Container for Dwarf Waterlily

12 comments

I have a Dwarf Water lily. I bought it before I joined Goy in 2014 and consequentially have no record of it. It has never done very well and never flowered, I can’t even remember what colour it was supposed to be. Red I think?
I thought the small pond would have been ideal, but no and since then my Sarracenia collection has taken it over.
The Waterlily got confined to a small portion on the right hand side of the pond by September 2016,

when it was moved to the shelf in the top pond, but by November was ousted by a new Louisiana Iris

and an extension of the Carniverous plant collection.

The centre of the pond is too deep for a dwarf Waterlily and in any case the Chromatella water lily (flowering June 5th) and Water Hyacinth would swamp it.

The large pond (large is relative to the smaller size of the other two) is too deep and is the pond for my goldfish.
It has various pseudocorus on the shelves and now has a permanent netting cage over it, to prevent the Crows from predating the fish. Unfortunately this was the pond from which the garden birds prefered to drink.

This spring I put the water lily into a large white plastic tub, but it looked so obvious and out of character, that I put it into a smaller tub within a terracotta pot.
The birds love the arrangement, considering it their own personal drinking station. So far I have seen several male and female Blackbirds, Sparrows and a Wren drinking from it.

Then I saw BJS ‘s waterlily pot with the alpines around the perimeter. Instead of alpines I have put the variegated creeping Fuchsia ’Wirral’ around the edge. Just have to be patient until it starts to tumble down the sides.

The only place in the garden that has sun most of the day is that central paving slab, so for the moment the water lily pot is placed there to see if the sunny location will promote flowering.
If anyone has any suggestions to promote flowering, they would be appreciated.

Above the biggest bird visitor so far.

9 Jun, 2017
9 likes

Comments

Lisam

What a lovely idea. It will be nice to see a photo when the water Lily is in bloom.

10 Jun, 2017

Siris

Thank you Lisam, welcome to GOY, it's great for getting ideas. I saw the pebble pond edging idea on Dansponds pics first.

10 Jun, 2017

Terratoonie

You've worked hard, Siris, and it all looks very neat and happy.

10 Jun, 2017

Siris

Thank you Terra. (Ps I have an old photo especially for you)

10 Jun, 2017

Terratoonie

Oh, wow... just found the lovely Smooth Haired Fox Terrier photo... thank you... what happy childhood memories for you of a special doggy friend !

10 Jun, 2017

Dandanspond..

This is a great idea! I've been thinking of having a barrel or container for a waterlily on the front garden to have some water there too :)

10 Jun, 2017

Lori

I'm always surprised at the hardiness of the waterlilies. I have plans to raid an isolated pond/swamp/swale not far from here to appropriate some roots (and maybe a plant or two) of the white jasmine scented waterlilies that grow there unremarked and generally ignored. I'm encouraged by the fact that in desperation, after the accumulation of so much silt in the pond I was trying to dig, I finally used my old pondliner and made a place for my nymphaea out of an old packing crate. It is sunk into the ground about 3ft..and is about 1000 cc. (that's a guess) trouble with it is, it's ugly. I have lots of rock to use and when time permits I hope to make a wishing well like arrangement for it. would that work for your little lily? is it tropical or temperate?
First two seasons I lifted the pot and overwintered it in the basement... Since then it has survived on it's own, with only snowmelt and rainwater to keep it going (even thro a couple of drought filled summers.)
Do you have frogs? last summer the bullfrogs took over the pond and some of them may have overwintered around the nymphaea roots. If they didn't survive the freeze/thaw their bodies added fertilizer. I'm constantly finding evidence of natural symbiosis. nature actually works. without us. ;-)

10 Jun, 2017

Steragram

Hopefully Siris you'll be able to work your garden magic with it in its new position. Have you tried threatening it? I threatened a non flowering campanula persicifolia with the compost bin after several years non flowering and it has bloomed its heart out ever since...
Looking forward to seeing the little fuchsia doing its stuff.
You'll enjoy watching the birds there anyway.

10 Jun, 2017

Siris

Dan, being a pond fanatic, have you a dwarf Waterlily and if yes has it flowered for you?
Lori yes I have frogs in the proper ponds, but in the UK a disease has devastated the common frog population, they are only just recovering. I have lots of Newts too. The water lilies are temperate, stay in the pond all year. Occasionally there is a thin layer of ice forms, but I keep a breathing hole open with an aquarium air pump. I think rather than leaving the dwarf WL in the tub overwinter, I will put on a pond shelf.
Stera, I threatened my Kiwi with a Fig if it didn't fruit. Got the Fig, ate 4 fruits, Kiwi still not obliging.

10 Jun, 2017

Dandanspond..

I've had one and had the same issue as you had :) but wanting to get a wooden barrel for one :)

16 Jun, 2017

Steragram

Siris if you got the fig and still have the kiwi it obviously didn't take the threat seriously!

16 Jun, 2017

Siris

If you can't get your Dwarf water lily to flower, Dan, no one can.
Stera, the Kiwi put on a wonderful display of flowers, the bees loved it, so I've relented. Also before I put the Fig outside it had 5 fruits but the hot weather in April caused it to drop them.

16 Jun, 2017

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