Water lilies are the jewels of the water garden. They constantly produce fragrant blooms from June through October. They are available in a wide array of spectacular colours from vivid reds, bright blues to pastel shades of yellow. Even the leaves of lilies can be quite striking, some varieties have heavily mottled patterns, others are variegated while some varieties have serrated edges.

Some lilies grow fast, and have large leaves and spreads, which make them suitable for large ponds.  But even if you have a small pond, tub garden or patio pond there are many great small and dwarf varieties that grow slower and have smaller leaves. These varieties will perform brilliantly in small spaces.

1. Hardy Water Lilies will survive our cold Canadian winters in the pond as long as the pots are below the ice level.
2. Tropical Water Lilies on the other hand, generally need water temperatures constantly above 70ºF/ 21ºC. One remarkable characteristic of some tropical lilies is they are night blooming. While other lilies are closing up for the day, the night bloomers are just getting started.

Water Lilies are very hardy and relatively easy to care for. Most varieties perform best in full sun, however there are a handful that will flower well in partial shade, click Water Lilies for Shaded Ponds for a list. Lilies are heavy feeders, so  fertilize them with aquatic tabs or spikes to encourage them to flower profusely. They may need to be split and divided every few years for them to do their best.