The Incomparable Waterlily and Lotus
Saturday August 23, 2008
A common gardening question is “What can I plant that blooms all season?” Certainly annuals jump to mind. My Celosia have been delivering feathery plumes and neon foliage since I planted them last May. And try and stop a marigold from blooming. But not many perennial flowers can promise that much bang for the buck. Water lilies and lotus are among the exceptions.
Yes indeed, water lilies and lotus are perennial flowers. They may look like exotic, intimidating divas, but many have the word “hardy” in front of them. Our expert at the New York Botanical Garden’s Sonia’s Garden shares some tips for growing these free flowering water babies. You don’t have a water garden? Well, I could go on about how water gardens are among the lowest maintenance gardens you can put in and the incredible wildlife they attract, but hey, you don’t need a water garden to grow water lilies. Give water lilies and lotus a second look.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2008) licensed to About.com, Inc.
Comments
Thanks for the mention on my use of peat in my gardens. As for the lilys, we inherited a small fish pond (man-made) when we bought our home. We added lilypads and goldfish, along with a filtering system (bluelight waterfall and filter fountain). This is the 2nd time in 12 years that the goldfish did not survive the winter. We chose not to restock this year, as we always see frog eggs, but very few tadpoles. We shut down the filtering system and there must have been 100’s of tadpoles this spring…. and they were so cute peeking out from under the lilypads. I will say that the only problem we have now with the lilies, is that they are outgrowing the pond…any advice? They are beautiful, and continuously bloom till the hard frost. And no, we do not take them out for the winter.m We just let them die off and come back each spring. I would strongly advise anyone thinking of putting these in to go for it, you won’t be disappointed!
it’s too bad about the fish not making it, but a pond without frogs is a buggy pond.
Are your water lilies in pots? If they’re planted in the ground, the only way to control them is digging and dividing. If they’re in pots, it’s a lot easier to lift and divide them than it is to have to dig them out of the bottom of the pond.
Thanks for the reply. They used to be in pots, my guess is that they’ve taken over the bottom by now. I know how to divide, it’s just what to do with the extras, I don’t want to just throw them away,and know of no one who can use ‘em. Maybe I should call the local gardening club?
That’s how I feel about my pothos plants. I hate to kill them, but how many does anyone need?
The gardening club is a good idea. You also might want to call the local Master Gardeners.
Thanks…. I think I will.. right now I found myself with a new situation yesterday regarding lilacs, snowball & winterberry. Tried to log into the posting to ask ???, but was unable to. Will let all know the outcome of my lillies.