Welcome to the world of underwater design! Planted aquariums combine the DIY aspects of terrariums with a sophisticated palette of gorgeous foliage plants. They can be small enough to sit on a desk or large enough to cover an entire wall, and they often include live fish. Once a niche hobby, they are poised to be the next big thing in indoor plant decor. Sunken Gardens is the first book to bring this amazing world to a wider audience. This information-packed guide includes everything someone new to the hobby needs to know: it details the equipment needed to get started, surveys the best plants, and shows how to design, plant, and maintain an aquascape. Step-by-step projects detail how to create specific designs and hundreds of colour photographs offer inspiration for unique creations. AUTHOR: Karen A. Randall is an expert on planted display aquariums and the propagation of aquatic plants. Her articles and photography have been published internationally. For many years she wrote the monthly column "Sunken Gardens" in Aquarium Fish Magazine and is now technical editor of the Aquatic Gardeners Association magazine, The Aquatic Gardener. In 2003 she won the Northeast Council of Aquarium Society's Betty Mueller Award, a lifetime award for her outreach work and other contributions to the aquarium hobby. SELLING POINTS . A fresh take on aquariums: Planting live plants inside a freshwater aquarium is a fun and easy way to create an underwater world. . Everything you need to know: Features finished aquascapes and step-by-step instructions on how to recreate them, along with information on lighting, filtration, plant profiles, and where to buy supplies. . A new craft for diyers: Though currently a popular niche hobby, planted freshwater aquariums have the potential to be the next terrarium because they are easy to make, easy to maintain, and beautiful. 205 colour photos, 7 illustrations