Need waterlilies to add more surface cover to your pond?
Now is a good time to add more waterlilies of all sizes to your pond.
- Waterlilies are the favourite surface cover plants for a pond because of their colourful flowers in Summer.
- The aim is to cover half to two thirds of the pond surface in Summer with plant growth.
- This keeps the water cooler and shaded below the surface to help avoid blanketweed and algae.
- Choose the size of waterlily that will achieve this spread in about 3 years.
- Another plant that will give surface cover over the pond over time are Frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae).
- These are sent as 3 barerooted plantlets that float freely on the water surface and rise and fall with the water temperature.
- They drop to the base in Winter as dormant buds that look like apple pips.
- They are slow to spread in their first year but multiply well over time.
Waterlily Size and Spread:
- Water lilies are available from Miniature through to large Pond waterlilies for larger ponds.
- The Miniature waterlilies are suitable for a barrel pond or very small pond. The whole plant may only reach the size of a side plate.
- Each leaf only 3cm(1 inch) wide.
- Dwarf waterlilies are slightly larger in spread across the pond surface with each leaf around 6cm(2-3 inches) wide.
- Aurora is the smallest and almost like a Miniature.
- The larger Pond waterlilies can have a single leaf 9-11cm/3-4'" wide.
- There is only one British Native waterlily - Nymphaea alba. This is a white waterlily and one plant can spread up to 2m across.
Waterlily Water Depth:
- Each size of waterlily will grow in a different depth of water so make sure you take this into account when choosing which variety you want.
- All waterlilies need to have the top of the basket placed below the potential ice level of the water in Winter.
- Miniatures need a maximum 15cm(6 inches) of water over the top of the 11cm/inch basket.
- Dwarf waterlilies will accept 25cm(10 inches) of water over the basket.
- Pond waterlilies are in 2 categories (growing in either 15cm or 23cm baskets) - those with
under the image (Medium)are less vigorous in spread and grow with less water over the basket than a larger waterlily which could, eventually, reach a metre deep.
under the image (Medium)are less vigorous in spread and grow with less water over the basket than a 
- Miniature Waterlilies -
- Dwarf Waterlilies -
- Pond Waterlilies
Medium size:
Large size:
Additional Feed -
- Waterlilies will benefit from being fed twice a year. Once in early Spring and again mid-Summer.
- Choose the XL Aquatic feed ball for larger waterlilies sent in 23cm(9inch) round baskets each feed.
- Use one Feed balls for Aquatic plants for smaller waterlilies sent in 11cm square baskets each feed.
- You can also use these smaller feed balls in all your other flowering Pond Plants in 11cm baskets.
- Or use 3 smaller feed ball in the large 23cm baskets and 2 in the 15 cm baskets.
- Push the Aquatic feed ball into the compost of the basket to give their flowering and growth a boost.
