As far as I am concerned , the Water Lily is the queen of aquatic plants. Nearly every one that has a pond also 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 in the round or heart shaped leaves (pads) which not only do they keep the fish happy but they assist to maintain the water clear as well.
I believe it is a desirable plant that has a number of surprises for each one of us and an equal quantity of pitfalls for your amateur. The very first surprise for that newbie often 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 manufactured from a half-barrel. At the other end of the dimensions you will find the Viogrous varieties with leaves measuring greater than 8" across whch, and if left alone, will blanket a pond of 50 sq.ft or more and produce flowers the scale of dinner plates.
The golden rule is never to buy a Water Lily just because the picture looks nice and it costs less than the others on show. Make sure you measure your pond surface and then aim to purchase a number of specimens with an anticipated spread of not more than half the pond surface. Never be guided by price. Those that are far too vigarous for the common size pond actually cost less than the greater compact ones which usually do not look good value for money because of thier size.
In making selection easier it is better to group Water Lilies into a tiny number of types. Dwarf, Medium and Vigorous. All you will have to try and do is to select the sort with the right planting depth and also the anticipated spread for your needs and then find a variety within that group which has a shape and colour that you will find attractive. 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 approximately 4 days.
Now for the surprises. A lot of the scores of varieties on offer today came from the breeding work of the Frenchman who went by the name of M. Joseph Bory Latour-Marliac. The very first one appeared in 1877 but unfortunately his secrets died with him in 1911. Because of this, the bulk of the Water Lily varieties inside 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 best months for planting and you will need a sunny spot and still water . Remove the old leaves belonging to the rootstock and trim back the firous roots. Plant firmly so that the crown is just 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 will take several months to achieve.
Once you have 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 the pond for an additional 10 minutes. The final stage is to tip the fish in to their new home. You should not worry if the fish hide amid 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 , that will not be far behind this one, I will give details about the different styles, shapes and sizes that you may make use of to construct that perfect pond for yourself. I would also like to take this chance to thank the 'gardener london' company who have given me help and advise during the many years that I have been gardening.
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