Hardy Water Lily
Pink Water Lily
The Water Lily is a submersible aquatic plant that produces beautiful lily pad foliage and tropical looking flowers to the waters surface. Lilies are best grown in depths of 12″-24″ of water. In our chilly climate here in the northeast, our pond temperatures can fluctuate significantly with the hot daytime sun and the cool night air. Water Lilies prefer warmer spots in their pond home, a boost towards the surface where the sun is beating down nice and strong can make all the difference in how big your pads get and how many blooms your plant produces. Elevating the pot with a rock or underwater plant shelf is a great way to keep the Water Lily submerged and in the warmer layer of pond water.
Fertilizing your Water Lily is the best way to ensure a nice strong plant will produce ample flowers and lily pads for you and your pond friends to enjoy. A fertilized planting media is a great way to start a Water Lily out in a nourishing environment with a continuous feed to it’s tuber roots. There are also aquatic fertilizer tabs, similar in appearance to large vitamins, which can be placed in the the Water Lily tuber root system to gradually disintegrate and feed each plant. Once every month or two is just fine, depending on your geographical location and growing season. The lily pad size and flower production will be significantly better with regular fertilization.
Wintering over a hardy Water Lily is a simple task! Trimming back the leaves and last of the blooms during the late fall, will ensure nice clean pond water and a chance for the plant to go dormant during the colder months. The trimming practice should also be performed regularly during the growing season. Healthy Lily pads have rich green coloring and an almost satin sheen to them. They float freely on the surface of the water they are in. Pads are ready to be trimmed and tossed when they are yellow or brown in color and starting to break apart and droop into the water. Water Lily flowers are tulip in shape before blooming. They stand straight up through the water and open over the course of a day or so depending on the water temperature and sun exposure. The flowers are beautiful as seen below in some closeups of flowers and pads. They are a daytime occurrence, and one that is not to be missed by the water gardening or terrestrial gardening enthusiast.
White Water Lily
Almost Black Water Lily
Dignity Purple Water Lily
Purple Water Lily
Tropical Night Bloomer
70 Degrees and above! That’s what a Night Blooming Tropical Water Lily requires for a happy existence and pretty flowers. Working all day can take you away from the beauty of blooming serenity in your pond. The Night Blooming Water Lily begins to open around 7:00-8:00 PM and remains open throughout the night and into the following day. Since water temperature is the key to keeping them happy, the Night Bloomer would do best in 6″-12″of pond water here in our frigid area. The warmer the water can get, the happier your Lily will be, producing large pads with variegated leaf coloration and multiple blooms. Trimming and fertilizing practices are similar to those of a hardy variety. However, wintering over is near impossible, so enjoy these beauties as much as you can while the moon is shining.
Night Blooming Water Lily
Night Blooming Water Lily
Night Blooming Water Lily
Lilies In the News:
Interestingly enough, the Water Lily is a sought after aquatic plant. So much in fact, that theft is to blame for one missing variety of Water Lily in London. It is the rarest in the world, known only for growing in one location on Earth. Continue Reading
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