8 of the Best Indoor Water Plants

The sublime appeal of Indoor plants growing in the water of decorative glass vases is hard to miss. They look amazing in a jar on the window sill and in hanging water planters. The aquatic plants enliven your indoor water garden with their freshness. Find out what these plants are and how to take care of them in this article.

List of Indoor Plants That Only Need Water to Grow

Small Indoor Water Plants

The plants in this section have their height ranging from 0.25-3ft.

1. Lucky Bamboo

Considered to bring wealth, happiness and prosperity to your household, according to Feng Shui, the lucky bamboo plant needs no soil to grow. Just put it in a narrow container with pebbles and enough filtered water to cover its roots. It is one of the best indoor water plants due to its low maintenance nature.

Basic Care Requirement: Any light setting, excepting direct sunlight, is suitable for it. You need to change the water weekly to prevent mold growth and keep it from turning smelly.

2. Begonia

This is one of the few flowering plants that you can grow indoors in water. You can place begonia cuttings in a clear glass bowl filled with water to allow the rootstodevelop. Prevent the cuttings from rotting by changing the water every week. It flowers nine months in a year!

Basic Care Requirement: It favors a bright location with no direct sun. The water needs to be changed every week to prevent bacteria from rotting the plant.

3. Duckweed

This floating, aquatic plant that happens to be one of the world’s smallest, would look breathtaking in your water garden. Put it in a container that is filled with freshwater (pond water being the best) as saltwater would kill the plant. Tap water usually does fine provided you leave it out for a day to allow the dissolved chlorine, if any, to evaporate. They are forgiving of temperature changes, but you need to handle them gently since they get damaged easily.

You can also place them in a large aquarium where they regulate algae and nutrient levels in the water and  also act as food for your fish.

Basic Care Requirement: It needs to be put in a spot that gets at least 10 hours of direct sunlight. If that is not possible, you can use fluorescent light bulbs above the plant, though it compromises with the growth rate. The water needs to be changed weekly.

4. Heart Leaf Philodendron

A 6-inch long stem cutting immersed in water in a clear glass bowl or jar is enough to propagate the plant. It is one of the few houseplants that can adapt easily to the indoor conditions. It looks beautiful in vases of different sizes and colors with the heart shaped leaves spilling over from the sides of the containers.

Basic Care Requirement: It favors bright, indirect light. The water needs to be changed every 3-4 days to keep the plant growing. Once it has grown big to reach around 2 feet height,the hardy plant remains alive even without changing the water for a year, though that’s not the healthiest  thing for it. You can put a bit of charcoal in the water to prevent algae formation and rot.

5. Chinese Evergreen

The easy-to-care plant is an excellent air purifier. The unique tapestry of colors exhibited by the foliage makes for attractive interior decoration. Propagation can be done with a 6-inch stem cutting cut just below a node (the point on the stem from where a leaf comes out) and immersed in rainwater (best) or tap water (that is left out for a day to allow the chlorine to evaporate). Keep it in a transparent vase with small aquarium rocks at its base.

Basic Care Requirement: This plant thrives in medium to low light. Being a hardy plant that can survive in not-so-ideal conditions, it can also tolerate bright, indirect light. Keep it in a spot that is warm and humid.

6. Water Hyacinth

The bold colors and delightful fragrance of the water hyacinth blooms would liven up your indoor space. The perennial floats and extends above the water in your indoor water garden. The thick, glossy leaves add to the beauty of this plant that grows fast in the right conditions. You need to trim it regularly and thin it occasionally to prevent it from choking the water.

Don’t put it in the aquarium as they form a dense cover on the water surface, absorbing too much oxygen from the water, also making it difficult to feed the fishes.

Basic Care Requirement: One of the easiest water plants to grow, they need full sunlight and congested spaces. Only the roots should be allowed to be immersed in the water.

Relatively Larger Indoor Water Plants

Plants belonging to this section are relatively bigger, with their heights ranging from 6-10 ft.

1. Golden Pothos

Also known as money plant, this one will win you over with its glossy, heart-shaped leaves with a tinge of golden yellow. You can place it in water in a clear fishbowl such that at least one leaf node is submerged in water. Keep it on a shelf to display the cascading leaves in all their glory.

Basic Care Requirement: It prefers to grow in moderate sunlight. You need to change the water every 2-3 days to maintain the optimum oxygen level.

2. Wandering Jew

The leaves of this ornamental houseplant can be green, silver, purple and variegated. The tough and fast-growing plant can live in the water of vases and terrariums without much ado. You can let it trail over the end of a bookshelf or have it as a side table or coffee table centerpiece. To propagate the plant, just place a cutting in a water filled mason jar such that the stem is immersed, but the leaves are above the water. It roots in just a few weeks’ time when left in a sunny spot.

Basic Care Requirement: Place the plant in a room with medium to bright, indirect light. Restore the water level as and when needed.

Benefits of Indoor Plants that Can be Kept in Water

There are many of us who don’t want regular indoor plants as the soil can be difficult to maintain and sometimes messy, acting as the shelter for pests, ants and other undesirable objects. Also, the soil has to be well drained and conditioned in some cases. The various types of indoor water plants are free from these limitations, saving you from the hassle of watering, mulching etc. But perhaps the most important factor that governs the desire to have water based plants is the beauty they impart to your home. The glass vases, bowls, jars and terrariums look sophisticated and charming, allowing you to discern the entire body of the delicate greenery. The flowering plants fill your living space with a subtle aroma that makes it inviting to your guests and enhance your interior décor.

These aquatic plants add a natural beauty to indoor water gardens, and when placed in aquariums, replicate the natural habitat of fish, filter out dissolved toxins, and help aerate the water.