Which Water Lillies to Grow in Your Pond

As far as I am concerned , the Water Lily is the queen of aquatic plants. Nearly every person who has a pond has a Lily or wants one. The value of the hardy Water Lily lies not just in the beauty of it's cup-shaped or star-shaped flower but in addition within the round or heart shaped leaves (pads) which not only do they keep the fish happy but they help to maintain the water clear as well.

I believe it’s a desirable plant that has a lots of surprises for every one of us and an equal quantity of pitfalls for the amateur. The initial surprise for that beginner will be vast range of flower sizes, leaf sizes, leaf spread and planting depth required. The dwarf varieties (minatures) with 1" wide leaves covering about 1 sq.ft of pond surface and bearing medal-sized flowers are an excellent choice for the minipond created from a half-barrel. On the other end of the scale you will discover the Viogrous varieties with leaves measuring more than 8" across whch, and if left alone, will blanket a pond of 50 sq.ft or more and produce flowers the size of dinner plates.

The golden rule is never to buy a Water Lily just because the picture looks nice and also it costs lower than the others on show. It is best to measure your pond surface after which you can aim to buy a number of specimens with an anticipated spread of not more than half of the pond surface. Never be guided by price. The ones which can be far too vigarous for the common size pond actually cost lower than the greater compact ones which do not look good value for money because of thier size.

To make selection easier it really is better to group Water Lilies into a tiny number of types. Dwarf, Medium and Vigorous. All you have got to do is to choose the type with the right planting depth and also the anticipated spread to your needs and then find a variety within that group having a shape and colour that you find attractive. The time of flowering does not come in to the choice because all Water Lilies behave roughly the same. Blooming starts in June after which the flowers appear in succession until September. Each bloom opens from late morning to late afternoon and lasts for approximately 4 days.

Now for the surprises. Many of the scores of varieties on offer today came from the breeding work of a Frenchman who lived the name of M. Joseph Bory Latour-Marliac. The first one appeared in 1877 but unfortunately his secrets died with him in 1911. Because of this, the bulk of the Water Lily varieties in the catalogues are upwards of 80 years old. I an happy to say that new American varieties are actually starting to appear on the market, but Latour-Marliac hybrids still continue to dominate.

Now for the planting rules. May and June are the perfect months for planting and you will need a sunny spot and still water . Take off the old leaves from your rootstock and trim back the firous roots. Plant firmly so that the crown is barely protruding above the surface. Submerge the basket so that the young leaves float over the surface and gradually lower the basket to the ultimate depth as the leaves grow. This will likely take several months to achieve.

Once you’ve stocked your pond with plants, leave it for a month befor introducing any fish. Don't just tip the fish in as soon as you get them home. Place the polythene bag in the pond and leave it for an hour. After an hour gently open the bag and add some pond water to it. Leave the bag in your pond for a further 10 minutes. The ultimate stage is to tip the fish in to their new home. Do not worry if the fish hide in the middle of the foliage for a couple of days, this really is quite normal behavior. Leave them alone and what ever you do, don't try and coax them out.

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In my next article , which is not going to be far after this one, I will explain about the different styles, shapes and sizes which you can employ to create the perfect pond for yourself. I would also like to take this chance to thank the 'gardener london' company who have given me help and advise throughout the numerous years that I’ve been gardening.

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