• Amused
  • Angry
  • Annoyed
  • Awesome
  • Bemused
  • Cocky
  • Cool
  • Crazy
  • Crying
  • Depressed
  • Down
  • Drunk
  • Embarrased
  • Enraged
  • Friendly
  • Geeky
  • Godly
  • Happy
  • Hateful
  • Hungry
  • Innocent
  • Meh
  • Piratey
  • Poorly
  • Sad
  • Secret
  • Shy
  • Sneaky
  • Tired
  • Results 1 to 7 of 7

    Thread: Wintering water lilies in southeast Virginia

    1. #1
      Leecm3 is offline Member
      is Browsing Koiphen
       
      Feeling:
      Amused
       
      Join Date
      Oct 2019
      Location
      Chesapeake, Virginia
      Posts
      88

      Wintering water lilies in southeast Virginia

      I am new to pond plants and was hoping for advise for wintering hardy water lilies. I purchased the hardy water lily from the pond guy in March. It has been blooming all summer and we love it. Winter is approaching and I’m not sure how to stow the water lily over winter.

      I live in Chesapeake va (southeast Virginia) about 10 miles north of North Carolina. Our winter temps are not that bad, Jan & Feb are the harshest. Normal highs are around mid 40s with some days in the 30s upper 20s. Lows are normally upper 30s with some lows in the mid 20s. We do not get much snow, when it does snow maybe 3 to 6 inches that melt off in a day or two.

      Our water lily is planted in a hanging planter that is about 18 inches under the waterline. I can lower or raise the planter by adjusting a chain that holds the planter in place. I have seen some posts that say to cut the stems and leave the lilies in the pond while other posts say to pull the tubers and trim them, roll them in some type of moss then seal them in a plastic bag then stow them in a room that is cool.

      Any advise would be greatly appreciated, we would love for the lily to grow back next year. Here are a few pics of the lily.

      Name:  CFFEDB3C-14AB-4E2F-9614-978C73C8D541.jpg
Views: 101
Size:  44.1 KB
      Name:  51EBDD5C-BF4F-4105-AD29-3DF7CA39D5EF.jpg
Views: 100
Size:  82.2 KB
      Attached Images Attached Images  

      • Remove Ads
        Advertising from Google
        Promoting Koi and Pond
        keeping since 2007

         

    2. #2
      batman is offline Senior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Oct 2013
      Location
      Gotham
      Posts
      1,420
      Trim back and place pot on bottom of pond. They will do fine. I usually divide and re-pot in the spring but if the plant has overgrown the container you might want to divide the section growing outside. They can take freezing water if under the surface but freeze dry cycles at the surface often knocks them out.

      Get a section of pool bubble cover for the spring and speed up growth by 2 weeks or more.
      Last edited by batman; 10-04-2021 at 12:13 AM.
      The real Batman wears polyester! Don't be fooled by the plastic imposter.

    3. #3
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
      One Poet's Garden is offline Senior Member
      is Digging. And then digging some
      more!
       
      Feeling:
      Friendly
       
      Join Date
      Aug 2017
      Location
      Just outside the beltway
      Posts
      436
      In your climate? Just let them down to the bottom of the pond. They'll be fine. In fact, just forget about them until you notice new growth in the Spring. Give them some fertilizer then, and they'll bloom like crazy!

      Best,

      Bill

      Editing to say: that's the best advice for Hardy water lilies. Are you sure that's not a tropical lily? In general, the blossoms of hardy lilies rest on the surface of the water, while many tropicals elevate their blossoms. You may wish to check with the nursery where you purchased it, just to confirm.
      Last edited by One Poet's Garden; 10-04-2021 at 10:27 AM.

    4. #4
      secuono's Avatar
      secuono is offline Senior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Sep 2012
      Location
      Virginia
      Posts
      365
      I'm in NOVA. Ones in my bog, when it was just 1ft deep, to now about 20", I just left them alone. If it is in your pond up high, sink it to the bottom, but tie a string so you can get it back later. If already at bottom, nothing needs to be done.

    5. #5
      Leecm3 is offline Member
      is Browsing Koiphen
       
      Feeling:
      Amused
       
      Join Date
      Oct 2019
      Location
      Chesapeake, Virginia
      Posts
      88
      Thank you everyone for the responses. I went back and checked my invoice from The Pond Guy and I ordered Hard Lily Pink/Orange. The flowers are pink/orange. Whether they shipped hardy or tropical lilies I have no idea how to tell the difference. The primary root that I believe is referred to as the tuber looked like a small 3” skinny pine cone.

      One more question, after the flowers are done blooming, should I be cutting the flower and remove it from the pond?

    6. #6
      gray cat's Avatar
      gray cat is offline Administrator
      is looking forward to Spring
       
      Feeling:
      Happy
       
      Join Date
      Jun 2004
      Location
      Winston Salem, NC. Zone 8A
      Posts
      55,422
      Quote Originally Posted by Leecm3 View Post
      Thank you everyone for the responses. I went back and checked my invoice from The Pond Guy and I ordered Hard Lily Pink/Orange. The flowers are pink/orange. Whether they shipped hardy or tropical lilies I have no idea how to tell the difference. The primary root that I believe is referred to as the tuber looked like a small 3” skinny pine cone.

      One more question, after the flowers are done blooming, should I be cutting the flower and remove it from the pond?
      I remove the blooms and try to remove the stem as close to the pot that I can. I also remove the lily pads & stem when the pads turn yellow. This keeps the debris off the bottom of the pond and makes cleaning the pond much easier. As others have said, just put the pot in the deepest area in your pond and it will do fine.
      Nancy



      Koiphen 2013 Koi Person of the Year!

    7. #7
      Leecm3 is offline Member
      is Browsing Koiphen
       
      Feeling:
      Amused
       
      Join Date
      Oct 2019
      Location
      Chesapeake, Virginia
      Posts
      88
      Thankyou.

      • Remove Ads
        Advertising from Google
        Promoting Koi and Pond
        keeping since 2007

         

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •