How to Grow Water Lilies

Exotic and delicate water lilies are something that most home owners would love to have in their water garden. These beautiful blooms remind us of Monet's paintings of water lilies and growing them in the garden can give it a lovely look and ambiance. Water lilies are basically of two types; tropical water lilies that blooms day and night and hardy water lilies that bloom only in the day. For a residential water garden, planting hardy water lilies works well. If you are planning to grow water lilies, then there are a few things that you have to keep in mind. Water lilies thrive in sunshine and so you need to plant them in a location of the pool that receives plenty of sunlight. Also, plant water lilies in still water like a small pot or a big shallow urn. They do not grow well in water bodies that have fountains or in streams.

Growing Water Lilies in a Pond

To grow water lilies in a pond, first you need to cultivate them in a basket or pot. The container for growing water lilies should be sufficiently large so that the lilies can thrive. After planting the water lilies in the container they are gently slid into the pond, where the top portion of the stems and the blooms stay above water. This is a better method of growing water lilies in a pond, since most home owners have artificial ponds made of concrete and covering the bottom of the pond with soil is not feasible. It will not only make the pond muddy but will also be difficult to clean. Aquatic plant care is different from the ones that grow on land, so special attention should be paid to them.

Choosing a Container
To grow water lilies, the first step is to choose a good container for growing them. A wide and shallow container works best and you can choose from the round shaped ones to the more popular rectangular ones. Plastic containers that are approximately 12cm deep and 28 - 30cm in diameter works best. If the container has large drainage holes, then line the container with burlap so that soil and mud does not escape through the hole. Once this is done, the next step is to prepare the soil.

Preparing the Soil
Since water lilies are aquatic plants so ordinary potting soil will not do. You will need nutrient rich loamy soil that is boosted with organic manure and aquatic fertilizer. Aquatic fertilizer pellets can be found in any good gardening store or nursery. Place the soil into the container lined with burlap and then compact it.

Planting the Tuber
Make a small depression in the soil, towards the edge of the container. Now plant the rhizome into the soil after removing any old leaves and roots. The reason that the rhizome is not planted in the middle of the container like most plants is because water lily roots spread laterally and therefore they require space to grow. Next cover the soil with a thin layer of gravel or small rocks so that the soil does not run out of the container when placed in water.

Place Plant in Pond
Once you are done planting the water lily tuber, slide the container gently into the pond at a depth of 12 - 18 inches. The stems and leaves of the plant should float above the surface of water. If your pond is deep, then you need to construct a support under the water and place the container on the support. You can construct a makeshift support by placing a few bricks one on top of another to get the required height.

Planting water lilies in the pond is not difficult and you will be rewarded with beautiful blooms, if you follow the correct procedure for planting them. Ideally, the hardy water lilies should be planted in early spring. They usually bloom from early June to late September. Water lilies cannot thrive in the cold and they become dormant. Water lilies require at least 4 - 5 hours of sunlight a day to grow so make sure that you plant them in an area of the pond where it can get adequate sunlight.