Life aquatic: water plants that thrive on dry land - The Guardian

I have recently fallen totally head over heels in love with aquascaping: the practice of creating miniature, submerged indoor landscapes using a range of exotic water plants. However, it was only after a trip to the UK's leading tropical aquatic plant dealer, Aquarium Gardens, that I learned almost all of these submerged plants are commercially grown out of water.

Kept in greenhouses with extremely high ambient humidity, these "water plants" are, ironically, far easier to handle and care for outside water, as long as the air around them is kept saturated. Being familiar with how these same species grow in their natural habitats on the beds of tropical streams and lakes, I was amazed at their ability to withstand life on dry land.

I am also a fan of terraria, so I thought to myself: what if I planted up a terrarium using these allegedly "aquatic" species? Would keeping the vessel sealed create enough humidity to get away with this horticultural magic trick? Three months later, I can confirm that not only is this the case, but that using aquatic species in terraria offers distinct benefits to sticking to the old favourites – and here's why.

First, the plants selected for use in aquascapes often have an extremely small adult size, so they fit into the trend for "nano tanks" that are no bigger than the average table-top terrarium, even as small as a jam jar. In contrast, the houseplants used in terraria are often larger as adults, which means although they can look great when first planted as juveniles, they quickly outgrow the space, turning into a congested mass.

Second, the palette of plants available in the regular houseplant trade in the UK can be extremely limited, meaning that creating the look of a distant, lost jungle can be a little tricky when all you have to play with are boring begonia hybrids, a few fittonias and a spider plant.

In the aquascaping industry, however, there are dozens of species that you never see in regular horticulture, coming in a mind-boggling range of colours and forms.

Finally, the plants used in aquascapes can grow well simply superglued to mossy supports like rocks and wood. The humidity must be kept high by a generous misting once a week, and it is important to keep the vessel tightly sealed. The flexibility of arranging them in clumps clinging to tree branches or scrambling over miniature rock faces opens up all sorts of creative possibilities.

As I say, the range is huge, but my favourites include the tiny white-flowered aroids belonging to the genus Bucephalandra and Anubias – like a peace lily plant that grows just 5cm tall. Pogostemon helferi adds a flash of lime-green light in the dark of enclosed glass.

Miniature aquatic ferns such as Bolbitis difformis are a true thing of beauty, as are the tiny creeping ground covers of Hemianthus or Glossostigma – and that's before we even get onto the tropical aquatic mosses of the genus Taxiphyllum. Have fun!

Email James at james.wong@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @Botanygeek