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Frequently Asked Pond & Water Gardening Questions (FAQ's) ... Water gardening in a pot

Have you got any ideas for a pot-based water feature that includes plants? I would like to site it on my patio and I have got access to electricity. My pot stands 3ft high and has a diameter of 2ft.

ANSWER: This is a perfect size ( 3ft high by 2ft diameter) for a miniature water garden using small plants like the Sisyrinchiums, the miniature Reed Mace, Typha minima and little Mimulus plus there are the 'pygmy' lilies like Nymphaea pygmaea 'Aba', N.p. 'Helvola', N.p.'Rubra', which can only really be appreciated in a small container. They get lost in pools.

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Another ruse is plant just one large feature plant like an Arum Lily.

No? You want a fountain feature. OK. How about a miniature bell jet fountain or a bubbling stone fountain?

Take your pot and some mega-fantastic exterior waterproof glue- like 'No Nails'.

Then get some nice stiff hose or water pipe and glue a strip of it level around the inside of the pot about 10cm down from the rim.

Take a small pump fitted with a jet or hose and thread the mains cable through the drain hole in the bottom. If it doesn't have one, drill one. Seal the cable into place with silicone sealant. Support the pump in the pot at a level where it can provide water to your jet or hose.

Get some fairly small mesh weldmesh from a garden centre or hardware store and with some snips or a junior hacksaw, cut out a circular shape the diameter of the pot at the tube level.

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Cut a hole in it to allow the jet or tube to thread through.

Set up the jet or ornament with the pump and top dress on the surface of the weldmesh with some pea gravel or pebbles of sufficient size not to disappear through the mesh.

Fill to just below the gravel with water. Plug in to a RCB trip and turn on. Check the water level regularly, especially on hot days as the evaporation from features like these is quite dramatic.