Water lilies

Depth of water lilies

When making your choice, pay particular attention to the depth that these plants need. For example, there are water lilies which are happy with fifteen to twenty centimetres of water, but there are also varieties which require a water depth of a metre or more.

Lotuses (Nelumbo)

The lotuses (Nelumbo) which strongly resemble water lilies do not do well in an outdoor pond in our part of the world because they require fairly warm water and cannot tolerate frost at all. They rarely flower. They share that with tropical water lilies, including those with blue flowers.

Placement

Most plants with floating leaves, especially water lilies, loathe having water splashing on their leaves constantly. Its best not to place them near a spraying fountain or in fast-moving water.

The native water lily (white, Nymphaea alba) gets too big for garden ponds. Large-flowered cultivated forms also soon need a water area of at least 2 x 2 m². The rhizome grows significantly within a few years. An adequate depth of water is required - 60 cm or more. This protects the rhizome from freezing.

There are also small-flowered (dwarf) water lilies. These require less space (approx. 1 m²) and shallower water (20 to 40 cm). Some have attractively marbled leaves.

Profusely flowering water lilies include:

Nymphaea ‘Pygmaea Helvola’ – dwarf, small-flowered, pale yellow
Nymphaea ‘Pygmaea Alba’- dwarf, white
Nymphaeae ‘Laydekeri Fulgens’ – dwarf, red
Nymphaea ‘Laydekeri Atropurpurea’ – large-flowered dark red
Nymphaeae ‘James Brydon’ – double-flowered, dark red and strong leaf
Nymphaea ‘Escarboucle’ – large-flowered red
Nymphaea ‘Yellow Sensation’ – large yellow flowers on sturdy stems
Nymphaea ‘Albatros’ – pure white, fairly small leaf
Nymphaeae ‘Marliacea Carnea’ – white, pale pink outer leaf