Water Gardens - Water Lily Care

One of the gardens most beautiful plants...

One of the first plants most water gardeners want for their pond is a water lily. Some members of this large plant family, Nymphaea, are hardy enough to stay outside in our climate all year long, while others, the tropical water lilies, must be stored inside over the winter.

Most water lilies prefer a site that will give them at least 5 to 6 hours of sunlight per day, although a few varieties can get by with less. Water lilies like still water, not near waterfalls or other areas where they'll be hit with splashing water.

With just a little care, these staples of the water garden will give you years of beautiful color and interesting lily-pad foliage that float on the surface of the pond.

Planting water lilies

Water lilies can be directly planted in your pond.  The phrase most used by the water garden industry to describe this type of planting is "bare-root planting." To do this, take your water lily specimen out of the container or bag it was sold in; rinse the roots so excess soil or media do not contribute to making your water murky; place the water lily at the appropriate depth in your pond, and anchor the roots with the gravel or rock lining at the bottom of your pond.

If your pond is not lined with rocks, you can plant lilies in aquatic pots or aquatic basket containers made specifically for water-garden plants or you could use a sturdy plastic pot. If there are large drainage holes in your pots, place a few sheets of newspaper on the bottom before adding soil.

Unlike regular plants that go in the ground, water lilies should NOT be planted in garden potting mixes that are primarily peat moss. Instead, use a commercial aquatic potting mix or a soil-less potting medium.

You can also use soil from the garden, so long as it is heavy and high in clay content. Avoid light soils.

Fill your container halfway with your potting medium, then position the lily. Gently add more potting medium around the roots and tamp down. Add more soil until the level is about one inch below the crown. (The crown is the top of the root formation where the shoots will come out.) Thoroughly saturate the soil with water.

Finally, cover the soil with 1"-2" of pea gravel. The crown should be just poking out above the gravel. Pea gravel is needed to keep the soil in place and to discourage fish from disturbing the soil and plant.

During May and June, feed your plants once a month. In July and August, feed twice monthly.

Push aquatic fertilizer tablets about 3" down into the soil (about the length of your finger). Use two tablets for every gallon of soil. The fertilizer is being added to this lower layer of soil so it doesn't come into direct contact with the roots and burn them.

Your lily is now ready to go in the pond!

If using a container, place new plants in your pond at a depth of 8" to 12" for about the first three months of growth. Keep in mind that lilies normally take 2 to 3 weeks to adjust before new growth starts.

    After about three months in the pond, sink your lilies deeper. Somewhere between 18"-24" is ideal for hardy water lilies. Depths between 10"-18" are fine for tropical water plants.

Caring for your water lilies

Your water lilies are going to depend on you for food. All rooted water plants require fertilizer occasionally. One sign that your lilies need fertilizer is if the plant begins to shrink during the growing season. If that happens, it's time to fertilize as soon as possible. However, no fertilizer will be needed after August.

If fertilizer doesn't perk up your fading lily, it could be that the container is too small or the plant is not getting enough light.

The only other care needed during the spring and summer is to prune off old leaves to keep your plant looking neat. After a year or two in the pond, hardy water lilies can be divided.

Heading into winter

Tropical water plants will not survive our winter, so they need to come inside after the first frost or two if you plan to keep them. Wash the tuber well and place it in a plastic bag or mason jar. Fill the container with distilled water or slightly moist sand, and store it in a cool dark place, at approximately 50-65 degrees F. Be sure to check the container regularly. If the water is foul or discolored, replace it with fresh distilled water. For hardy water lilies, once there's been a killer frost or two, prune off dead leaves and stems and sink the plant in the deepest part of your garden.

Additional information on water gardening:

Stocking Your Pond

Principles of Healthy Pond Water

Water Lily Care

Fish Care