Water plants for tub, whiskey barrel & pre-formed pondsText Box: Water plants for tub, whiskey barrel & pre-formed ponds So you want to have a water garden but you think you can only have one or two plants in that small tub or whiskey barrel? Small tub garden, whiskey barrel or pre-formed pond doesn’t have to mean you won’t have a good selection of plants. Did you know that you can enjoy more plants than you probably thought possible in that small space you have to grow your water plants? So many times people are under the impression that because you are using a small tub garden or whisky barrel for your water plants that you can only have one lily in such a small space. Nothing could be further from the truth. Did you know that you could put up to 3 of the smaller lilies in these smaller spaces? Yes it is true. The smaller lilies and the ones considered dwarf type have a more compact growth pattern, Mother Nature made them that way so that many plants could occupy a small space in the wild, and of course over the years those who hybridize made sure they continued to develop what Mother Nature started. One of my favorite combinations is what I call the Spirit of America, a Perry’s Baby Red, Gloriosa, or Attorney Elrod could be the red, a Walter Pagels, Tetragona or Marliacea Albida for white and a Colorata, Dauben or Nora for the blue. Then add a few marginal plants and your small tub garden will be filled with color. All the lilies I have mentioned are all of small compact growth and with some help from you all 3 lilies could be very comfortable and bloom well in your small water garden. The other point I am going to make here is that even if the leaves multiply more than you want them too, it isn’t like you have to get your chain saw out to trim the excess leaves. All you need is a good pair of scissors or just pinch them off the plant. You can trim any water plant just like you would your regular garden plants, they are no different. And with a smaller tub or whiskey barrel you don’t have to worry about putting on your hip boots to get into a deeper larger pond to do the trimming, it is all within easy reach. Trimming the leaves also promotes new growth and a healthier and happier plant and this could cause more blooms. The reason for this is that the energy for making the plant stronger and more prolific will be concentrated to the leaves and blooms that don’t get trimmed. There are also a variety of smaller marginal and bog plants that you could put along the edges of small water gardens. There are also smaller lotus varieties that will grow nicely with the other plants in the smaller ponds they can be planted in a one gallon squat pot. Some of the marginal and bog plants you could plant in a quart size pot and hang on the edge to the depth needed on a whiskey barrel or tub garden. Oh yes, and don’t forget the gold fish!! If you have any questions or need more information about putting together a smaller garden please contact us and we will be happy to help you. Here is a list of the small and dwarf, hardy and tropical lily varieties. Text Box: Yellow Helvola, (dwarf) White Tetragona (dwarf) Walter Pagels Marliacea Albida Pinks Pink Beauty Pink Chrysantha Joanne Pring (dwarf) Ladeykeri Lilacea Pink Sparkle Reds Attorney Elrod Charlies Choice Gloriosa Pygmaea Rubra (dwarf) Frobelii Perris Baby Red Robinsoniana Text Box: Lotus Momo Botan (lotus) Green Maiden (lotus) Evening Shower (lotus) Text Box: Changeable Andreana Aurora Chrysantha Graziella Indiana Peach Salmon Berit Strawn Little Sue Tropical Colorata Blue Colorata White Tina Dauben Nora Marginal and Bog Small Cattails Iris Black Gamecock Cardinal Flower Sweet Flag Lizards Tail Arrowhead Horsetail Bog Lily Rectangular Callout: Cedar Pond 4 Feet Wide 4 Feet Long 2 Feet In Depth Rectangular Callout: 24” inch Round Tub Colorata Potted In 1 Gallon Pot Horizontal Scroll: Here is an example of two ponds side by side using landscaping timber each measures 8feet by 8feet The front one is 16 inches deep the back is 24 inches deep Rectangular Callout: Lotus Planted In Large Pots in back porch