“A garden should be a nice place to visit year-round,” says Mark Gibson of Green Thumb Garden Center in Little Rock, which he helms with his sister, Marlene Murphy. As specialists in water gardens containing aquatic plants and fish, they have a creative and unique solution for season-less beauty: floating island planters. Comprised of a buoyant foam base that holds potting soil and plants, a floating island ensures there’s something alive and green in outdoor spaces even when land plants begin to wane, from the peak of summer to the dead of winter.
A floating island is surprisingly easy to build and maintain, and is ideal for anyone with a pond or area of water that needs some attention. And in a koi or fish pond, its benefits extend to providing shade and protection for fish, and oxygenating and purifying the water as well.
Here’s how to create your very own floating garden:
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