Hardy Water Lilies VS Tropical Water Lilies
There are two main types of water lilies available out there in the market – Tropical and Hardy Water Lilies.
Hardy Water Lilies are perennials; they’ll come back year after year. They come in numerous colours and forms, ranging from yellow to pink to red. The Comanche species of water lilies changes the color of its flower from an apricot to a dark bronze laced with red. Leaves and flower sizes range between 3 and 12 inches in diameter.
These varieties are mainly best for northern climates that experiences a cold winter. Hard water lilies are aptly named as they are able to combat the harsh and tough winter days – as long as their roots don’t freeze entirely. If they are planted with at least 17 inches of water above their root system, they will pull through . Otherwise you could always put them in cold storage, but remember to keep them moist.
Now on to my favorite types of Water Lily – The Tropical Water Lilies. In Singapore, when the weather is extremely hot and sunny all year round. Tropical Water Lilies like the Panama Pacific (Nymphea Nouchali) , the purple coloured water lily do extremely well and flower almost every single day!
These tropical water lilies have more variety of colours as compared to their hardy counterparts and hold their flowers well above the water’s surface. If you are unfamiliar with these plants, you could even mistake one for a lotus perhaps. The colours of these types of lilies ranges from blue to purple and even green. They attract a large variety of honeybees and other birds which will make your pond a thriving ecosystem for your garden.
Most of the Tropical Lilies are extremely fragrant. Some may even bloom during the night time (I personally like to have both day blooming and night blooming flowers in my pond). They should not be planted in cold temperatures, but that will not be a problem in a tropical country like Singapore. However, during the more rainy monsoon seasons here in tropical countries expect the flowering and blooming of flowers to be a little less consistent than usual. Their lily pads and blooms are larger, ranging between 7 to 18 inches in diameter.
Despite all these information, the most crucial thing for in establishing a beautiful water garden is deciding how you would want to display and care for the Water Lily. Read more about the different ways to grow and care for them well here …
