How to Identify Water Lilies

• 1). Enjoy your water lily. A hardy water lily has a bloom that is within 2-3 inches of the top of the water. All water lily blooms stick up out of the water, but the hardy stays the closest to the top. Usually the hardy water lily has a smaller bloom than the tropical water lily. Hardy water lilies can be found as high as 12,000 feet and endure all types of weather. If you live where the winters are cold, your hardy water lily will survive your winter weather and come back in the spring ready to enjoy for another summer.
  
  
• 2). Smell the aroma of the tropical water lily. We all love tropical water lilies. Their colors are vibrant. Their flowers tower 6-8 inches above the water and move delicately in the slightest breeze. Their fragrance envelops the garden and thrills us all summer long. Tropicals have huge blooms in every possible color. Tropical water lily flowers open every morning and close in late afternoon. Usually before one flower dies after about three days, another is opening, so you are not without a water lily flower during the summer.
  
  
• 3). The day blooming water lily's flowers open each morning just about the time you are leaving for work and close about the time you get home. So you enjoy your day bloomer on weekends.
  
  
• 4). Enjoy water lily blooms all the time. Consider the night bloomer. Even more beautiful than the day bloomer, the night bloomer opens just before twilight. The night bloomer needs to be in at least 5 hours of direct sunlight daily and prefers even more than that, but it rewards the water gardener with luscious blooms nightly, so you don't have to wait until the weekend to enjoy your water lily.
  
  
• 5). Your aquatic nursery can help you pick out the right water lily for your pond. Some are small enough for a small pond. Others are huge and cover the surface of a large pond in a few weeks. Ask before you buy to get the right lily for your pond. If you live where winters are cold, confine your choice to hardy water lilies unless you are willing to buy new ones each spring. Tropical water lilies love hot weather, but will not do well when the temperatures dip below 55 degrees F.