Hardy Water Lilies (Nymphaea) - The hardy water lily with its profuse and extravagant blossoms is a winter hardy or perennial plant available from us starting in March and continuing through September. Lilies come in a variety of colors and sizes and once established bloom continuously all summer. Hardy Lilies can easily be distinguished from their tropical counterparts in that the leaves are smooth around the edges. Performing many functions in the water garden along with their exquisiteness includes providing shade, utilizing water-born nutrients and insulating the water from extreme day/night temperature fluctuations. Hardy water Lilies grow best in a generous amount of heavy garden soil avoiding too much organic matter unless it has been well composted. Even the heaviest clay soils will work fine with the addition of a little sand and fertilizer. Depth should be maintained between 6” and 18” when first transplanted and then once established can be grown from 12” to 30” depending on the variety.
 

Tropical Water Lilies (Nymphaea) -  A tropical lily can be the centerpiece for the water garden. They hold their fragrant blossoms high out of the water and can have several blooms at a time. The flowers stay open later in the day than the hardy Lilies and they also bloom later into the season. Tropical Lilies can easily be distinguished from their hardy Lilies in that the leaves are serrated or jagged. Tropical Lilies come in day blooming and night blooming varieties. The day blooming varieties open several hours after sunrise and stay open until several hours before sunset and some are viviparous (growing plantlets on their leaves) which indicates they are more cold tolerant. The night blooming varieties will open an hour or two before sunset and stay open as late as noon on a cloudy day. Tropical water Lilies grow best in a generous amount of heavy garden soil. Even the heaviest clay soils will work fine with the addition of a little sand and fertilizer. Depth should be maintained between 6" and 18" when first transplanted and then once established can be grown from 12" to 30" depending on the variety.

*Note: Tropical lilies can be raised in any climate as long as you remove them from the water when the weather starts to cool off long before the first frost. Move them into a greenhouse or use hydroponic lamps to winter them over. Place back in your pond once the water temperature gets back up to 65-70 degrees.