Aquatic Plant Profile: Water lily

The water lily (Nymphaea sp.) would have to be the most iconic aquatic plant of all time and is without doubt the crown jewel of all pond plants. And it’s not hard to see why! These plants come in a multitude of varieties, cultivars, colours, shapes and sizes, and are popular among collectors. Water lilies are the most popular pond plant, always attracting an audience when in flower. 

This plant prefers a full sun position and will flower very well but will also do well in part shade, however flowering is less abundant.

Water lilies provide essential shade for your pond, thus reducing algae and providing much needed cover for fish so that your pond does not become a local seafood buffet for the area's birds!

Growth and potting

Positioning a water lily in your pond is an important consideration, particularly the depth. Refer to the plant label for your particular lily as depth of planting is varied between types however a good range to aim for is anywhere between 30cm and 2m deep.

Keeping your plants separate allows for easy maintenance on them through their dormant period. We strongly recommend planting water lilies in a separate pot or bag as they can be quite invasive in systems with a substrate bottom throughout as they grow with rhizomes. 

Maintenance

During the cooler Winter months leading up to Spring (their dormant period), you will notice there are no flowers and the leaves will turn yellow and die back. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to observe a completely different aesthetic of your pond as more sunlight will reach the water and you will discover new elements previously hidden. Please also bear in mind that once your water lilies die back, so does the natural protection and cover from predators for any vulnerable pond fish. 

At this time of the year, remove the water lilies from the pond, cut back the dead leaves and flowers, and split the plant to keep it from growing out of its plant bag. We also recommend you feed your water lilies using a good quality, once a year, slow release aquatic plant fertiliser at the same time before returning the plants to the pond.

When splitting the rhizomes of the water lily, simply cut the rhizomes with new plants developing and replant in a sand and soil medium in a new small aquatic plant pot to get it started.