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Riparium Ikebana

hydrophyte

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22 Aug 2009
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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.
 
I'll try to have pictures on the way pretty soon.
 
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.

21-i-12-chamaedorea-cataractarum-i-m.jpg


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

20-III-13-Taxodium-mucronatum-seed-II-m1.jpg


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.
 
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.

21-III-13-Cepahalanthus-occidentalis-I-m.jpg


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.

715px-Cephalanthus_occidentalis.jpg

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

27-III-13-mockup-II-m.jpg
 
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.

Arundinaria_gigantea.jpg

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