By: Stephen Drommonsy
Submitted: 2010-09-07 15:24:28 | Word Count: 774
As far as I’m concerned , the Water Lily is a queen of aquatic plants. Nearly every one who has a pond also has a Lily or wants one. The value of this hardy Water Lily lies not only in the beauty of it's cup-shaped or star-shaped flower but in addition in the round or heart shaped leaves (pads) which not only do they keep the fish happy but they help to maintain the water clear as well.
There's no doubt that it’s a desirable plant which has a number of surprises for each one of us and an equal amount of pitfalls for the amateur. The first surprise for that newbie often is the vast range of flower sizes, leaf sizes, leaf spread and planting depth required. The dwarf varieties (minatures) with 1" wide leaves covering about 1 sq.ft of pond surface and bearing medal-sized flowers are a very good choice for the minipond manufactured from a half-barrel. At the other end of the scale there are the Viogrous varieties with leaves measuring in excess of 8" across whch, and if left alone, will blanket a pond of 50 sq.ft or more and produce flowers the scale of dinner plates.
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The golden rule is never to buy a Water Lily simply because the picture looks nice and also it costs lower than the others on show. It is best to measure your pond surface after which you can aim to buy one or more specimens with an anticipated spread of no more than half of the pond surface. Never be guided by the price. The ones which can be far too vigarous for the common size pond actually cost less than the more compact ones which tend not to look good value for money because of thier size.
To make selection easier it will be better to group Water Lilies into a tiny number of types. Dwarf, Medium and Vigorous. All you have to try and do is to select the type with the correct planting depth and also the anticipated spread to your needs and then find a variety within that group that has a shape and colour that you find attractive. The time of flowering does not come in to the choice because all Water Lilies behave roughly the same. Blooming starts in June and the flowers appear in succession until September. Each bloom opens from late morning to late afternoon and lasts for around 4 days.
Now for the surprises. Many of the scores of varieties on offer today came from the breeding work of a Frenchman who went by the name of M. Joseph Bory Latour-Marliac. The very first one appeared in 1877 but unfortunately his secrets died with him in 1911. For this reason, the majority of the Water Lily varieties in the catalogues are in excess of 80 years old. I an happy to mention that new American varieties are now commencing to appear on the market, but Latour-Marliac hybrids still continue to dominate.
Now for the planting rules. May and June are the very best months for planting and you’ll need a sunny spot and still water . Remove the old leaves from your rootstock and trim back the firous roots. Plant firmly so that the crown is barely protruding above the surface. Submerge the basket so the young leaves float at the surface and gradually lower the basket to the ultimate depth as the leaves grow. This will take several months to achieve.
Once you’ve stocked your pond with plants, leave it for a month befor introducing any fish. Don't just tip the fish in as soon as you get them home. Place the polythene bag in the pond and leave it for an hour. After an hour gently open the bag and add some pond water to it. Leave the bag in the pond for an additional 10 minutes. The final stage is to tip the fish in to their new home. You should not worry if the fish hide amid the foliage for a few days, this is quite normal behavior. Leave them alone and what ever you do, don't try and coax them out.
Author Resource:-
In my next article , that will not be far after this one, I will explain about different styles, shapes and sizes that you can utilize to construct that perfect pond for yourself. I would also like to take this chance to thank the 'gardener london' company who have given me help and advise all through the many years that I’ve been gardening.
