Things You'll Need:
- Artificial pond
- Water lily bulbs
- Pot
- Plant fertilizer
- Stones
- Soil
-
Step 1
Make sure that when you purchase or order lilies that you know how durable they are for growing in cold weather regions. It is easy to tell the exotic tropical lilies from the hardy ones because the tropicals have wavy leaves while the hardy varieties have smooth, straight leaves. While it's been said that you can tell the exotic ones as they will rise above the water to flower, all of them will occasionally sprout a flower high up above the water's surface, so that won't always help you to choose. If you live in a warm region, where the winter temperatures always stay fairly high, at least above freezing, go for the exotic tropical lilies as they will likely grow well in your area. But if your winters get down below freezing, (32 degrees Farenheit) you will need to buy the hardy varieties only, unless you plan to bring your lilies in each fall for storage.
-
Step 2
Once you have determined the proper variety of lily for your region, you need to know how to plant them. Most water lilies come with clear, concise planting instructions but what they do not tell you is that it is very likely that your plant will eventually out-grow its pot and will grow out of control on the bottom of your pond. If the lily comes with a little plastic basket, toss that and plant it in a regular flower pot instead. Put dirt and fertilizer in the pot, make a hole for the bulb, and then cover it over with dirt. Place an assortment of rocks and stones on top and very carefully submerge the pot, dirt, rocks and all, into your pond.
-
Step 3
Make sure that you follow the directions as far as how deep to plant the lily. The leaves rise up on tall, thin stems that are supported by the water. If the plant is placed too deep, the leaves will not reach the surface of the water. If it is planted too shallow, the stems will spread out from the pot, and basically cover the entire surface of the pond. When digging your lily pond, take these planting necessities to heart so you will be able to dig out a shelf at precisely the right level for your plants. The best level to place your planting shelf is somewhere around two to three feet down from the surface. It would not be a good idea to plant at any level shallower than that.
-
Step 4
Adding fish to the mix helps to keep the plants fertilized so you should never have to raise the pot just to add more fertilizer to the soil. This will likely just wash off into the water eventually anyway. The fish will happily perform the task for you, as they spend a lot of their time swimming in and around the plants themselves. When the plants are healthy they should grow many leaves and offer countless flowers for you to enjoy all summer long.
-
Step 5
If you live in a cooler climate, your plants will die back at the end of the summer season and eventually will be covered over by ice. This won't hurt a thing. In the spring the stems will begin growing again and make leaves as if nothing ever happened to it, that is if the plant is of the hardy variety. The tropical ones will not survive the winter and regrow for you. Many people prefer the tropical lilies because they have more color variety, but that type of plant will have to be removed from the pond before the first frost and taken indoors. They can be stored for the winter by wrapping the bulb in semi-moist wood chips and tucking it away in a dark place somewhere for the duration of the cold season to be planted again in the spring after the last frost.
