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Water lily

JudyNJudyN Posts: 119
in Plants
This is my pond - it's bigger than it looks in the photo, about 2 x 1.5m.


The water lily has lots of buds but annoyingly, they're all hiding beneath the leaves:

Is this because the water lily is overcrowded? There's a very thick mat of roots below it. Is there anything I can do so the flowers are actually visible without peering under the leaves? I imagine if it is it'll be a job for the winter.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions :-)

Posts

  • micearguersmicearguers Posts: 646
    Cut off some leaves? I have a pond like that, and am thinking to buy something like the Spear and Jackson easy reach pruner to do just that.

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    You could haul it out and chop it up, even now. I've done them in mid summer. It's likely to be very , very heavy and very , very smelly.
    You can them chop it down to a more manageable size and re-use the other chunks elsewhere or give them away on freecyle, or sell them. 
    I think , in an ideal world , you need a much smaller growing variety in that pond.
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited June 2018
    I agree that the lily variety is too large for the pond, but I'm pretty sure that the buds will grow up to the surface before they open. The flowers won't open under water ... am I right @Hostafan1?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • JudyNJudyN Posts: 119
    Doverfromabove, the buds and flowers are above the surface of the water, just hidden under the leaves.

    Thanks for your replies. I think you're right that it is simply too large a variety for the pond. Ideally rather than planting a smaller lily I'd quadruple the size of the pond, but that would be an enormous job and upset a whole load of newts (newts thrive in the pond, not so much frogs).

    I'm going to consider getting someone in either to reduce the size of the water lily (and maybe the flag iris) or replace it with a smaller one, because it's going to weigh a ton - I'm definitely not up to the task and I doubt OH is either.
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    Try Nymphea pygmea rubra. Our pond is tiny and it is just right. Has lovely deep red foliage. 
  • JudyNJudyN Posts: 119
    Ooh that's pretty, KeenOnGreen. I seem there's a white one too. I quite fancy a white one :)
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