day bloomer
day bloomer
day bloomer
day bloomer
night blooming pink
night blooming white
magenta night bloomer
Alas!! The rains have come! There is a steady downpour and it is comforting to know that my plants are being fed from the skies above. So today I decided to post from a watery perspective. Growing water lilies can be fun and so rewarding. There will be a bloom everyday in your water garden when things are done correctly. There are four types of water lilies to my knowledge. These are the hardy, the tropical day bloomers, the tropical night bloomers and the amazon Victoria.
The hardy ones are better suited to cooler regions and they also grow well in the tropics. They are very pretty and have the widest range of colours . They go dormant and will reappear the next year. The blooms float on the water's surface . These are normally propagated by root divisions and by tubers or rhizomes.
The tropicals are more vivid in colour, the blooms stand above the water, are larger in size and many of them are scented. In the tropicals there are two types, day bloomers and night bloomers.
The night bloomers are large with a leaf span of 3-8 ft or more, and come in three colours, light pink, magenta and white. There are other characteristics that define the night bloomers. They are more prolific and are very aggressive growers. They cover a larger area and can stifle any other lilies that are in the pond. The blooms open at night hence the name night bloomers around 8pm and will stay open until 10 -11am the next day.
The day bloomers include miniatures, medium size to large. The colours range from many shades of blues, yellows, pinks, whites, purples to hybrids. Recently there was a successful hybridizing of a night bloomer with a day bloomer. Propagation is done by way of root division, seeds, rhizomes and viviparously. Viviparously means that the young plant develops on the leaf of the mother plant.
The Amazon water lily or the Victoria is the largest of water lilies. It originated in the Amazon and one lily will need a space no less than 20ft by 20ft. So that one is enough for large ponds. The leaf of this water lily is thorny and care must be taken when tidying up the plant.
Water lilies are planted in pots or basins without holes, in clay soil and be careful not to bury the crown of the plant. They grow in in full sun in depths of 18 - 30 inches of water. Mind you I have seen some growing in depths of 14 inches. If you have Koi fish I recommend that you find a way of protecting the plants from them or just do not put water lilies in the same pond. We had Koi a few years ago and they lived well with the water lilies until one day we came out to see the plants all eaten and uprooted. What a mess it was. So we decided to sell the Koi and replace them with comets. Since then we have had no more problems. The comets look like Koi without the damage to the plants. So be careful of the types of fish to put into your water garden. Ask your self whether you want a fish pond or a water garden and that will determine the type of pond you will have. Water lilies are voracious feeders and must be fertilized regularly, every 4-6 weeks or the leaves and flowers will become smaller and eventually stop flowering. If the water lilies are planted in the bottom of the pond like a natural pond, they would not need any fertilizing. They will get their nutrients from the fish waste and the soil. Their roots will be free to travel in search of food. Water lily fertilizer tablets are available in many plant shops and if they are not available you can use a slow release fertilizer like Osmocote . I will take the plant out of the water, lift or pull the sides away from the pot and sprinkle some Osmocote. Or I recommend that you get some old pantyhose or knee highs and cut them into pieces that will hold about a tablespoon or two of fertilizer. Tie the small tight bundles and push them down into the soil that the water lily is growing. Remember to cover the fertilizer with more soil. From my experience the Osmocote will last longer than the tablets.
Water lilies are very hard to kill and the plant will have a lifespan of 10 years or more if you pond conditions are right. High or Low pH is a definite killer and always check the pH before adding water lilies to your pond. If it is too high or low I will say not to put them in until you can adjust the pH. Water lilies thrive best in a pH of 7.5-8.5 Anything over 9.5 and below 7 will quickly kill your plants.
The hardy ones are better suited to cooler regions and they also grow well in the tropics. They are very pretty and have the widest range of colours . They go dormant and will reappear the next year. The blooms float on the water's surface . These are normally propagated by root divisions and by tubers or rhizomes.
The tropicals are more vivid in colour, the blooms stand above the water, are larger in size and many of them are scented. In the tropicals there are two types, day bloomers and night bloomers.
The night bloomers are large with a leaf span of 3-8 ft or more, and come in three colours, light pink, magenta and white. There are other characteristics that define the night bloomers. They are more prolific and are very aggressive growers. They cover a larger area and can stifle any other lilies that are in the pond. The blooms open at night hence the name night bloomers around 8pm and will stay open until 10 -11am the next day.
The day bloomers include miniatures, medium size to large. The colours range from many shades of blues, yellows, pinks, whites, purples to hybrids. Recently there was a successful hybridizing of a night bloomer with a day bloomer. Propagation is done by way of root division, seeds, rhizomes and viviparously. Viviparously means that the young plant develops on the leaf of the mother plant.
The Amazon water lily or the Victoria is the largest of water lilies. It originated in the Amazon and one lily will need a space no less than 20ft by 20ft. So that one is enough for large ponds. The leaf of this water lily is thorny and care must be taken when tidying up the plant.
Water lilies are planted in pots or basins without holes, in clay soil and be careful not to bury the crown of the plant. They grow in in full sun in depths of 18 - 30 inches of water. Mind you I have seen some growing in depths of 14 inches. If you have Koi fish I recommend that you find a way of protecting the plants from them or just do not put water lilies in the same pond. We had Koi a few years ago and they lived well with the water lilies until one day we came out to see the plants all eaten and uprooted. What a mess it was. So we decided to sell the Koi and replace them with comets. Since then we have had no more problems. The comets look like Koi without the damage to the plants. So be careful of the types of fish to put into your water garden. Ask your self whether you want a fish pond or a water garden and that will determine the type of pond you will have. Water lilies are voracious feeders and must be fertilized regularly, every 4-6 weeks or the leaves and flowers will become smaller and eventually stop flowering. If the water lilies are planted in the bottom of the pond like a natural pond, they would not need any fertilizing. They will get their nutrients from the fish waste and the soil. Their roots will be free to travel in search of food. Water lily fertilizer tablets are available in many plant shops and if they are not available you can use a slow release fertilizer like Osmocote . I will take the plant out of the water, lift or pull the sides away from the pot and sprinkle some Osmocote. Or I recommend that you get some old pantyhose or knee highs and cut them into pieces that will hold about a tablespoon or two of fertilizer. Tie the small tight bundles and push them down into the soil that the water lily is growing. Remember to cover the fertilizer with more soil. From my experience the Osmocote will last longer than the tablets.
Water lilies are very hard to kill and the plant will have a lifespan of 10 years or more if you pond conditions are right. High or Low pH is a definite killer and always check the pH before adding water lilies to your pond. If it is too high or low I will say not to put them in until you can adjust the pH. Water lilies thrive best in a pH of 7.5-8.5 Anything over 9.5 and below 7 will quickly kill your plants.
It is now raining here ;-) Water lilies look like fake flowers until you go closer and realise they are actually real! Their colours are so bright and attractive. I have not some of the colours you have posted here before. So cool!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blooms and wonderful info. I think the concrete is finally curing in my pond as the lilies are blooming and doing much better. I'll bet you were right and the problem was the high PH. I lost 2 of the original 5 but the remaining 3 have filled the pond with pads and blooms so I'm happy.
ReplyDeleteThank you Stephanie am glad that you are getting some rain it is tonic of for them. There are so many colours of water lilies that they can paint a rainbow with LOL.
ReplyDeleteJonna am happy that your pond has settled down and your lilies are thriving. It is a great feeling when things are in balance in a pond. Wish that were the case all around for many of us. Have a great week!
Thanks for this informative post! I must say that you have an amazing collection of waterlilies. I too have tried growing a water lily this year and it has rewarded me with its splendid blooms almost daily! My Query is how do I overwinter it and make it survive the harsh winters of my place, temperatures may touch 0 degrees on some days!
ReplyDeleteGT I am not au fait with winter conditions. The lowest we get is in 70's F. here are some links that might help you.
ReplyDeletehttp://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ponds/msg071326054148.html?5
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ponds/msg1120481930168.html
I never could get my waterlilies to bloom. Now I know the reason. Thanks for so much information. Beautiful pictures, Islandgirl.
ReplyDeleteHi Helen,
ReplyDeleteas always great photos, you have some colours I've not seen before too, beautiful. Do you have problems with black bees eating the petals? We have day and night bloomers, but no hardies, they sound interesting. I'd like to try them. What's your relationship with water hyacinth? And another water related question - do you have any water spinach?
Have a lovely wet day!
Lotusleaf thank you, also check the pH of the water.
ReplyDeleteAncel,
I have never had any bees eating the petals, usually it is a moth caterpillar that is the culprit. Water hyacinths were a problem for my filter so we had to get rid of it. They are great for clearing up dirty water. They will not thrive in water that has no nutrients (newly filled ponds) If you still want them in I suggest you plant them in a pot of clay soil and place them in a shallow area. I have heard of water spinach but have never tried growing it.
Helen, how do I thank you for this wonderful post with so much of practical, useful info? A big hug and a thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm saving all this for my dream lily pond.
u are expert, i joke with my kids some weeks ago, (since i have a lily putting in my waterpond, its a day-type continue for 3 days then die) i will look for the one got night flower, hopefully got here. thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Helen, we have a house in Cattlewash on the east coast and are looking to create an interesting garden that can tolerate the climatic conditions of the east coast. We live in the uk but spend several months of the year in Barbados so are new to gardening in this part of the world. We have also introduced some water lilies and fish (mollies I think) and are getting different advice on what fertilizers we can use on the lillies without harming the fish. From your web site it sounds as though you have a great deal of knowledge which we could learn a lot from. Not sure if you are around during the next couple of weeks but it would be great for us to meet up for chat if you could spare the time - best wishes John and imren
ReplyDelete