Water Lily in pond at Pamplemousses Botanical Garden

The water lily is an easy aquatic plant to install in the pond. Often confused with the lotus, it has nothing to envy it! With its abundant blooms and charming floating foliage, you won't regret installing it. Continue to learn all about the water lily! Completely aquatic, the water lily must be permanently immersed in stagnant water or water with a very weak current. Some dwarf hybrid varieties can grow in water as shallow as 25 centimeters and can therefore be installed in smaller ponds. However, most varieties are adapted to a depth ranging from 40 to 80 centimeters. The lower part of the plant is to be planted in the clay soil of the pond or in a basket. This one is made of a tuberous rhizome. The foliage, floating, is heart-shaped and appears at the end of long petioles which disappear at the end of the autumn. The floral stems are generally emitted from June to October according to the varieties. Each of them carries a solitary flower at the water's surface. The flowers offer a wide range of colors and have a life span of a few days but are renewed throughout the season. At the end of the flowering period, the flowers sink to become globular fruits that detach from the plant after maturation to overwinter at the bottom of the pond. Essentially decorative, the water lily also allows fish to have shade, to hide and frogs to relax between two jumps. Plant your water lily from mid-March to September. Place the water lily in a sunny pond and avoid placing it near a water jet. Allow for a surface area of 120 centimeters per water lily. Plant your water lilies in pockets of soil or in baskets specialized for this type of culture. Fill the baskets and pots 2/3 of the way with clay soil or potting soil for aquatic plants. Place one plant per pot or basket, spread the roots well without breaking them, be careful, they are very fragile, cover with soil without burying the terminal bud, soak the basket or pot in a basin filled with water, cover with gravel or pebbles so that the fish do not dig into the soil. Set up at the proper depth for your variety of water lily. On the patio, use a large container such as a wooden barrel lined with plastic liner. Hardy water lilies are low maintenance and there is no need to remove the rhizome from the water during the winter, regardless of your region. Sink one or two water plant fertilizer tablets into the soil in the spring. In summer, if there is too much foliage, remove some leaves, the surface covered should never exceed 2/3 of the total surface of the pond. In the fall, remove all yellowed leaves before they rot in the water and affect the quality of your pond. Place the baskets in large containers in light and warm (over 10°C).