So far as I am concerned , the Water Lily is the queen of aquatic plants. Nearly every body that has a pond has a Lily or wants one. The worth for this hardy Water Lily lies not just in the wonder of it's cup-shaped or star-shaped flower but in addition within the round or heart shaped leaves (pads) which not only do they keep the fish happy but they help to keep the water clear as well.
I think it is a fascinating plant which has a quantity of surprises for every one of us and an equal quantity of pitfalls for your novice. The very first surprise for that newbie is the vast range of flower sizes, leaf sizes, leaf spread and planting depth required. The dwarf varieties (minatures) with 1" wide leaves covering about 1 sq.ft of pond surface and bearing medal-sized flowers are an excellent choice for a minipond constructed from a half-barrel. On the other end of the dimensions you will discover the Viogrous varieties with leaves measuring in excess of 8" across whch, and if left alone, will blanket a pond of 50 sq.ft or more and produce flowers the size of dinner plates.
The golden rule is never to buy a Water Lily simply because the image looks nice and also it costs lower than the others on show. You need to measure your pond surface and then aim to buy a number of specimens with an anticipated spread of not more than half the pond surface. Never be guided by price. Those which can be far too vigarous for the typical size pond actually cost lower than the more compact ones which tend not to look good value for money because of thier size.
To make selection easier it is better to group Water Lilies into a small number of types. Dwarf, Medium and Vigorous. All you have got to do is to pick the kind with the right planting depth as well as the anticipated spread for your needs and then find a variety within that group which has a shape and colour that you find attractive. The time of flowering won't come in to the choice because all Water Lilies behave kind of the same. Blooming starts in June and then the flowers appear in succession until September. Each bloom opens from late morning to late afternoon and lasts for about 4 days.
Now for one of the surprises. A lot of the scores of varieties on offer today came from the breeding work of the Frenchman who lived the name of M. Joseph Bory Latour-Marliac. The first one appeared in 1877 but unfortunately his secrets died with him in 1911. Because of this, the bulk of the Water Lily varieties in the catalogues are in excess of 80 years old. I an happy to mention that new American varieties are now beginning to appear on the market, but Latour-Marliac hybrids still continue to dominate.
Now for the planting rules. May and June are the perfect months for planting and you’ll need a sunny spot and still water . Remove the old leaves from your rootstock and trim back the firous roots. Plant firmly so that the crown is barely protruding above the surface. Submerge the basket so that the young leaves float over the surface and gradually lower the basket to the ultimate depth as the leaves grow. This may take several months to achieve.
Once you’ve stocked your pond with plants, leave it for a month befor introducing any fish. Don't just tip the fish in as soon as you get them home. Place the polythene bag in your pond and leave it for an hour. After an hour gently open the bag and add some pond water to it. Leave the bag in your pond for an additional 10 minutes. The ultimate stage is to tip the fish in to their new home. You should not worry if the fish hide in the middle of the foliage for a few days, this is quite normal behavior. Leave them alone and what ever you do, don't try to coax them out.
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In my following article , which won’t be far after this one, I will explain about the various styles, shapes and sizes that you may utilize to construct the perfect pond for yourself. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the 'gardener london ' company who have given me help and advise during the countless years that I’ve been gardening.
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