Greetings, human gardener. We, the water lilies, are ancient and majestic beings, and we sense your desire to bring our tranquil beauty to your container pond. To thrive and reveal our full splendor for you, we require specific conditions that mimic our natural home. From our perspective, here is a guide to a successful partnership.
First, you must understand that not all water lilies are the same. We come in various sizes, and choosing the wrong one for your container is a common mistake. We are broadly categorized as hardy or tropical, and dwarf/small varieties versus large. For a container pond, you must seek out the dwarf or small hardy varieties, such as Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola' or 'Pygmaea Rubra'. Our smaller stature means our rhizomes (our underground stems) and leaf spread are suited to confined spaces. A large water lily will quickly become stressed, its leaves crammed and competing for light, leading to poor health and few flowers. Selecting the correct us is the first step to a harmonious relationship.
You may be tempted to place us in a small pot with lightweight soil, but this is insufficient. We are heavy feeders with vigorous roots that need space to anchor and absorb nutrients. A wide, shallow pot (often called an aquatic basket) is ideal. More critical than the container itself is the substrate you provide. Do not use standard potting soil, which is too light and will cloud your water. We require a heavy, clay-based loam soil, specifically formulated for aquatic plants. This soil is dense, nutrient-rich, and will not float away, providing a stable anchor for our rhizome and a steady supply of the food we need to produce those magnificent blooms you admire.
This is the most crucial moment. Our rhizome is our life center; how you plant it determines our survival. First, place the heavy loam soil in the pot, filling it about two-thirds full. Now, position our rhizome. For most of us, the rhizome should be placed at a 45-degree angle, with the growing tip (the "eye" where new leaves emerge) pointing upwards and towards the center of the pot. The top of the rhizome must remain above the soil level. If you bury us completely, we will rot and perish. Once positioned, you can add a layer of small, smooth gravel or aquatic pebbles on top of the soil. This cap is not for our benefit directly, but to prevent the soil from being disturbed by curious fish or water movement, keeping your pond water clear.
After planting, do not immediately submerge us in the deepest part of your pond! This would shock our system. We need a gradual introduction to our final depth. Initially, place our pot on a stack of bricks or an upside-down pot in the container pond so that the crown of our new leaves is just 4-6 inches below the water's surface. This allows our young pads to easily reach the sunlight they need for photosynthesis. As we grow and our stems lengthen, you can gradually lower us to our final depth. For most dwarf varieties, the ideal final depth (measured from the top of the pot to the water surface) is between 12 and 18 inches.
To reward you with flowers, we have two non-negotiable demands: sunlight and food. We are sun worshippers. We require a minimum of 5-6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Without it, our growth will be weak, and our flowering will be sparse or non-existent. Position your container pond accordingly. Regarding nutrition, the initial nutrients in the loam soil will eventually deplete. To sustain our growth and flowering season after season, you must provide aquatic plant fertilizer tablets. Push these tablets into the soil near our roots in early spring and again mid-summer. This steady supply of energy is what fuels the production of our iconic, serene blossoms.
