One of the most popular and recognisable aquatic plants, Waterlilies are important for providing shade to your pond, they encourage pollinators and provide a resting place for Frogs and Toads.
During the summer months, Waterlilies will take centre stage in your pond. With so many varieties to choose from, their elegant flowers and foliage will look delightful in any size pond.
Our Waterlilies are all hardy to the UK climate and will flower from June to September, certain varieties flowering into October. There is only one native waterlily, the Alba. It is a large and vigorous waterlily so is only suitable for large ponds and lakes.
If you fancy something different then look at Black Princess for its very unusual deep red tone or Wanvisa for its two-tone flowers. Classic white-water lilies are a very popular choice, Gonnre produces crisp white double-flowering petals. For container ponds the dwarf varieties are best and one of the most popular is Pygmaea Helvola.
How many water lilies should I plant?
As a rule of thumb, we suggest the average garden pond should be approx. two thirds covered by leaves in the summer. This can be achieved with water lilies, floating pond plants, rafting marginal plants or deep-water plants such as water hawthorn which has the benefit of being in leaf earlier in the season.
Do water lilies come back every year
Yes, if your water lily is healthy and looked after, it will send up new growth in the spring and die back in the autumn.
What conditions do water lilies like
Water lilies prefer warm, sunny conditions. They should be planted in the correct depth for the variety, usually between 45 and 80cms, while avoiding fast-flowing water or splashing from a fountain.
We recommend removing dead foliage or flowers during the summer months. This avoids them breaking down in the water, which can cause increased nutrient levels, causing algae blooms and possible poor water quality impacting the inhabitants of the pond..
Winter care for water lilies
Ensure your water lily is at the correct depth protecting it from the coldest winter conditions. You can trim back dead foliage to just above the lily crown in the autumn. Trimming back pond plants can help reduce toxin build-up caused by rotting vegetation, which may only become apparent in the spring as the water warms up. How to plant a water lily
Water lilies need plenty of nutrition to thrive, and it is essential to replant them in a suitably large basket with heavy loom aquatic compost when they are first purchased or replanted. Additionally, you can buy lily fertiliser tablets to slip into the basket to help promote growth and flowering, particularly beneficial in new, nutrient-poor ponds. TIP: Do not use peat-based compost; not only will it float, but it may contain high nutrient levels polluting your pond
- When planting a water lily, the basket should be a good size for the plant, lined with a hessian or foam liner, then partly filled with soil.
- Place the water lily in the basket with the “crown” pointing upwards and fill the rest of the basket with soil, ensuring the “eyes” are showing.
- To finish off you will need to put some gravel on top to hold the soil down and to discourage fish from disturbing the lily.
- Don’t just drop the plant into the depths. You will need to soak the basket first and then very slowly lower it down.
- Smaller and immature lilies may benefit from being positioned in shallower water to start with and gradually moved deeper over a couple of months.
