First water lily leaf of Spring! How to care for your fishpond plants

Graceful and elegant, water lilies (Nymphaea spp.) are a wonderful addition to any water garden. If your water lily is not hardy to your climate though, you may be wondering how to winterize water lily plants. Even if your water lilies are hardy, you might be wondering what you should do for them to help them make it through winter. Winter care for water lily plants does take a little bit of planning, but is easy to do once you know how. Keep reading to learn more about how to over winter water lilies.

First water lily leaf of Spring! My fishpond plants are starting to grow!

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Plants will rapidly grow in the early spring for cool season and during summer for warm season plants. Algae blooms most often occur in early spring before the plants bloom and late summer when the plants start to rest. Effectively planning ahead to include plants during these seasonal changes will greatly increase your chances of avoiding nuisance algae.

Cool season plants start growing in the winter so they can be active during early spring to combat early spring algae blooms. Some rest through the summer and fall before waking up again in the following late winter.

Plant waterlilies from April to September. When choosing a waterlily for your pond, make sure you select the most appropriate size. Typically, large waterlilies should sit 75cm below the surface; medium waterlilies 50cm below and small waterlilies 20cm below. If you plant them too deeply they will fail to flower, too shallow and they will die. If your pond is too deep for your waterlily to grow successfully, add bricks to achieve the ideal depth (be careful not be pierce the liner, here).Water lilies are not often sold at garden centres, so contact a specialist grower for a full range.

Tender waterlilies should be lifted out of the pond before the first frosts, and kept in a light and frost-free place over winter. Keep them submerged in water in a large tub, and follow the specific growing instructions given to you by the specialist nursery.

• Both water lilies and lotus need some time to establish themselves and mature. They typically do not bloom in the first year but expect to see some blooms in the second year from them."}},"@type": "Question","name": "How long do water lilies and lotus plants live?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "Once these plants have taken hold, with proper care and maintenance, water lilies and lotus will live for up to 20 years.","@type": "Question","name": "Do water lilies and lotus flowers have a smell?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "Depending on the color of the flowers and species of plant, both water lilies and lotus blooms have a fragrance to them. Some smell like lemon, others sweet, while others have a pleasant floral scent."]}]}] .icon-garden-review-1fill:#b1dede.icon-garden-review-2fill:none;stroke:#01727a;stroke-linecap:round;stroke-linejoin:round > buttonbuttonThe Spruce The Spruce's Instagram The Spruce's TikTok The Spruce's Pinterest The Spruce's Facebook NewslettersClose search formOpen search formSearch DecorRoom Design

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Learn tips for creating your most beautiful home and garden ever.Subscribe The Spruce's Instagram The Spruce's TikTok The Spruce's Pinterest The Spruce's Facebook About UsNewsletterPress and MediaContact UsEditorial GuidelinesGardeningPlants & FlowersWater PlantsHow to Grow and Care for Water Lilies and LotusByMarie Iannotti Marie Iannotti Facebook Marie Iannotti is a life-long gardener and a veteran Master Gardener with nearly three decades of experience. She's also an author of three gardening books, a plant photographer, public speaker, and a former Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator. Marie's garden writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines nationwide and she has been interviewed for Martha Stewart Radio, National Public Radio, and numerous articles.Learn more about The Spruce'sEditorial ProcessUpdated on 08/17/22 The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

Our #1 goal is happy, repeat customers. We realize that purchasing pond plants online may seem intimidating at first. However, its actually quite simple and easy if you know-how and do a little prep work. No matter which pond plant you may be interested in, our goal is to equip you with the knowledge and right supplies necessary to successfully nurture and grow it into a mature and healthy pond plant.

For best results, we recommend planting aquatic plants in Fabric Plant Pots. Use a heavy clay loam or a pre-packaged pond plant media specific for aquatic plants. If you try to use a soil that is light and fluffy, like a traditional potting soil, you will end up with a big mess on your hands. For your water lily to thrive and flower, you will also need to feed it once a month with aquatic plant fertilizer.

Once you've gathered your supplies and your bare root water lily plant has arrived from Play It Koi, it's time to plant. Keep your plant wet while you are planting it so that the leaves don't dry out. Hardy water lilies are planted using a loam garden soil and 2-3 fertilizer tablets. Hardy lilies grow horizontally across the container so a wide pot is necessary for planting (a 14 or 16-inch fabric pot is the best container). Fill your planting container to be about half-full with soil. Place 2 fertilizer tablets in the soil. You are now ready to plant.

Find a suitable location for your hardy water lily to rest. Most aquatics require at least 5 hours of direct sunlight for optimum growth. Water lilies like calm waters, so be sure to position them away from waterfalls, sprays, or fountains. The plant can be lowered to a depth of 6 inches to begin with, and then lowered to deeper depths as the plant grows.

Lotus flowers are a beautiful addition to any koi pond or water garden. While they are considered a hardier flower than many, certain conditions are necessary to grow them well. Lotus flowers are usually planted in the mid-spring and summer season. Lotus flowers need certain conditions to grow well, and may not even bloom until the second summer. During the winter, you may leave your lotus in the pond, as long as the tubers (the roots) are protected from ice.

To grow a lotus from a tuber, you will first want to find a nice sunny spot to grow your lotus and a suitable sized pot. A large lotus requires a pot 24-48 inches in diameter, medium lotuses require a pot 18-30 inches in diameter, and small lotuses require pots that are at least 12-15 inches in diameter. Keep in mind, if you choose a pot with holes in it and plan to place the pot in a pond or water garden, it is likely that the lotuses will eventually start to grow outside of the pot.

The first leaves that a lily pad puts out in the spring will be smaller and often a darker color and sort of red. They put these up as early as they can to start processing the sun to help the plant grow. The next set of leaves will be larger.

Hardy marginal plants can easily be winterized by first removing dead foliage down to the crown of the plant. Next, trim back any foliage that is not dead to a height just above the water level. Replace the plant in the same spot it was in all summer. This procedure can be followed for most hardy marginal plants such as rushes, reeds, cattails and iris.

Some hardy marginal plants should be wintered at the bottom of the pond or in two feet or more of water. For water gardeners who live in Zone 5 or below, these plants include thalia, pickerel, lobelia, melon sword and water parsley. Do not allow the tuber or rhizome of these plants to be subjected to actual freezing of the water or to be covered in ice, as this will cause the plants to turn to mush and they will not return in the spring.

When the weather turns cool and the first frost hits the pond, place the pot at the bottom of the pond or at a depth of 18 inches or more of water. If your pond is above ground, you can winter your hardy water lilies indoors. Simply place them in pots in a cooler and keep them moist, cool and dark. If you prefer to winter your hardy water plants in your above ground pond, simply install a pond heater.

Floating tropical plants such as water lettuce and hyacinth should be treated as annuals in your water garden. To overwinter them in the northern climates, the water must be at least 70F with 12 hours minimum of sunlight daily. You would need an aquarium, a heater and a strong grow light. Even then, they typically make it to February at best before turning to mush. The cost involved is far more than purchasing new plants in the spring. 2ff7e9595c