating your own mini water garden is surprisingly simple.
Whether you have a backyard, patio, balcony, or even a sunny windowsill, a container water garden can bring beauty, support pollinators and wildlife, and create a peaceful focal point with just a few plants and a watertight container.
Prefer to watch instead? Our Grow & Tell: How to Make a Mini Water Garden video walks you through the process step by step. Watch the video.
What Is a Water Garden?
A water garden is any landscape designed around standing or gently moving water. Some include fountains, waterfalls, or fish, while others rely on the beauty of aquatic plants alone. Beyond their visual appeal, water gardens provide habitat for beneficial insects and birds while creating a naturally cooling, relaxing environment.
The best part? You don’t need a pond to enjoy one.
Create Your Own Mini Water Garden
Building a small water garden is an easy weekend project that requires little more than a container, water, and a handful of aquatic plants.
- Choose a Container
Almost any watertight container will work, including:
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- Half whiskey barrels
- Large ceramic bowls
- Galvanized tubs
- Decorative containers with drainage holes sealed
Place your container where it will receive four to six hours of sunlight each day. Flowering plants, such as water lilies, appreciate more sun, while foliage plants tolerate partial shade.
Fill the container with tap water and allow it to sit for about 24 hours before planting so the chlorine can dissipate.
If you’re using multiple aquatic plants, create different planting levels by placing bricks or upside-down pots inside the container.
- Add the Right Plants
Choose aquatic plants that thrive in Central Iowa and combine different plant types for year-round interest.
A simple combination includes:
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- One small deep-water plant, such as a miniature water lily
- Two or three marginal plants like dwarf iris, rushes, marsh marigold, dwarf cattail, lobelia, or sweet flag
- A few floating plants, such as water lettuce or other seasonal floaters (remember to remove these before winter)
The combination of upright foliage, floating leaves, and colorful blooms creates a balanced, natural-looking display.
- Decide If You Need a Pump
Many small container water gardens can thrive without a pump, but adding one creates gentle movement and helps keep the water fresh.
If you install a pump:
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- Choose one that circulates the entire volume of water at least once each hour. For example, a 20-gallon container should use a pump rated for at least 20 gallons per hour (GPH).
- Plug the pump into a Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)-protected outlet.
- Select a magnetic-drive pump, which is reliable, energy efficient, and safe for small water gardens—including those with fish.
- Try an Indoor Version
Don’t have outdoor space? Mini water gardens work beautifully indoors as well.
A glass bowl, ceramic container, or small aquarium placed near a bright window can support several small aquatic plants. Refresh the water as needed and remove spent foliage to keep your miniature garden healthy. For lightly planted containers, no pump is necessary.
See a Water Garden in Full Bloom
Ready for inspiration?
The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden’s half-acre water garden is one of the first outdoor spaces you’ll encounter when you visit. A boardwalk leads guests through a landscape filled with the soothing sounds of cascading water and stunning views of the downtown Des Moines skyline.
Three lush islands showcase seasonal and tropical plantings surrounded by water lilies, lotus, variegated cattails, and many other aquatic plants. Holding more than 700,000 gallons of water, the garden creates a striking visual connection to the nearby Des Moines River while demonstrating the beauty and diversity of aquatic gardening.
Because aquatic plants change throughout the growing season, every visit offers something new to discover.
Watch It Come Together
Want to see each step before you begin? Watch our Grow & Tell: How to Make a Mini Water Garden video for a complete walkthrough and helpful tips from our horticulture team. Watch the video.
Summer is the most wonderful time to see the outdoor gardens in all their glory. Make plans to visit today. Get tickets here. Members enjoy free general admission, savings on classes, events and more. Interested in joining? Click Here.
