Tropical water lilies are one of our favorite plants here are Swan’s.
As with any annual (annuals are referred to as tropicals here in the pond world) plant, we buy it every year, knowing it won’t survive our Midwest winters but we buy them because they just give us something a regular hardy plant can’t.
For those who have never had a tropical water lily, let us convince you that you need one.
Tropical lilies have bigger leaves and bloom more prolifically than a hardy lily. We have seen up to 5 blooms at once on one tropical lily!
Tropical lilies have round, shiny leaves with crinkled or serrated edges that float on the water’s surface. Their leaves can be green or maroon, and some have wonderfully colorful green mottling with darker shades of maroons or deep purples. The large, dramatic blooms can get to 10” or more, and are usually very fragrant and held up on stems high above the water’s surface.
Day bloomers open in the morning, same as hardy lilies, but while hardy lilies start to close at 3-4 pm, a day-blooming tropical will stay open late into the afternoon-early evening. They are perfect for someone who works all day and only sees their hardy lilies on weekends.
Day-blooming tropical flowers are available in wonderful shades of fuchsia, red, blue, purple, lavender, and the unique ‘green’ family. These spectacular shades and colors are usually not found in hardy lilies, and you can’t help but fall in love with them.
The Night bloomers are unique in that they start to bloom in the evening and stay open all night, and close around 10 am. (sometimes later if it is a cloudy or rainy day). They come in shades of pure white, which reflects the moon’s light, or shades of pink and red. Many have dark maroon leaves.
What is even more special about night-blooming tropical flowers is that they will bloom in part to full shade. When they bloom in a shade garden, they will open in the evening and, in most cases, will stay open until mid-afternoon, only to open again at night and start all over again.
One of the best features of a tropical water lily is how late into the season they bloom. We have had them blooming in November. Unlike hardy lilies, they are not preparing to go dormant so they keep blooming well into fall!
You can attempt to winter over tropical water lilies here in Kansas/Missouri. We have been told by several of our customers they have been successful. We recommend doing your own research and finding which method works best for you.
Have we convinced you that you need to get one of these in your water feature yet?
Come to our store just north of Louisburg and 15 minutes south of Overland Park and let us show you in person how wonderful these plants really are!
To Learn More About Swan’s Water Gardens and the plants we offer :