is it to late to get some lilies or should i just wait till spring

[davepratt]

i have water lettuce and hyacinths in my pond now and they do a great job of keeping my water nice and clear but they are starting to get boring to me as the hyacinths only bloom once and last only a few days. i was thinking about trying out some lilies and was wondering if its to late in the season and also how many would be recomended for a pond thats 11' round any advice or help is appreciated thanks in advance

 

[addy1]

I put in hardy lilies in the fall, just put them into the kitty litter, they came back great in the spring.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I have hardy lilies in my pond. They do survive the winter here. Got them from someone on craigslist. If I had more I would offer to share with you.

You probably already know this but the water lettuce and hyacinth will not survive the winter here. I always feel so bad throwing it away. Amazing how much they both multiply over the summer. I usually start with 3 of each in late spring and end up having to thin them out several times during the summer.

 

[davepratt]

oh yeah im constantly tossing them out if i didnt i wouldnt be able to see into my pond at all they grow like weeds i tell ya and yeah i know they wont last the winter i live in cleveland ohio how much room does each lily need as far as surface area??

 

[agapanthus]

I have 3 (so far) One is small and takes up about 2 feet, the other ones take up about 3 feet each. They need fertilizer, be sure to get the kind made for underwater plants. It comes in tablets and you push it down into the pot and then cover it back up with soil and gravel, that way it does not get into the pond water. I am hoping to get a lotus, they are a lot bigger I think.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I have not had as good of luck with the lily plants as I would have hoped (I have one planted in a clay pot and another couple in a larger plastic planting container) Only had a few blooms each year and this year I didn't have any. I did repot them last year. Not sure if that had anything to do with it or not. My pond is in a pretty shady area and only gets minimal sunlight. Maybe that has something to do with it?

 

[addy1]

They need sun light to bloom. Mine get sun the entire day, except for a hour right before sunset.

 

[davepratt]

U think its just cuz our zone or u dont have a green thumb

 

[Mmathis]

I put in hardy lilies in the fall, just put them into the kitty litter, they came back great in the spring.

I've been having "issues" with my water lilies this year (best guess is not enough sunlight), so have done late-summer re-potting for a couple of them. Plus, recently purchased a new one.

I've wondered if it makes a difference if you RE-POT IN THE SPRING VS FALL (which would actually answer davepratt's question). It almost SEEMS like fall would actually be the best time, but don't know.....

In the fall, things are going dormant. So messing with them at that time might be less of a "shock" than it would be in spring when they are "waking up," and trying to send out new roots & pads, etc.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

U think its just cuz our zone or u dont have a green thumb

I don't think its our zone but just that I have a lot of shade plus I re potted them last year (dont remember exact time but I think it was in mid summer)

 

[addy1]

TM I have repotted in the spring, in the fall they all do fine. Main thing is to keep the growing tip out and not covered up. I start mine shallow in the spring, push deeper as they grow.