Water Lilies

A beautiful water lily (Nymphaea) with many flowers is the crowning glory of your pond. But they also have an important biological function. They take light away from the water, reducing algae growth. They absorb nutrients from the soil and light and water from the air so they leave the water undisturbed. Lilies love fish in the water, as they keep insects and water snails away from them. The other way around too, pond fish like to hide under the floating leaves of a beautiful water lily when threatened by a hungry heron.

Which water lily do you choose?

Water lilies come in many colors and varieties:

• Hardy water lilies. These bloom from May to October and, if placed deep enough, will not freeze in winter.
• Dwarf Water Lilies. As the name suggests, it is a smaller water lily species that can also grow in a shallow pond, 10 cm is enough, so also very suitable for patio ponds.
• Tropical water lilies. Shades of purple and blue. They cannot overwinter in the pond, so replace each year, or place in a container in a frost-free environment. They do bloom longer, richer and spread a wonderful fragrance.
• The best known water lilies are white water lily (Nymphaea Albatros), yellow water lily (Nymphaea Pygmaea Helvola, a small water lily with yellow-white flowers that can grow in exceptionally shallow water (10 cm)), blue water lily (Nymphaea King of the Blues). Yellow plump (Nuphar Lutea Variegata) is not suitable for most ponds because this plant can grow up to 3 meters deep, has leaves up to 40 cm in diameter, overgrowing the entire pond.

Placing water lilies

The water depth for each lily species is very different, some species need only 10 cm to grow, others need as much as 4 meters, so always keep this in mind when purchasing this pond plant. They are true sun lovers, but also do well in partial shade. However, water lilies do not tolerate water movement from a fountain or waterfall well.

Water lilies can be purchased and planted from April to September. Choose (hardy) varieties that fit the size of your pond. Always squeeze the root tuber, as a soft tuber indicates rot. Use a pond basket for water lilies as well. Pot it up with lelite and some plant tabs. Cover the basket with growth substrate or gravel for better growth and flowering. Add iron and trace elements if necessary.

Maintenance of water lilies

For local fertilization, vincia aquaplant tabs are perfect! Press these as deep as possible into the root ball to make the nutrients available only to the water lily. Growth bulbs can also be used for this purpose.
Water lilies and aqua plant tabs can be purchased at garden centers and pet and pond specialty stores.

For maintenance of the plant itself, it is important to remove all yellow-colored leaves with stalk and all, to prevent filamentous algae (summer and fall).