There is something magical about plants like water lily and lotus that grow and bloom in water.

Valerie Quam, aquatic plants horticulturist at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, recently reminded me that you don't have to have a pond to enjoy these exotics. Instead, you can create a water garden in a pot that, depending on the size, features a collection of plants or one striking specimen like the dwarf lotus Nelumbo "Baby Doll" or the very small hardy water lily Nymphaea "Helvola," with beautiful green-and-purple mottled foliage and pale yellow flowers.

Erica Glasener/Special (ENLARGE)

A closeup of Nelumbo 'Baby Doll.'

Erica Glasener/Special (ENLARGE)

'Variegata,' 'Hilo Beauty' and red stem parrot feather fill out this pot.

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At the garden, Quam likes to group two to three pots together to create a bold statement. She prefers cylindrical or basket-shaped glazed pots, but terra cotta pots also work. Other options include plastic or wooden tubs (use untreated lumber, and don't use redwood, which is toxic underwater). When Quam creates a water garden in a pot, she fills the container with sand (play sand is a good choice and contains less sediment than river sand) to bring the potted plants up to the appropriate level. In addition to lotus and hardy lilies, she combines plants like dwarf papyrus, Cyperus isocladus, and Japanese iris, Iris ensata. One unusual combination features Canna "Pretoria," with variegated green-and-yellow foliage and bright orange flowers, and the Mexican petunia, Ruellia brittoniana, with blue flowers.

Another pot with colorful foliage includes variegated cattail, Typha latifolia "Variegata"; taro, Colocasia esculenta "Hilo Beauty"; red-stem parrot feather, Myriophyllum ; and the hardy water lily Nymphaea "Hermine." In addition to Nelumbo "Baby Doll," there are other dwarf selections of lotus perfect for tub or container gardens.

These include "Momo Botan," with double pink flowers, and "Red Children," with single dark pink to red flowers on plants that grow 2 to 4 feet tall.

Other companion water plants worth trying include pickerelweed, Pontederia cordata; Japanese sweet flag, Acorus gramineus "Ogon"; and umbrella grass, Cyperus alternifolius.

GROWING HARDY LILIES, LOTUS IN POTS

• Plant lotus tubers and hardy lily rhizomes in a rich potting soil, filling the pots halfway, and then push aquatic plant fertilizer tabs into the soil. Heavy feeders, both types of plants need five to six hours of direct sunlight and prefer still water.

• Fill the rest of the pot with soil to 2 inches from the top of the pot.

• Leave the crown of the lily rhizome exposed.

• Set the pots in water (on pedestals if need be) to a depth of about 6 inches from the top of the decorative container. Once lilies become established, the pots can be lowered to a depth of 12 to 18 inches.

• Lotus tubers are planted in the spring, but plants established in pots can be used in decorative containers anytime. Active growth occurs during spring and summer, and dormancy occurs from fall through late winter. The larger the container, the better they will grow.

ERICA'S PICK

'Baby Doll' dwarf lotus

Botanical name: Nelumbo 'Baby Doll'

About the plant: This miniature lotus has all the charm of the bigger types but only grows only 24 to 36 inches tall. The single 4four- to 5five-inch single white blooms appear for weeks during summer and after about three days drop their petals to expose a distinctive seed head.

Use in the garden: Perfect for tub gardens or small decorative containers. Plant it alone or in combination with hardy water lilies.

Planting and care: Lotuses like rich potting soil and full sun.

Source: Atlanta Water Gardens, 2165 Cheshire Bridge Road;. 404-235-0739.