Another Favorite Plant- Water Lilies

Last week I talked about a group of favorite plants - favorites among favorites - the Spatterdocks - which a good number of aquarists know as aquarium plants, which also do quite well in the pond. Perhaps even better known, even to non-enthusiasts are the Water lilies of the genus Nymphea which are a group of aquatic plants with cosmopolitain fame. They are known virtually from every land mass remotely warm enough to support higher plant life at least part of the year - wherever there is some bodies of still or slowly flowing waters to support their basic needs. My emphisis here will be on the common species native to temperate North America and Eurasia which are the wild parents of many popular hybrids of water garden fame.

Of our native wetland flora other than the Cattails & Bullrushes perhaps the best known element is the White Pond Lily - Nymphea odorata which is indigenous to much of eastern North America and then some with a wide range of climatic tollerance from sub boreal Canada to the Florida Everglades! It has a variety of forms which are appropriate for a variety of horticultural uses. As a water garden plant or for naturalizing in large ponds or lakes. The form N.o. gigantea is best suited for the latter application being a robust and aggressive spreader it can stand up well to the onslaught of turtles and other browsers and provide quick coverage in a new pond or lake. The smaller forms, Var. "Hoptacong" and Var. minor are better suited to culture in a garden pond because of their smaller spread and free blooming habits - Var Gigantea I understand is a bit of a shy bloomer.

The variance in size and spread of the different forms of N. odorata are really interesting, since the different forms all seem to be more like distinct ecotypes than geographic subspecies, but they do retain distinct characteristics even under cultivation. I grow both Hoptacong & Minor in the same pond and have no trouble distinguishing between the two. The leaves of Hoptacong are about 6 inches across and are apple green to pale reddish on the underside, while Minor has very small leaves only about 2-3 inches across and equally liliputian flowers. N. o. minor seems to be an ecotype of acidic dark water streams - very common it is in the lakes and rivers of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. It may also occur along the Atlantic coastal plain through the Delmarva peninsula and in the Southeastern states as isolated populations within the range of larger forms which are similar to Hoptacong - A select cultivated form.

In North America there is also another similar species that is very robust - called Nymphea tuberosa - named for its tendancy to produce small tubers on the rootstock which break loose to establish new plants elsewhere. Its taxomic status/relationship to N. odorata may not be clearly understood. This plant is predominantly midwestern in its distribution. It is commonly planted as a source of food for waterfowl in natuaral wetlands, but because of its size is probably beyond the capabilities of most water gardeners.

Of circumboreal distribution is a very dwarf species called Nymphea tetragona - very lovely with diminitive pads and green leaves mottled with chocolate brown & red. The flowers are white and growth habit is even smaller than odorata var. minor. It would be a perfect canidate for the very small pond or half-barrel were it not for its one major drawback - this species is quite sensitive to heat - since it hails from the cooler parts of the Americas, Eurasia & New Zealand. However its genes have made some important contributions to a number of pygmy hybrids that are grown by pondkeepers everywhere. One of its most noteworthy offspring is Nymphea 'Helvolva' which derives from a cross of an Alaskan strain with N. mexicana - a yellow flowered species indigenous to Central America & the SE USA. This delightful progeny comines the dwarf habit and mottled leaves of tetragona with the heat tollerance and a bit of yellowish tint to the blooms inherited from mexicana. It is also winter hardy in cold climates!

A majority of water lilies in ornamental pond culture are as said above derived from the wild stocks of both North America and Europe. Another European species - N. candida- is white flowered and good for cold waters, but will adapt to warmer conditions. It is proud parent to too many cultivated hybrids of a whole spectrum of colors - white through yellow, orange, pink, red and even changable breeds that vary in color as the flowers age! North America's N. odorata & Mexicana species had a hand in these breedings, athough exact parentage is uncertain in many of the older hybrids which are propagated by crown divisions, since the original breeders did not keep good records.

As for growing them, most forms are fairly easy to cultivate in a small pond or naturalize in lakes or farm ponds. All they ask for is good garden soil - perferably in a tub or basket to which a small amount of fertilizer has been added. The growing medium should not contain any organic material like peat moss or bark or bits of perilite or styrofoam (common additives to commercial potting soils) and be covered by a layer of pea gravel to keep the fish from stirring it up. Of course some species like sunfishes will stir it up a little bit in their nest building activities, but not the point of being a nuisance.

Water lilies should be fertilized periodically during the growing season with specially formulated fertilizer tabs if they are grown in containers. And if you have a small pond it is advised to grow most aquatic plants in containers to limit their spread. I once made the mistake of placing soil on the bottom of my pond and topping it with sand to simulate a natural pond much to my regret years later when I had to clean it out for renovation and thin the rank growth of water lilies and other plants that ran amok! Container grown lilies and other pond plants should be raised every few years, divided and repotted with fresh soil. Extra plants can be either composted or given to friends.

If given the minimum of care and attention as described above, waterlilies will last for years, practically forever.

If you are suddenly interested in growing these and other beautiful and interesting pond plants, you are not alone. Water gardening is fast becoming popular in America as it has been in Europe for the past 100 years and in the Orient for past millennium! It is in fact one of the fastest growing fields of ornamental horticulture today!

Good luck and Good Growing!

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