Best Way to Create a Miniature Water Garden in a Large Tub

If you do not have the space for a full-scale garden pond, then a quick and easy way to introduce a similarly attractive water feature is to create a miniature water garden in a large tub. When positioned on a patio, a tub water garden can transform an otherwise bare expanse of paving.

Looking after a tub pond

Because tubs and stone sinks hold only a small amount of water, it tends to warm up rapidly in summer and to freeze during winter. For this reason, these features are really only suitable for the summer, and in autumn they should either be emptied or moved into an unheated greenhouse or conservatory.

These miniature water features soon attract the attention of children so, if you have them, for safety reasons it is a good idea to cover any water features with wire-netting.

Plants for mini-ponds

There are plenty of good, widely available water plants to choose from, but waterlilies and some other plants should always be selected with care. Some can quickly become excessively large and will dominate the container. They may even suffocate and kill diminutive water plants. Always plant water plants in plastic-mesh baskets; do not put compost in the tub’s base and then attempt to set the roots of plants in them.

Waterlilies:

Here is a selection of the most attractive and suitable waterlilies for small water features:

• Nymphaea ‘Aurora’: Flowers first pinkish-yellow, then orange and later red. Attractive leaves splashed brown.
• Nymphaea Candida: Cup-shaped, white flowers with golden stamens.
• Nymphaea ‘Graziella’: Orange flowers with red stamens. A free-flowering variety.
• Nymphaea ‘Pygmaea Helvola’: Star-shaped, pale yellow flowers with golden stamens. The leaves are mottled in brown.
• Nymphaea tetragona (previously known as N. ‘Pygmaea Alba’): Small, white flowers with yellow stamens.

Marginal plants:

As with any other type of planting, variety is the key to success in planting a miniature water garden. Here are some suggestions for widely available marginal plants that will complement waterlilies and enhance any water feature while needing only the minimum of care and attention.

• Carexetata ‘Aurea’ (previously and still popularly known as C.stricta ‘Bowles’ Golden’): Masses of narrow, golden leaves, about 45cm high. Plant it in water about 5cm deep.
• Schoenoplectus lacustris tabernaemontani ‘Zebrinus’ (but previously and still better known as Scirpus tabernaemontani ‘Zebrinus’): This is the zebra rush, with quill-like stems banded in green and white. It grows about 75cm high and needs a water depth of 15cm.

Floating water plants:

It is a good idea to intersperse your basic stock of waterlilies and marginal plants with a couple of floating plants. They add an easy charm to any small water feature and are not difficult to find.

• Hydrocharis morsus-ranae (frog bit): Bright green leaves; but cut it back often.
• Pistiastratiotes (water lettuce): Floating leaves that die down in winter.