The beauty and serenity of water lilies riding gently on a pool or pond are unsurpassed by other members of the aquatic plant family.
Although tropical water lilies will not survive the northern winters as will the hardy varieties, they require no more care than their year-round cousins.
Tropical Water Lilies
Among some of the tropical sorts showing pure, delicate coloring are the following:
- Marmorata, a lavender-tinged variety with leaves streaked with a rich brown
- Midnight with its pink petals and yellow-red center
- St. Louis, the first yellow-flowered tropical water lily to be hybridized
For beginners, Judge Hitchcock’s large cup-shaped flowers are easy to grow.
Hardy Varieties
Hardy varieties may be left outdoors all year long, provided their roots do not freeze.
This may be prevented by supplying a winter covering of boards topped with a mulching material to withstand frost. Raising the water level in the pool is another precaution.
Outstanding among the hardiest are Conqueror, a generously-petaled red-flowered lily, and Sunrise, with bright, sulfur-colored petals that open with the morning sun.
Smaller than these and more suited for tub planting is Yellow Pygmy with flowers and leaves of minute size, which appear in great profusion.
These hardy varieties carry their flowers placidly on the water’s surface or just slightly above it.
Two Blooming Varieties
Tropical water lilies are divided into two blooming varieties: day blooming and night blooming.
The careful choice will give you a planting that shows color 24 hours a day. These lilies do not begin to bloom until summer is well underway, but they continue up until frost.
They may live year-round in the South if their roots are not injured by frost. Unlike the hardy water lilies, the tropical varieties carry their flowers 6” to 18” inches above the water.
Blossoms may range anywhere from 8” inches to a foot in diameter, and their fragrance carries great distances.
Preparation for a water lily planting is not as difficult as it may appear.
Growing Conditions
By selecting the proper types, they can be pleasingly fitted into any area ranging from a natural pond or specially constructed pool to a round wooden tub sunk into the earth.
Like all other plants, water lilies require specific growing conditions to bring forth their best display of flowers and foliage.
They need full sunshine and flourish in still water in which an even temperature is maintained.
Another primary requirement is rich soil. Three parts good garden soil, and one part well-rotted cow or sheep manure well turned in, will amply fill their needs.
Ideal Soil
The box, tub, or soil layer in which the plant is to be set must be well supplied with rich soil, for water lilies are hungry feeders and demand the proper nutritional diet to compensate for their lush growth.
Many failures in growth result from poor or improperly prepared soil mixtures. Water lilies are generally planted in the soil at the bottom of large pools or ponds.
However, in many cases, they are planted in individual tubs, which facilitates moving them.
Generally, the plants in boxes or tubs are given expansion room from 2’ to 3’ feet wide and one foot deep, depending on the particular variety’s growth habit.
Best Location and Full Sun
In smaller pools, smaller-leaved varieties may be used. Care should be taken so that the lush growth does not overpower the flowers and prevent them from being reflected by the water surrounding them.
Nothing is more exquisite than the reflected beauty of water lilies silently resting on a surface of still, dark water.
Success or failure with these plants greatly depends upon the pool or area in which they will be grown. Of primary importance in the pool, location is the choice of a sunny spot.
Since the full sun is essential for water lily culture, never choose an area under a tree—the sun will be filtered through leaves, and the leaves, when they fall, will foul the water, thereby detracting from the beauty of the scene.
Lily Pool
A lily pool does not need a continuous supply of fresh water. Tropical lilies delight in warm and even hot water, so add enough water to replace that which is lost by evaporation.
Pool water should be changed in the spring before planting to not disturb the plants once they are set in.
A pool stocked with fish helps keep the water free from mosquito larvae and algae.
If planting in a newly constructed cement pool, care should be taken to change the water several times before setting in the plants.
Planting Tropical and Hardy Lilies
To plant tropical lilies, scoop out a hole about equal to the size of the pot the plant came in. Then set the lily with its leaf crown above the soil surface.
But, hardy water lilies lay the rootstock horizontally at least an inch below the soil surface, with the crown peeping out a little above.
If planted in boxes, an inch of clean sand placed on top of the soil will prevent the soil from washing away.
A water depth of one foot satisfies most lilies, and 18” inches should be the maximum.
Water lilies should be planted in the midwest by the middle of May, and even earlier in the South.
In the east, the middle of June is more likely to provide the necessary growing conditions.
Dig up, separate, and replant hardy water lilies in new soil every fourth or fifth spring. In intervening years, fertilize just before new growth appears in the spring.
Place three or four tablespoons of 5-10-5 fertilizer or special water lily fertilizer in paper bags, twist the bags, and sink three or four of them below the surface of the soil in which each lily grows.
Tropical water lilies also benefit from this practice.
With patience, care, and careful planning, the delightful blossoms of fragrant water lilies floating in your pool will bring many hours of continuous pleasure.
44659 by Fred Anderson