Are you planning to plant a water lily? Then what are you waiting for? Read the article below and be inspired by the world of water lilies and their types!
What types of water lilies are there?
Popular types of water lilies include the white water lily, dwarf water lily, blue water lily, Mexican water lily, blue Cape water lily, variegated water lily, giant water lily, fragrant water lily and glossy water lily. These differ in size, flower color, flowering time and winter hardiness.
The White Water Lily
It is considered the most beautiful native water lily species. But: It is protected and may therefore not be taken from wild ponds and lakes. Buy them and plant them! It will soon overgrow large ponds. It can cope with depths of up to 3 m.
Here are the characteristics of Nymphaea alba:
- Distribution: Europe, Asia, North Africa
- up to 30 cm large, kidney-shaped leaves
- dark green leaf color
- Flowering period: May to September
- each flower is open for 3 to 7 days
- Flowers: wide open, 12 cm in diameter, 25 petals
- Flower color: white
The dwarf water lily
This specimen is perfect for small ponds with low water levels (maximum 20 cm). It is hardy and can even thrive in containers. The dwarf water lily blooms from June to August and presents 2.5 to 5 cm wide, star-shaped, white flowers with a pink base.
The Blue Water Lily
The blue water lily, which originally comes from Egypt, is not hardy in this country. It impresses with bright green leaves that grow up to 40 cm and have wavy edges. Its flowers are lilac to blue stars that reach a diameter of 20 cm.
Other types of water lilies
The Mexican water lily also looks interesting with its yellow color. The Blue Cape water lily impresses with blue-colored flowers. The flowers of the colorful water lily are also colored blue (blue-purple and golden yellow at the base). This species blooms for a very long time, comes from the tropics and is therefore not hardy in this country.
These 3 types are also recommended:
- Giant water lily: from Australia and New Guinea, flowers up to 30 cm in diameter, July to September
- Scented water lily: from the USA, tends to overgrow, June to August, white flowers
- Shiny water lily: from Eastern Europe, half-opened, 9 cm wide flowers, white
Tip
If you decide on several types of water lilies, you should note that some are less competitive than others and can be quickly displaced.