Purple Water Lilly

Fun Facts....Waterlilies are an essential feature for every water garden. They are one of the oldest, most sacred plants used as an important native... more

by Peggy Franz

Title

Purple Water Lilly

Artist

Peggy Franz

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Fun Facts....Waterlilies are an essential feature for every water garden. They are one of the oldest, most sacred plants used as an important native species to many people in several countries for food and medicine. The water lily family- Nymphaeaceae- is one of the oldest plant families of water plants found scattered throughout the world. There are four other genera in this family- Euryale (Gorgon plant), Nelumbo (Lotus), Nuphar (Spatterdock) and Victoria (Amazon Lily).Tropical Water Lily.There are 40 species of water lilies (Nymphaea) worldwide and many hybrids that are split into two main groups- Hardy and Tropical. The differences are in temperature hardiness, leaf structure, flower color and performance. Typically the brighter & more colorful the flower, the more complex it’s genetic history.Hardy Water Lilies are:
Day Bloomers, flowers come in peach, changeable, pink, red, white and yellow. Flowers usually lay on the waters surface or slightly above. Many are scented. Hardy Water Lily
Leaves have rounded and smooth edges 1″-12″ wide depending upon species/variety. They have a split that runs from the outer edge to the middle of the leaf that joins the stem (petiole)Hardy, from zone 3 (Alaska) to zone 9 (Florida). They can stay in your pond year round. New purchases can be placed into pond in April.
Tropical Water Lilies are:Day or night blooming, flowers come in stunning, often electric colors of red, pink,Tropical Water Lilywhite, yellow, green, purple and “blue”. Most flowers are scented and stand high above the water surface.Leaves are rounded to oval shape, with a split and have wavy edges.Tropicals need a water temperature of 65-70 deg. F. New plants must be put in the pond when it’s warm, usually in May or June. Thermal pots can help keep your tropical warm, or you can over winter them inside or treat as an annual.

Uploaded

May 14th, 2013