Plant Library

Other Names:  Waterlily

Description:

Aquatic hardy lily adds elegance to any pond with its large, dark red flowers and glossy leaves; easy to care for; water lilies dislike moving water

Ornamental Features

Attraction Hardy Water Lily features showy lightly-scented dark red cup-shaped flowers with yellow eyes and rose edges at the ends of the stems from early to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive large glossy round leaves emerge burgundy in spring, turning dark green in colour the rest of the year.

Landscape Attributes

Attraction Hardy Water Lily is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Attraction Hardy Water Lily is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Water Gardens
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting
• Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing

Attraction Hardy Water Lily will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 4 feet. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It is an excellent choice for very wet locations or locations with some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Attraction Hardy Water Lily is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.