2. A layout with Spathiphyllum peace lilies, Pilea and other tropical forest plants
Spathiphyllum peace lilies: Peace lilies are a group of plants from tropical Central America and South America plants that are widely used as houseplants. The genus
Spathiphyllum includes 40+ species, but most peace lilies used as houseplants are hybrids (crosses between two or more different species) are selected for large and long-lasting blooms. The peace lily flower is comprised of a large white spathe and other floral parts. Most peace lilies have attractive, if rather plain, dark green foliage of sturdy, oval leaves. Most or all of the wild species plants live in areas with moist to wet soil, so they are preadapted to riparium conditions. Some wild
Spathiphyllum live right in swamps or along the edges of streams.
The picture here shows a slice of a riparium planting (just two plants) in a 20-gallon tank. The larger green background plant is a
Spathiphyllum peace lily.
Peace lilies are especially useful in ripariums for developing most of the above water background area. Their dark green foliage is a neutral base against which plants of other colors are accented very well. They are overall quite hardy in riparium conditions and easy to adapt and establish in riparium planters. One could even argue that a riparium is a superior kind of way to enjoy peace lilies. When grown as houseplants in regular potting media peace lilies must be kept slightly moist at all times or they will quickly decline, but if kept too wet they can often develop root rot. I have observed no such trouble with peace lilies in ripariums, and my plants have been willing re-bloomers too. The abundant light, water and nutrients in a planted riparium encourages good growth and flowering.
The picture below shows the best method that I have found for planting peace lilies in riparium planters. Despite their origins as plants growing in areas with wet soil, most peace lilies seem to do best with good water diffusion (and presumably good aeration) around their roots. Thus, it is preferred to fill most of the planter cup with hydroton clay pebbles, which have sizable voids between their large round grains. The roots of this plant were first washed clean, then trimmed to about 1 1/2" inches long. Holding the plant in place with one hand, I filled around the roots with hydroton to about 3/4" from the top of the cup, then filled the rest of the way with a finer clay gravel. This
clay gravel cap is important as it hides the rather unnatural looking hydroton from view and prevents it from floating out of the planter, secures the plant in place and provides some nutrients to the plant via its cation exchange capacity. Notice that I filled with the clay gravel all the way to the top of the planter in order to better obscure the plastic planter rim and maximize the space inside of the planter cup.
Peace lilies are generally easy to find in any kind of store that sells houseplants or flowers and they are usually affordably priced. A pot with peace lilies can contain numerous divisions, so after washing away the existing potting media and pulling the individual plantlets apart you might have enough from a single purchase to plant up your whole riparium background. When shopping for peace lilies I would suggest careful comparison and selection of plants for their foliage characteristics. Some varieties can grow quite large (to >36" tall) while others stay much smaller. Semi-dwarf varieties that can work especially well for medium to small ripariums include 'Allison' and 'Petite'. A white-variegated cultivar, 'Domino', will contrast nicely if planted among other plain green peace lilies, as will the yellow-green 'Golden Glow', shown below.
I will cover additional points related to this layout type in one or two additional posts.
