Water lily

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

Water lilies are aquatic plants, not houseplants, but they grow well in a container water garden – a planting basket submerged in a tub or small pond on a sunny balcony or patio. They need full sun to half shade and their roots must stay underwater, so they are for an outdoor water feature rather than a room indoors.

Quick Details

• Container Size: A planting basket set inside a watertight tub or pond; match the tub to the variety’s spread
• Indoor Suitability: Not a houseplant; grow it outdoors in a sunny water container
• Best Spot: Full sun to half shade over still water
• Soil & Drainage: Heavy aquatic soil in a basket, submerged – no free drainage; the roots stay wet
• Watering in Pots: Always submerged – keep the tub or pond topped up

Indoors & On the Windowsill

• Houseplant limits: Not a room plant – it needs open sun and standing water a windowsill can’t give.
• Overwintering: In cold climates keep the crown below the ice line – move the tub deep enough or somewhere the water won’t freeze solid; hardy types rest through winter and return in the warm season.

On a Balcony or Patio

• Light & heat: Give it the sunniest spot; still water and warmth bring the best flowering. Top up the water often in hot weather as it evaporates.
• Practicalities: A water-filled tub is very heavy – set it on a strong, level base before filling, and choose a variety sized to the tub’s depth and width.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

• Basket & water: Plant into an aquatic basket of heavy soil, top it with gravel to hold the soil down, and lower it into the tub or pond at the right depth for the variety.
• Potting mix: Heavy loam or aquatic soil, not a light free-draining mix that would float away.
• Feeding: Feed with slow-release aquatic tablets pushed into the basket so nutrients don’t foul the water; divide crowded crowns every couple of years in the warm season.

Bloom & Flower Guide

Quick Details

• Bloom Season: Late spring through autumn, while the water is warm
• Time to First Bloom: Usually the first season after planting, once the water warms
• Flower Appearance: Many-petalled cup-shaped flowers in red, yellow, white, purple, pink, orange or blue, with a mostly yellow centre; some are fragrant
• Edibility: Ornamental water plant, grown for its blooms rather than for eating

Detailed Blooming Overview

The water lily is prized for its floating, many-petalled blossoms that rest on or just above the surface. Flowers appear through the warm months and, in most types, open by day and close again toward evening, each bloom lasting several days before it fades back to the water.

Flower Characteristics

• Colours span red, yellow, white, purple, pink, orange and blue, set off by a mostly yellow centre of showy stamens.
• Blooms are many-petalled and cup- to star-shaped; some varieties are pleasantly fragrant.

Bloom Care & Thinning

• Positioning: give the plant full sun and calm, still water; the more direct sun the crown receives, the more freely it flowers.
• Spent blooms: lift away faded flowers and yellowing pads at the base to keep the water clear and encourage new buds.
• Pollination: open flowers are visited by bees, beetles and other insects.

Bloom Health & Protection

• Waterlily aphid: in warm spells these can gather on buds and flower stalks; a firm jet of water to dislodge them, or encouraging natural predators, usually keeps them in check.