New Water Lilies

[Lisa K]

Hi everyone! I’m new to the whole water gardening experience so I need all the help I can get! I bought a water lily early in the summer and it is thriving in my above ground water garden. I noticed two buds about six days ago but only one has bloomed so far. The non bloomer is down in the water while the bloomers stem is about four inches above. Is this normal? The lily is a hardy lily though I don’t know the name. I’ve heard that it isn’t unusual for the first bloom on a plant not to open. It looks like it’s going to bloom but is partially in the water. Any thoughts or advice? Here’s a photo of the lilies.

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome to the GPF! Nice name - haha!

Lilies are pretty much like any other plant - anything is possible when it comes to blooms. Different sizes, heights, how long they last... lots of variations are possible. I had two blooms that never even made it OUT of the water this year - fully bloomed under the water. That was a first for me!

 

[Tombstone]

Sounds fine to me, mine do the same.

 

[Lisa K]

Welcome to the GPF! Nice name - haha!

Lilies are pretty much like any other plant - anything is possible when it comes to blooms. Different sizes, heights, how long they last... lots of variations are possible. I had two blooms that never even made it OUT of the water this year - fully bloomed under the water. That was a first for me!

LOL I actually saw one of your posts and thought oh no, I’ve stolen someone else’s user name! Thanks for the info. it’s amazing that you had two that bloomed under water, here’s hoping mine does something. The guy that I bought them from said they would probably not bloom again until spring so I’m happy with any blooms. I just got excited when I saw two. (I’ve been crazy about water lilies since I was a child!)

 

[Lisa K]

Sounds fine to me, mine do the same.

Thanks! I’m glad I’m not alone!

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!
Where are you located? Mine are still blooming but slowing down just a bit.

 

[Lisak1]

@Lisa K one thing to remember is that lilies are heavy feeders. They will put up lots of blooms if you make sure they get lots of fertilizer throughout the season. Some people give them one slow release feeding in the spring; others give them fertilizer tabs or pellets throughout the growing season. Either way you go keeping them fed will increase the blooms dramatically. Some varieties are known to be prolific bloomers, so you may see some with lots more blooms than you get for example. But you can maximize the potential of your plant by giving it lots to feed off of!

 

[j.w]

@Lisa K
They love fertilizer. I've had some blooms that just don't open underwater too.

 

[Lisa K]

Welcome to our group!
Where are you located? Mine are still blooming but slowing down just a bit.

Thank you! I’m in West Virginia. It’s still warm here but I’m not expecting any more blooms this year. I had one to bloom and another that never opened which has now gone under the water. I’m glad I found this group I’ll probably have lots of questions!

 

[addy1]

I’m glad I found this group I’ll probably have lots of questions!

And we love to answer! You can get a lot of different answers, just pick the one that works for you.

 

[Lisak1]

just pick the one that works for you.

No! Pick me! haha!

 

[Lisa K]

No! Pick me! haha!

Ok, you asked for it!
I know fall is coming and I will soon need to sink my lilies in deeper water. It’s supposed to be in the mid-forties here later this week, should I do before the cold spell? If so, do I just prune the leaves down to the pot and move them to deeper water? My ponds not that deep but I have a deeper pond to take them to.

 

[addy1]

Geez we are still in the 90's. I don't worry about sinking them until we get water freezing weather.
I do groom and sink sometime late october, nov.

 

[Lisa K]

Ok thanks! 90s during the day here but it’s getting chillier at night. Do I just trim the pad stems down pretty close to the pot?

 

[Lisak1]

Do I just trim the pad stems down pretty close to the pot?

Yup! But I'll admit, some years I've cut them back and then we had a warm spell and they grew a few more pads and I just left them be. Once it gets cold I'm not getting back in!