Water lilies bring a pond or formal pool to life with their beautiful flowers, and by attracting a range of wildlife to the water. It can be tricky to plant them in the water, however, so this step-by-step video guide makes it easy with top tips from Tim Stretton, heads of gardens at Mounton House Garden in Monmouthshire, UK.
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Discover how to pot up or repot and plant up water lilies in a garden pond in spring, and get valuable insider insights with his expert advice.
First, Tim explains why he is repotting his water lilies into larger ceramic ornamental pots, to increase the soil volume around the root system for better growth. He lays down a tarp to keep his area clean, before presenting the old pot of his water lily, Nymphaea ‘Madame Julien Chifflot’, a pink variety, and talking through how to get the old rhizome and roots out of the old plastic pot, and how to identify the crown and growing point.
Tim shows how to cut off the old rotten piece of rhizome from the plant – a technique that can also be used to divide water lilies to multiply plant stocks in spring. Find out about the importance of using appropriate clay-heavy aquatic soil and how to position the rhizome on the soil, as well as Tim’s tips for making homemade feed balls.
Finally Tim shows how to carefully lower the pot into the pond without all the soil floating up and out of the container and spoiling the water.
Watch now for insights including how much soil water lilies need, the sort of container that words best, and what depth to put the pot in the pond.
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