How to Build a Floating Garden

Posted on 16 June 2010

I joined the Chenal Garden Club in Little Rock. We meet once a month to hear a featured speaker, and this week’s topic was fascinating. Mark Gibson of Green Thumb Water Garden Center in Little Rock showed us how to build a beautiful floating garden. It’s surprisingly easy and ideal for anyone with a pond or area of water that needs some attention.

Here’s how:

1. Start with a can of Rockin Foam.

Make sure it is black so it doesn’t stand out, and use a closed-cell foam or your water garden will sink. Be very careful not to let the foam touch your skin! Spray a round or square pattern about 12 to 14 inches wide and let it set for about 20 minutes. After the foam sets, build sides by spraying extra layers of foam along the edges to hold in your soil and plants. Let set overnight. One can of foam makes approximately two islands.

(Garden club member Dian Porter-Butterfield and Mark Gibson)

2. Next is the fun part.

Add your soil and plants! Use a good grade of potting soil, spreading it around to camouflage the funny-looking foam base. Then add a mix of your favorite plants, using a taller one like a pitcher plant as your centerpiece. Finish it off with more soil as needed and a nice layer of moss. Almost anything planted in the ground can also be used in a floating garden. Here are some plants that thrive in water gardens:

-Elephant ear plants

-Parrot’s feather

-Pitcher plants

-Water clover

-Curly rush

-Impatiens

-Begonias

-Portulaca

-Rose mose

-Hosta

-Water celery

4. Anchor your floating garden and enjoy!

After placing the garden in the water, use a rope tied to a brick to anchor it. Extension cords  work well, because the plug keeps the cord from coming loose after it’s inserted through the foam. Floating gardens look beautiful in koi ponds.