I need help. My greenhouse pond in 425 gallons. I have some miniature cattails and fake bamboo in one large container, and a dwarf darkish pink lily I bought in 2017 at a local nursery (no longer sells pond plants). I don't even know what the name of the lily is.

Here is the pink lily. Sorry about the poor picture. (I no longer have the water lettuce or hyacinths in this pond) I want to put a 2nd lily about where the lettuce/hyacinth are in this picture.



I want to add a dwarf Yellow Lily, but I have such little knowledge about what and where to buy one.

I am looking for (experience) information about what lily(ies) are contenders for my choice and a reputable place to buy it.

Thanks for any help.

That looks really nice.

There are quite a few dwarf yellow water lilies, many of them sold in department stores and in little bags in big nurseries. Of course, purchased that way they might as easily be pink or white when they come up, despite what the picture says.

The places I used to purchase water lilies from have shutdown. I often trade online. My only yellow water lilies at the moment are young and came from specialty breeders ($$$), so I don't have any to trade at the moment, sorry.

For yellow varieties, I've grown Helvola, or Yellow Pygmy, which was tough, stayed small, and is commonly available. Chromatella is popular and has slow growing rhizomes, so doesn't outrun it's pot so fast--I had an unknown at one point that I think was Chromatella, but not sure. Mexicana comes up with mixed reviews. I knew one person who had it take over their pond completely in a couple seasons, but others have told me it's not so bad, so I don't know. I haven't grown it.

And if you want to try something fancy, water lily breeding is experiencing a renaissance, and the number and type of new varieties have exploded in recent years. Stay away from site like Bergen unless you want to be enticed--I go there for lotus, but come away with water lilies sometimes. They always deliver great plants, and they grow all their own stuff, so their description, while sparse sometimes, are from personal experience. And I can point you at sites that sell plants (good stuff, new imports, I know them) for up to $200 if you really feel rich.

I could send you some of my beautiful peach water lily that I'm always trimming back, but it's a thug and grows like crazy (blooms heavily, though), so probably not what you're looking for.

Maybe we can get others in the community to chime in with their own sources. This place gets a bit quiet during winter in the northern hemisphere.

Thank you, Paul. I appreciate your response. I will look into the types/places you mentioned while we see if others have suggestions.

I don't know how far you are from Saddle River, NJ, but there is a really great old place there called Waterford Gardens. https://waterfordgardens.com/ They opened in 1895 as William Tricker & Son. In around 1980 they sold it and it became Waterford Gardens. I posted a review of this place. I love going there. Potted waterlilies are in the $40.00 dollar range if you pick them up.

I have two tub gardens and grow Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Rubra' I bought from them which is a dwarf hardy lily. It needs dividing every second or third year. I'll usually get anywhere from 6-8 divisions per plant. It is not yellow like you are looking for though.

Wm. Tricker is still in business out in Independence, Ohio. https://tricker.com/ They have Nymphaea Helvola or Yellow Pygmy for $35.00 plus shipping.

Thanks, Jerry, and I enjoyed our treemail exchange.

I bought some dwarf water lilies from a local aquarium store, they were about $7 each. I was shocked how well one is doing, it had had about 5 blooms this month. I'll post pics tomorrow, Most shops sell these they never flower in aquariums but in my greenhouse pond it's amazing. Petals are white with a yellow core. Showed pics to the shop owner said he never had seen them bloom before. Actually had two blooms today.

Here's the pics from my mini water lily. It's in a tiny 5"x2"pot.

That little lily is pretty. Your pond is looking good! I like the way you are using the sand that anchors the pond into the box. A lot of room for plants!

It's funny there's another dwarf lily in the opposite corner buy it stayed small. It doesn't get much light [blocked by waterfall and Fiddle Leaf fig]. The sand worked out well the pond is a McCourt plastic pond and needs to be inground to mantain it's shape. The only issue is it's not exactly level. The corner with the tiny lily is about an inch too low. I wanted a fiberglass pond but their hard to find now and this was the perfect size and cheap [used $50]. I'm trying some micro and bowl lotus, you can see the bowls outside the pond [will put in at some point] and theres one in the waterfall. Bergins Water Gardens has dwarf water lilys, it's where i got the lotus, they list Perrys Red but call them for yellow [Havola?]. They told me all dwarf lilys are hardy the tropicals all grow big.

jpm995 said: It's funny there's another dwarf lily in the opposite corner buy it stayed small. It doesn't get much light [blocked by waterfall and Fiddle Leaf fig]. The sand worked out well the pond is a McCourt plastic pond and needs to be inground to mantain it's shape. The only issue is it's not exactly level. The corner with the tiny lily is about an inch too low. I wanted a fiberglass pond but their hard to find now and this was the perfect size and cheap [used $50]. I'm trying some micro and bowl lotus, you can see the bowls outside the pond [will put in at some point] and theres one in the waterfall. Bergins Water Gardens has dwarf water lilys, it's where i got the lotus, they list Perrys Red but call them for yellow [Havola?]. They told me all dwarf lilys are hardy the tropicals all grow big.

Aquarium gardeners use water lilies for the submersed foliage only. The leaves growing toward the surface get pruned off before they reach there. You can't see the top of the tank from the side. But, some do have the tops open and even allow their plants to grow up out of the tank where they will often bloom.

There is a dwarf tropical lily called Nymphaea Dauben. To quote the Waterford Gardens description:

"A real work horse. Blooms in shade late into the fall. Soft white blooms tipped with blue. Opens early and closes late in the day. Viviparous. Small spread.

Hybridizer/Founder: Daubeny 1863
Flowers: Cuplike light blue, slightly darker tips. Size: 4-6 in. Very highly scented.
Leaves: Top, green, underside, green, many small purple specks. Egg shaped, edges wavy.
Spread: Medium spread
Situation: Will stand some shade. 6 to 12" water depth over top of pot.
Characteristics: Highly viviparous, very free flowering.
Notes: "Dauben" is ideal for the tub garden or small pool. Will withstand more cold than most tropical lilies without going dormant."

It is a viviparous lily which means it will produce new plants from cut off leaves floating upside down.

Jim, I forgot to mention that waterlilies do not like moving water, so that lily near the waterfall may be reacting to the water movement. Try a new location and see what you get.

Do you fertilize your lilies? They need it.

Thanks for the info Jerry, that Dauben lily sounds interesting. Haven't fertilized yet the lily was bare root with almost no roots just put it in a tiny pot with little dirt. Afraid i'll over fertilize. It's had about 7 blooms already, it's a workhorse. I want to put the little lotus in the pond if they do well might not have room for another lily if it works out.Moving the second lily might be hard. Their both on plant shelves about 7" deep. I would have to put it about 14" down if i moved it. Might be too deep.

Jerrytheplater said: Jim, I forgot to mention that waterlilies do not like moving water, so that lily near the waterfall may be reacting to the water movement. Try a new location and see what you get.

Do you fertilize your lilies? They need it.

I know. I Are you talking about the lily in the greenhouse pond? I had it in the same place last year and it did well. Or are you talking about the FF pond?

I fertilize every two weeks once the water does above 70.

MoonShadows said: I know. I Are you talking about the lily in the greenhouse pond? I had it in the same place last year and it did well. Or are you talking about the FF pond?

I fertilize every two weeks once the water does above 70.

Ha Ha. Two Jim's!! My comment was directed to jpm995 in post 3100253. Sorry for the confusion.