# Riparium Ikebana



## hydrophyte (18 Mar 2013)

*Riparium Ikebana*

I have been working on the idea of incorporating aspects of _ikebana_, the Japanese art of (refined) floral arrangement, into planted riparium aquascapes. 

Ikebana uses more theory than regular decorative flower arranging and emphasizes minimalism, negative space, balance, movement and the incorporation other plant parts, such as stems and leaves...

Google: Ikebana

An ikebana-inspired riparium planting could look very good. Here are some of the elements that I propose using in such a planted layout...


shallow and broad rimless aquarium enclosure
the best hardscape and gravel materials
graceful, slender and vertical driftwood branches
nano fish
erect riparium stem or grassy plant with open foliage and graceful form
shorter midground foliage providing depth and contrast
I have one specific tank setup in mind already and I hope to post some pictures soon.


----------



## KeyboardWarrior (18 Mar 2013)

Sounds good I really like the look of ripariums and want to try one one day


----------



## Alastair (18 Mar 2013)

looking forward to what you put into practice hydro.


----------



## hydrophyte (18 Mar 2013)

I'll try to have pictures on the way pretty soon.


----------



## hydrophyte (19 Mar 2013)

Here is one plant that I think might work well with this idea, cat palm (_Chamaedorea catractarum_). To develop an ikebana layout with it I would use just one cat palm plant, and then arrange shorter riparium foliage down around the base. 






Cat palm is a true marginal aquatic palm--it lives along the edges of rainforest streams in Southern Mexico--and it grows really well in the riparium planters.


----------



## hydrophyte (19 Mar 2013)

I'm building a tank for this. Here are the dimensions that I have in mind...

22" width
15" depth
6" height
Accounting for 1/4" glass thickness, a tank this size will hold about 1,793 cubic inches, or 7.75 gallons (29 litres). I'm going to build a cardboard mock-up to see how the proportions look.


----------



## hydrophyte (20 Mar 2013)

Here's another candidate for growing like this, Montezuma cypress (_Taxodium mucronatum_). These are tiny little seedlings just beginning to sprout....





If this plant grows in the riparium planters--I'm just starting to test it out--it should be possible to keep it small and shape it using bonsai methods.


----------



## hydrophyte (21 Mar 2013)

Here's another new plant that I got--it came with the mail last night!--that might work for this idea. Buttonbush (_Cephalanthus occidentalis_) is swamp shrub that occurs in the Eastern US & Canada into Northern Mexico. Most temperate-zone trees and shrubs really need to be grown outside, but I found a few references to growing this plant as indoor bonsai, so it might be OK. I will find out. 





Buttonbush is in the coffee family (Rubiaceae) and has attractive and fragrant white snowball flowers. I have seen wild plants in Wisconsin in backwaters along the Mississippi River and in Florida in hardwood hammock swamps. 




(Wikimedia Commons image: File:Cephalanthus occidentalis.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)


----------



## hydrophyte (28 Mar 2013)

I made a quick cardboard mock up to have an idea of proportions. The 22" X 15" footprint looked too big, so I cut it down to 20" X 14" to get this shape. I think I like it and I think it will work with my idea. Accounting for .25" glass, this will have a total volume of about 6.5 gallons.

I hope to get the glass soon. I need to work on a stand as well.


----------



## hydrophyte (1 Apr 2013)

I found another plant that might look good in a setup like this. 

River cane (_Arundindaria gigantea_) is a Southeast US-native true bamboo. Most bamboos do not like to grow in wet soil, but A. gigantea is a true swamp/riverbottom plant. It can grow to 15' tall, but maybe I can keep it pretty short like a bonsai with the right kind of pruning.

I found a plant cheap on ebay and ordered it and maybe I'll see it this week. I might just kill it by planting like this as a riparium plant, but I think it's worth a try.




(Wikimedia Commons image: File:Arundinaria gigantea.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)


----------

