Nymphaea water lilies , popularly known as water lilies, have fascinated people for over 4,000 years and already then decorated the garden water reservoirs of aristocrats in ancient Egypt, the Chinese Empire and Japan. This infatuation with lilies is still alive, as we can easily see when we look at the hardships of many growers, who continue insearching for new varietiesthat could grow even in very small tanks or would have flowers of a rare color in nature , e.g. blue. In recent years, breeders have especially worked on the smallest dwarf and poorly growing forms. On the other hand, the blue color is still reserved only for flowers of exotic varieties, sensitive to winter cold.
Water lilies in many varieties
These beautiful aquatic plants will settle in our garden pond without any problems, if we take into account the growth strength and planting depth of the selected varieties. The differences are huge: the forms of the dwarf Nyphaea tetragon and its relatives, e.g. ' Helvola ', ' Alba ', ' Graziella'or'Paul Hariot', will be satisfied with 10 cm deep water in a container, while for strongly growing water lilies, such as . ' Colossea ', ' Escarboucle ', ' Mrs. Richmond ','Gladstoniana'or'Gold Medal', even one meter of water is not even deeper.
 "width=580 loading=lazy |
|
A pond in combination with a gazebo, for example, creates a charming atmosphere of a small, private oasis (Photo: Fotolia.com) |
Small and medium-sized ponds will be most suitable for small, weakly growing water lilies, such as'W alter Pagels','Moorei','Firecrest',James Brydon ' i ' Froebeli '. Plants in this group have two advantages. First of all, they feel best in water that is 20 to 50 cm deep, which is quite shallow. Secondly, they are not a threat to the biological balance of the pond, as they do not grow so luxuriantly that their leaves cover the entire surface of the water. Stable mesh baskets are most suitable for planting water lilies, which limit the expansion of the mycelium rhizomes at the bottom of the pond. When determining the proper planting depth , make sure to measure it to the ground in the basket. If the optimum water depth for a variety of waterlily is 50 cm and the basket is 30 cm high, it should be placed at the bottom where the water is 80 cm deep.
Caring for water lilies
Our water lilies will bloomluxuriantlyandlongif we provide them with large amounts of nutrients. Unlike many other perennials, water lilies only partially use the nutrients dissolved in the water. Therefore, they should not be planted in poorly fertile soil, suitable for most plants inhabiting the pond. The best for water lilies is clayey, nutrient-richgarden soil , which should not contain peat or unripe peat, consisting of only partially decomposed plant fragments, which start to rot very quickly in the water.
 "width=580 loading=lazy |
|
A pond or pond embellished with water lily leaves creates an incredible atmosphere (Photo: Fotolia.com) |
The annual dosefertilizeris the best food for water lilies. In spring or early summer, we prepare balls of clay mixed with long-acting fertilizer granules or horn chips. The balls, as well as the fertilizer sticks, are pressed into the ground next tothe root ball of the plantIf, however, after a few years, despite careful carewater liliesstop blooming , we should undergo a rejuvenating treatment.
Baskets with plantstake the rhizome out of the water and divide the horizontally growing rhizome into several or a dozen parts. Each small section of the rhizome should be well rooted and have at least two leaf buds. We plant the rhizome parts individually in baskets filled withfresh clay soilThe rhizome pieces, for which there is no place in our pond, can be given to friends or acquaintances who have garden ponds or ponds.We will surely make them happy with such a small gift.
