When winter comes through the country, some plants have to lose out. They freeze to death. What about the water lilies? Are there winter-hardy specimens and which ones absolutely cannot tolerate frost? Below you will find out the most important things!
Which types of water lilies are hardy?
There are both hardy and frost-sensitive types of water lilies. Hardy species such as the white, glossy, scented or giant water lily can tolerate frost and can remain in the pond. However, sensitive varieties such as the blue, Mexican or Cape water lily must be overwintered.
Winter-hardy water lily species
There are some water lilies that can easily spend the winter outdoors and are rarely damaged. These well-known species tolerate frost and do not need overwintering:
- White Water Lily
- Shining water lily
- Scented Water Lily
- Giant water lily
- Dwarf water lily (some varieties only tolerate frost to a limited extent)
Water lilies that should be overwintered
Many species find their home in tropical regions of the world. You will never be exposed to frost there. So they couldn't adapt to it. So if they are cultivated in ponds in this country, they have to be overwintered in order to survive. For example, tropical water lilies include these species:
- Blue Water Lily
- Mexican water lily
- Cape Water Lily
For tropical water lilies, it is advantageous to cultivate them in a container or aquarium. Then the stress of overwintering is saved or minimized. But if you still decide to cultivate such sensitive varieties outdoors, you should keep a few things in mind.
How to Overwinter Tropical Water Lilies
Do you have tropical water lilies in your garden pond? Then you should overwinter them from the end of September. Otherwise they will freeze to death. To overwinter they need sufficient light and warm water (20 to 24 °C). Aquariums (€4.00 on Amazon) are well suited for overwintering, but also pots, for example in a heated winter garden.
Even hardy water lilies can freeze
If the water in the pond is not deep enough, even otherwise hardy water lilies can freeze. The water depth should be at least 40 cm! Otherwise there is a risk that the roots of the water lilies will freeze.
If your pond is too shallow, you should overwinter your water lilies. To do this, get them out of the pond. This should ideally happen from November onwards. Where are they going now? For example in a bucket of water. This is placed in a cool and dark place.
Tip
Just find out where your water lily originally comes from! Then you can assess how hard it is in terms of winter hardiness.
