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Re: Indoor water lilies

> Does anyone here have any experience with indoor
> water lilies and bog plants?

> If so.. what have you done and what kind of plants?

Bog plants that do well in shady ponds would probably
do well in an indoor setting.  If you can provide high
lighting conditions and/or some sun, such as by a
window, the lily selection increases. Most named
varieties of the water lily need between 4 and 8 hours
of direct sun in order to bloom.  There are some that
do well in partial shade though.  The 'Texas Star' is
one variety that takes some shade. Its blooms are
pink. 'Alba' is a white variety that I have grown in a
shady pond.  It almost never gets direct sunlight, but
it blooms almost non-stop from late May through
September.  

One option is water poppy, (Hydrocleys nymphoides). 
It has floating leaves ranging from 1-1/2 to 2 inches
in diameter and it will bloom under decent indoor
lighting.  It is often grown in place of a lily in
small ponds, shaded locations or indoor water gardens.
 I have some in my 10 gallon tank.  

Bogs and marginals are a different story.  You have a
wider variety of plants to choose from.  Some of them
can get quite large.  Imperial and Black Princess
varieties of Colocasia esculente (common name Taro)
should both do well.  They provide exotic, tropical
color and foliage.  I also have several of an unknown
variety that is neither 'Green Giant' nor 'fontanesii'
but looks like both.  It gets about 2 feet tall if
planted emerse in kitty litter and sand.  It grows to
only about 12 inches if the substrate is nutrient
poor.  It doesn't seem to care how much sun it gets,
so it would likely do very well indoors.  Sagittaria
trifolia (common name Arrowhead or 'Omodaka') can be
kept in shadier ponds and indoor locations, and will
grow no higher than 12 inches if grown emerse in a
nutrient poor substrate.  I have several of these
growing in a shaded pond and planted in plain old pea
gravel.  I had gotten them to trade for some other
plants, but the trade fell through and I ended up
keeping them. 

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