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Amsterdam
06-20-2009, 12:48 PM
Are there any shade tolerant hardy waterlilies? I have a Clyde Ikins that doesn't seem to mind the shade. My Pink Ribbon is in the same area and the bloom doesn't fully open. Maybe this is a fluke or it prefers more sun than some in the morning and a little in the afternoon. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

andrew davis
06-21-2009, 09:41 AM
There is a wide range of tolerance among the hardy waterlilies, some prefer 60's and 70's waters, others 80's and 90's to bloom prolific. Then there's a wide range of bloom to lilypad ratio and some are just plain shy bloomers just to make the choice a tad more interesting.

In the Carolinas where 90's waters are typical through July and August, many hardy waterlilies prefer a lot of shade through midday, while they may flower sedate and steady in high levels of shade, at least they will not be going fully heat dormant as they would if they caught hot midday sun

The Marliac varieties, developed for Northern European markets feature many which cope well with cooler waters and less light. James Brydon, Laydeckeri's, Indiana, Rene Gerard, Froebeli, Pink Beauty come to mind...

Someone to ask who would be familiar with such a choice would be Charles Leach at Hickory Bend Water gardens, Ohio, who has an extensive collection of hardy waterlilies

Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l42/adavisus/

Amsterdam
06-22-2009, 11:39 AM
Thanks for the help/info! I think I have a pink beauty on the way so I will switch them out and see how it goes.

Teresa
06-25-2009, 09:37 AM
I have a very shady yard - lots of mature trees and even more that are growing up to fill in the places where the old ones might die. I live in the city limits where you must have permits to cut trees and permits are difficult to obtain. I have also tried for years to grow lilies and have had some limited success with a few varieties.

I have not tried all of those lilies that Andrew has suggested, but the ones I have tried offered absolutely no success. I did have some success with Charlene Strawn and Barbara Dobbins - with Barbara being the better bloomer of the two. Perry's Baby Pink blooms constantly for me, all summer long, with just a couple of hours of sun. Graziella bloomed for me, not quite as prolificly as PBP, but well enough for me to recommend it. Helvola will tolerate quite a bit of shade and continue to produce flowers. I also have an unknown yellow small lily that's blooming for me right now.

There are several tropicals that will also grow and bloom in my shady yard. One of my favorites is Dauben because not only will it bloom in the shade, it's a much prettier lily in the shade - has lovely pale blue flowers with darker blue tips. Minuta has been blooming constantly all summer for me this year. I used to have a nightbloomer, HC Haarstick (think that's right but not sure), and it bloomed and tubered very well for me, in the shady pond, for several years.

Craig Presnell, the noted waterlily hybridizer who occasionally posts on this forum, has been working on creating some shade tolerant tropicals. I have two of his test plants in my pond right now and both have buds heading toward the surface.

Swimming Jewel
06-25-2009, 10:03 AM
I agree Teresa, let's hope Craig posts here....he's the resident water lily authority/expert here! :D:

In my experience, Helvola blooms well for me too. :yes:
And Nymphaea pygmaea.
And Colorado will bloom too, if you have the room for it. :cool3:

PS: And another one is Shady Lady, which I grow.
http://www.aqua-mart.com/shadylady.html